KADUNA – The Hope Arewa Development Initiative (HADI), a pan-northern group has passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the presidential Amnesty programme, calling on the federal government not to be distracted by calls from groups in a section of the country to change its leadership.
Addressing newsmen in Kaduna on Sunday the Secretary General of the initiative Mallam Musa Wada restated the fact that the Amnesty programme is a national project which must be supported by all Nigerians considering the role it has played in stabilising the polity.
The northern group which is a coalition of 53 nongovernmental and community based organisations in the north were apparently condemning the call for the removal of the Coordinator of the Amnesty programme Brig Gen Paul Boroh for no reason other than the selfish interest of some elites in the Niger Delta region who are not comfortable with the transparent approach he has adopted in running the programme.
According to Mallam Wada the recent uproar and negative perceptions been generated in the media by some sponsored groups from the Niger Delta region over the performances of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator, Amnesty Programme for Niger-Delta militants General Paul Boroh in connection with the renewed bombings of government critical infrastructures by the group called Niger Delta Avengers indeed calls for more crisis and destabilization of the South-South region of the country.
Hope Arewa Development Initiative HADI also noted that that the appointment of Boroh was well justified considering the fact that he is from the region, ‘’Secondly President Muhammadu Buhari must have conducted a thorough due diligence before appointing him’’.
The group added that Gen Boroh is someone that is so passionate about the Federal Government’s disarmament and demobilization of former agitators in the Niger Delta because of its sustainability to peace, development and the economic growth in the region and Nigeria in general.
‘We therefore find it baffling and strange for someone or group of persons or people to start calling for the head of such a passionate man or his removal; having assumed this most tasking and demanding office in less than a year, this indeed shows how greedy and un-patriotic some Nigerians can reacts’’.
Mallam Wada added his performance since assuming office has proved his mettle which only mischief makers will question his competences, adding the quality and character of Gen Boroh coupled with his military pedigree did not only qualifies him as a man for the Amnesty job but also his professional charisma in peacekeeping at both local and international fronts.
It is our candid belief that the Amnesty programme is on course and there should be no distraction whatsoever from any quarters, based on this we are confident of the programme will achieve its mandate considering the fact that Boroh is well positioned as the President‘s real link between the government and some of his region men that has resolved to arms in the struggle for the Niger Deltans.
The group recalled that the general has used several occasions since he assumed office to appeal to all stakeholders to take ownership of the Amnesty programme by supporting the peace initiative of the government.
They appealed to Nigerians and the people from the region in particular to put aside politics and selfish sentiments and work together for the development of the region especially now that the federal government is putting structures in place for the cleaning up of the region.
