Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege (APC-Delta) has urged the Federal Government to abandon its plans to cancel the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), for ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region.

He revealed this via a recent statement on Sunday in Abuja, by Yomi Odunuga, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.

According to him, the plan is premature and ill-timed, and the planned scrapping would actually take away the peace in the region.

He added that there are several challenges already in this country, therefore this is not the time to reawaken the agitations of militancy in the Niger Delta region.

His words, “In recent times, there has been a debate for either the scrapping or retention of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, introduced by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2009 for Niger Delta militants, who had engaged in armed struggle for a better deal in the oil-rich region.

“I don’t think that the timing is right for the Amnesty Programme to be scrapped.

“We have challenges right now in the North East, the ravages of Boko Haram, banditry in North West and North Central.

“Those are enough challenges already in this country. I don’t believe that this is the time to reawaken the agitations of militancy in the Niger Delta region.

“It is my hope and expectation that the policy makers, who are around Mr President, will convey this to Mr President that to the extent that there is any such plan at this time.

“It is premature and ill-timed.

“That is not to say that this programme must stay in perpetuity, but we don’t believe that the goals set have been completely achieved.”