Buhari orders Central Bank of Nigeria to immediately pay amnesty militants' school fees

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor to immediately pay all the outstanding tuition fees and allowances of the Niger Delta amnesty programme beneficiaries to avoid them being expelled.

 

Under the amnesty programme, hundreds of Niger Delta youths are being trained abroad in a range of skills ranging from under water welding to piloting. Over recent months, however, the government has nit paid their school fees and allowances, prompting at least one German school to threaten to expel the pupils.

 

Keen to avoid such an embarrassing situation, President Buhari has asked the CBN governor Godwin Emefiele to ensure that all payments are made without further delay.  Already, the European Union (EU) has strengthened its partnership with the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, which runs the presidential amnesty programme, to keep it going.

Amnesty Office spokesman Daniel Alabra, said the CBN has successfully credited the accounts of students in 10 institutions worldwide. These include Nilai University, Malaysia, the universities of Strathclyde, Westminster and Dundee in UK, Liberty University, Virginia, USA, New York Institute of Technology, University of Arizona, Lynn University, USA, Edinburgh University, UK and the University of Essex.

 

Mr Alabra added: "Following the completion of the in-house verification of claims, the special adviser has since signed and approved the payment of all outstanding tuition and allowances of the 3,074 beneficiaries in onshore and offshore educational institutions. Already, the tuition fees of 1,620 of the beneficiaries in Nigerian institutions have been paid just as they have all received their in-training allowances for May and June 2015."

 

He said that the process is ongoing and should be completed within a few days. According to Mr Alabra, the coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier Paul Boroh expressed appreciation to President Buhari for offering to step in and resolve the logjam in the payment of the outstanding allowances.

 

On its part, the EU  disclosed that it had expended $500m for the development of the Niger Delta region over the past 10 years. EU minister counsellor Brian O'Neil, promised to continue to partner with Nigeria to advance peace and progress in the region.