Thirty-eight ex-combatants of the Niger Delta militants left the shores of Nigeria today(Wednesday) to South Africa to undergo vocational training as stipulated by the program for the rehabilitation of members of the group..
Senior Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Timi Aliabe who disclosed this early todat at the Sheraton Hotel in Lagos said that the ex-combatants will be trained at the Artisan Skills Training Provider (ASTP) in that country.
According to Aliabe all 38 ex-militants would be trained to either become qualified sea-farers, quartermasters, sea masters, boat drivers or even marine captains.
Aliabe further said that the Federal Government has made arrangements with 35 similar off shore centre providing services in vocation/skill acquisition and education.
He said, “These trainees who have successfully gone through nonviolence transformational training represent the future of the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole. The various kinds of training and general life exposure they are set to receive at the offshore training centre will further transform and prepare them as agents of change.”
Aliabe also said that the 38 will in South Africa for six months after which they would actually be given t6he opportunity to put to practise what they have learnt in the program.
“But even more important, President Goodluck Jonathan expects transformed and skilled ex-militants to form the bedrock and bulwark of the new economy of the Niger Delta.”
He charged the delegates to consider the privileges given to them as rare and thus position themselves to effectively maximize the opportunity given as worthy ambassadors.
Speaking to Daily Champion, one of the ex-militants, Taribolou Dick expressed joy at the concept of being a freeman and said that the time of hiding in the shadows and avoiding soldiers was past.
As a professional soldier for nine years before joining the struggle, Dick said that it was a horrendous sight to watch colleagues in the struggle die for the cause.
Another ex-militant, Oyibo Akpos who spoke at the gathering extolled the federal government for the initiative, and further propagated the non-violence creed and the six principles guiding it stating that as a reformed citizen that was now his lot.
He said, “To be able to express my aggravation through dialogue without resulting to violence of any sort because violence would not win the eventual war.”
The amnesty program, it would be recalled was conceived during the era of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua with the offering of amnesty in June 25, 2009 of which 20,193 militants accepted the offer and started the disarmament process which took place on October 4, 2009.
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