The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) says it will facilitate the employment of 350 graduates from the Niger Delta.

PAP interim administrator, Barry Tariye Ndiomu, disclosed this at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja.

He said when he assumed office over three months ago, he observed the number of ex-agitators and impacted communities that had benefitted from either the scholarship scheme or the vocational training programmes.

“We realise that less than one per cent are gainfully employed. And that is totally at cross purposes with whatever was intended of the amnesty programme,” Mr Ndiomu explained. “I visited the head of the federal civil service of the federation because we have about 350 beneficiaries. They are not necessarily ex-agitators.”

According to the PAP boss, the important thing is classifying them as those who benefitted based on the impacted community concept.

“However, these 350 individuals from Niger Delta are very brilliant with first class and second class upper degrees,” added Mr Ndiomu. “The federal government, at the time, decided that they should be employed in various federal ministries, departments and agencies. And this was supposed to happen in 2017.”

(NAN)