OPINION: How Dokubo Turned N’Delta Around In One Year
" After one year in office, Dokubo has not only repositioned the Agency, but has brought Life, Succour, Peace and Economic Development to Niger Delta Region. The Amnesty Office has been repositioned to focus on the core mandate of empowering the youths"..... Barr Mary Agbajoh
The appointment of Professor Charles Dokubo as Co-ordinator of Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) in March, 2018 has no doubt opened a new vista in the region, in line with the Change Agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
To put it in short term, Dokubo’s achievements within a year has enabled the people of the Niger Delta region take a peep into new direction of life.
One can without any sense of humility assert that Prof Dokubo radically changed the face of the Amnesty programme in the region and the people of the Niger Delta are better for it.
Dokubo made it possible because on assumption of office, as he made sure he hit the ground rolling by initially, visiting the people in the region so as to get physical first-hand information about their socio-economical life style. During the visits, he had series of meetings with the most important stakeholders of the amnesty programme, the leaders of the ex-agitators and he equally spoke on the need to support the president’s vision for the development of the Niger Delta region.
At the different meetings, he tutored the ex-agitators on the compelling need to continue to maintain peace in the Niger Delta region so that the impact of the Amnesty Programme in the development of the region can be felt. The serial meetings with the people, no doubt, gave him the effective knowledge of the problems of Niger Delta region and how to resolve them so as to create an enduring peaceful co-existence in the region for business to strive successfully,
Dokubo was able to resolve his teething problem which had to do with re-integration of the agitators into the programme so that they could get required skills and jobs. The reintegration phase largely entails providing the ex-agitators with either vocational training or formal education. He ensured that out of the 30,000 persons enlisted in the presidential Amnesty Programme, 11,297 persons that were still in the queue waiting to be placed in either vocational training facilities or sent to tertiary institutions for formal education were absolved.
The beginning of his success story was noted in the upliftment of Amnesty educational programme. Besides deploying 1,807 delegates to 145 institutions across the globe for various educational programmes by the offshore education unit of the Amnesty Office, 207 students spread across 66 institutions in 20 countries are currently studying various courses. Better deal for beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme is further heightened by Dokubo’s determination to surpass a record of 30 offshore graduates of the programme who attained First Class Honours/Distinction degrees in courses including Engineering, Bio-medical science, Law, Information Technology, Political Science and International Relations.
Effective monitoring of offshore students by Relationship Managers under his watch has also reduced agitation of students since he assumed office.
The Amnesty Boss deserves to be commended for ensuring that the onshore education unit of the Amnesty Office attends promptly to the welfare of students pursuing degree programmes in Nigerian institutions.
As at this moment, no fewer than 500 Niger Delta Students are studying various courses both in private and government universities across the country under the sponsorship of Federal Amnesty programme.
Prof. Dokubo on assumption of office had tasked the onshore education unit to develop a sustainable plan for the next two years. This included the preparation of students’ allowances on a quarterly basis to ensure deadlines were strictly met and to avoid unforeseen circumstances that could warrant late disbursement of funds by the Federal Government.
A verification exercise to ascertain the actual number of students who are beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme at various universities across the country is ongoing to ensure government funds are not misappropriated. Dokubo managerial ability has led to enduring peace in the Niger Delta Region as he strived to take Amnesty Programme to the Next Level in accordance to President Muhammadu Buhari’s administrative policy.
Fired by fresh initiatives at the Amnesty Office, Dokubo sets out to put finishing touches to five vocational training centres across the Niger Delta Region to come on stream. These include the Maritime Vocational Training Centre at Oboloma, Rivers State, Basic Skills Vocational Training Centre in Boro Town, Kaiama, Bayelsa State, Power and Energy Vocational Training Centre in Bomadi, Delta State, Oil and Gas Vocational Training Centre, Agadagba-Obon, Ondo State and the Agricultural Vocational Training Centre in Gelegele, Edo State.
The vocational centres at Agadagba and Kaiama are expected to be operational soonest to empower ex-agitators with viable skills to become economically independent and relevant to themselves, families, communities and the nation.
Under Dokubo, reintegration has taken a new turn. Beneficiaries are made to make judicious use of their starter packs. Unlike in the past when the items were sold out, the monitoring measures put in place made them to make good use of the opportunity to become entrepreneurs who employ labour thereby contributing to the development of the economy of the Nation
Dokubo has facilitated job placement for beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme through a Job Placement and International Development Partners Engagement Unit (JPIDPEU), which he created on assumption of office. So far, the unit has profiled 28 delegates for underwater welding jobs, 100 delegates for civil service jobs and 10 delegates for aviation pilot jobs.
It has also concluded profiling of 25 delegates for catering services, hotel and fast food jobs and 75 delegates for other job opportunities. For just one year,
Dokubo has already made a difference from previous managers of the Amnesty Programme. If he could achieve this lot in a year, that means the people of the Region are in for better deal in future.
With the successes of the President Buhari CHANGE agenda which is being felt in the Niger Delta Region through the Presidential Amnesty Programme, it is logical for well thinking citizens to expect greater offerings for the region.
Having a proactive and competent manager at helms of affairs in the character of Prof Dokubo can only translate to massive upliftment in the lives of Niger Deltans.
The region has affirmed their support for the Buhari developmental initiatives with the increase in the number of voters from the region that turned up in their large number to vote massively for the President.
Niger Delta is ready for the NEXT Level.
President Buhari’s Next Level promises which includes consolidation on existing projects, creating more jobs for the youths of the region and infrastructural development for the region.
Be that as it may and being an indigene of the Niger Delta region who knows about the pains of the people, he has been able to create an environment which has sustained the peace and tranquillity of the region by taking the agitators out of the creeks thereby creating conducive working environment which has enabled oil conglomerates to work without hindrance in the region. This has resulted in economic boost as production of oil has risen to 2.2 barrel per day thereby meeting OPEC quota.
Evidence are bound that after one year in office, Dokubo has not only repositioned the Agency, but has brought Life, Succour, Peace and Economic Development to Niger Delta Region. The Amnesty Office has been repositioned to focus on the core mandate of empowering the youths and ex-agitators with skills to make them competitive and reintegrated into society.
His success in this one year would not have been possible without the assistance of President Muhammadu Buhari. The President's backing and support of the Niger Delta people has shown that he has the love of the people in hearts.
In addition, his achievements in the Niger Delta region was responsible for the victory of APC in scores of the Niger Delta State of Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross Rivers and Akwa-Ibom state among others.
Be that as it may, the achievements of Dokubo in Niger Delta region through the amnesty programme is signal that a lot of developmental projects is waiting the people. As such they should support Buhari, Dokubo in the NEXT LEVEL for the betterment of the region in the following years
Barr. Mary Oyibocha-Agbajoh, a Social Critic and Political Strategist Writes From Abuja
No comments:
Drop Comment