Delta360

Trained but Abandoned? Ex-Agitators Demand the Tools to Survive

Empowerment Delay Raises Fresh Concerns Over Reintegration Process

Warri, Delta State

Tension is quietly rising among trained beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) as concerns mount over the slow pace of empowerment distribution to ex-agitators who have completed their vocational and technical training.

Under the leadership of Dennis Brutu Otuaro, the Programme has recorded visible achievements in educational sponsorships and stakeholder engagement across the Niger Delta. However, trained ex-agitators say empowerment — the final and critical stage of reintegration — remains largely inactive.

Speaking through their forum under Engr. Amunu Suyei, the group expressed worry that many beneficiaries who successfully completed training are yet to receive starter packs, operational tools, or enterprise support needed to become economically independent.

“We are trained. We are certified. But without empowerment tools, how do we survive?” a spokesperson stated.

The forum emphasized that reintegration without empowerment creates economic stagnation and weakens the long-term objective of the Programme.

While reaffirming support for the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the group appealed for urgent intervention to prevent frustration among skilled youths in the region.

They called on PAP management to:

• Conduct a transparent verification of trained beneficiaries
• Begin phased distribution of empowerment packages
• Establish trade-based operational clusters
• Strengthen monitoring mechanisms

Observers note that empowerment is widely considered the most sensitive and impactful phase of the Amnesty Programme, as it determines whether rehabilitation efforts translate into sustainable livelihoods.

For now, trained ex-agitators say they remain hopeful — but insist that hope must be matched with visible action.

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