The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, has expressed mixed feelings over the inaugural address of President Muhammadu Buhari in relation to the Niger Delta region, calling for a review of the terminal date to accommodate those who are yet to complete the scheme.
The council in a statement issued by its spokesman, Eric Omare, and made available to newsmen in Yenagoa on Monday, said: President Muhammadu Buhari, in his speech noted that the amnesty programme for ex-Niger Delta agitators would end by December 2015.
“The IYC appreciates the fact that the amnesty programme cannot continue forever and therefore, must have a terminal date.
“However, the questions on the lips of beneficiaries and stakeholders in the Niger Delta region are: what would happen to those that have not been trained as at December 2015.
“And what about those still undergoing training or have not completed their training?” it queried.
The IYC maintained that the termination of the programme would throw up challenges for beneficiaries of the programme, who were still undergoing training and were at different levels of training.
According to the spokesman, the group expected the President in his speech to allay the fears of beneficiaries, who were in different parts of the world and were worried that their trainings might be affected if the programme was terminated in December 2015.
