The Presidential Amnesty Programme has responded to a newsmen’ report that highlighted an expenditure of N58.2 billion between January and December 2024 on the “Reintegration of Transformed Ex-Militants.”
While the Amnesty office did not dispute data from the Nigerian government’s “Open Treasury Portal,” which states that N58billion was spent on the programme, it claimed inaccuracies.
“In response to a recent article published by newsmen regarding the Presidential Amnesty Programme, it is important to clarify several inaccuracies and omissions that misrepresent the facts about this crucial initiative,” the statement read.
“The article primarily relied on data from the Open Treasury Portal but did not fully capture the complete context of the information. While it mentions N58 billion spent, the Open Treasury Portal actually states that the total amount allocated to the program was N65 billion.”
The Amnesty office clarified that the N65 billion mentioned in the Open Treasury Portal refers to the budget allocated for the reintegration programme.
However, newsmen focused on the N58 billion spent between January and December 2024, a figure that was not addressed in the Amnesty office’s response.
Despite the Open Treasury Portal clearly noting that the expenditure was for the reintegration of ex-militants, the Amnesty office disputed this, claiming that the funds were not solely for reintegration efforts.
“The N65billion mentioned in the article covers a broad range of expenditures and is not exclusively allocated to the reintegration of beneficiaries. The Amnesty Programme’s mandate includes various components aimed at fostering peace and stability in the Niger Delta, and the funds reflect this comprehensive approach,” the statement explained.
“The documents cited in the article are summaries of overhead costs, rather than a detailed breakdown of how the funds are managed within the Amnesty Programme. This lack of detail could lead to misinformation,” the Amnesty office added.
The office emphasised that the Presidential Amnesty Programme operates with full transparency and accountability, ensuring that the initiative effectively meets the needs of approximately 30,000 beneficiaries while addressing potential crises in the Niger Delta region.
“The purpose of this response is to correct the insinuations and inaccuracies in the original report. We encourage media outlets to directly engage with the Amnesty office for accurate information. This will help ensure that the public receives accurate and informed details regarding the activities and operations of the programme,” the statement concluded.
Newsmen, relying on the Open Treasury Portal, had previously reported that Nigeria spent N58 billion on ex-militant reintegration in 2024, with N8.8 billion of that amount spent in December alone.
Additionally, the 2025 proposed budget reveals that N65 billion has been earmarked for the reintegration of transformed ex-militants in the coming year.
