Presidency has finally given approval for the payment of housing allowance to all registered ex-militants that have passed through the Amnesty non violence training programme in Obubra, Cross River.
This was disclosed in Obubra, Cross River State by the Personal Assistant on Technical Matters to Mr. Kingsley Kuku, Special Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan Lawrence Pepple.
The said allowance, according to our source, is referred to as the Transitional Safety Allowance (TSA).
Pepple represented Kuku at the passing out of the Batch 15 of the 20,193 trainees that originally embraced the Federal Government’s Amnesty programme on October 2009.
Kuku’s pronouncement followed the agitation by the ex-militants for the payment of their housing allowances since the commencement of the non violence training programme in June 2011in Obubra. However, Pepple did not give details of the amount to be paid but it is certain that the 26,358 ex-agitators that are expected to pass through the non violence training programme would be beneficiaries.
Kuku said that those who conducted themselves well both in academics and character would benefit from the TSA.
So far, with the passing out of the 15th batch comprising 1,500 trainees from Bayelsa, no less than 18, 000 ex-agitators have passed through the non violence training in Obubra.
He noted that the presidency approved the payment of the housing allowance, which amount he would not exactly say, for all eligible ex-militants. “For now I am not competent enough to make such disclosure. At the appropriate time, it will be made public. It is different from the monthly stipend of N65, 000. This one is called TSA.?
