As part of the efforts towards ensuring true reconciliation and healing, the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta has restated its commitment to incorporate local communities in the on-going reintegration process of ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region.

The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (Rtd) gave this assurance in a statement made available to CEOAfrica, adding that the community, rather than the individual is the primary unit for consideration.

Gen Boroh who was represented by his Senior Reintegration Officer and Special Assistant on Social Media, Mr Jude Gbaboyor in a visit to the palace of Amananawei of Odi community, HRH Shine Apre, noted that expanding the scope of reintegration programs means that the program will not only address ex-combatants within the society but also the community as a whole.

According the Amnesty boss, “reintegration implies reintegrating groups or individuals into a community. Ex-combatants (in the broader meaning of this category) cannot be considered without taking their families and social ties into account.”

He pointed out that community engagement and consultation is a way of ensuring social control over former agitators in establishing accountability with a view to creating a more balanced assistance to ex-agitators and their communities.

Explaining the reason for his visit to the palace of Amananawei of Odi community, Gen Boroh stated that the process of rebuilding the fabric of human interaction, allows a society to function again in the aftermath of conflicts which requires psychosocial healing and empowerment of the survivors by embedding a cultural dimension into it.

In his own address, the Paramount ruler of Odi community in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, King Shine Apre, commended the Federal Government for sustaining the Presidential Amnesty Programme and appointing their son as Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

The 85 year-old Royal Father also took the opportunity to announce the nomination Gen. Boroh, for a prestigious chieftaincy honour. He said “the constitution of Odi community empowers the paramount ruler of Odi to confer chieftaincy titles on well deserving sons and daughters of Odi and whoever performs creditably for Odi community.”

Another traditional ruler, the Ibedaowei of Kolokuma Kingdom and Chairman, Council of Traditional rulers in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, HRM, King Mozi Anya Agara, who incidentally was at the Odi King’s palace during the visit of the Amnesty delegation, commended Gen. Boroh for remembering the royal fathers in the region as part of his peace building efforts.”

He said “We are very grateful, if a son will now realize that my father is at Odi, go to him, give him this chieftaincy dresses; the hat is there, the horse tail is there and a very good mixture of regalia is there. That is the best because we don’t expect Gen. Boroh to come and build a palace for the Amananawei of Odi, but there are certain things he should come and see.”

Also speaking, Chairman, Planning Committee of the 60th edition of Odi Ogori Ba Uge Festival 2017, Prince Iwefa Aganaba, described Gen. Boroh as a noble son of Odi, saying that the visit to royal fathers by the Amnesty office in the region is a step in the right direction.

Highpoint of the visit was the presentation of gift items to the paramount ruler, the oldest man and woman in Odi and the women leader. It will be recalled that Brigadier General Paul Boroh was recently conferred with the Niger Delta Peace Ambassador Award at the Odi Ogori Ba Uge International Festival.