They want their entitlements and allowances paid.

President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking solutions to give to the people of  Niger Delta who have urged him to use his position to enable their entitlements and allowances contained under the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Programme   to be paid.  Buhari in June 2015,  a few weeks after coming to office, reportedly pledged to keep the amnesty programme in place as part of a comprehensive plan to ensure there is lasting peace and stability in the traditionally restive oil-rich- Niger Delta region.

Through the amnesty programme introduced by late President Umaru Yar'Adua in 2008,  militants  who  often  attack oil installations and workers, surrender their weapons at collection centres and register to be trained in a job skill during which period they receive counselling and a monthly allowance of 439 U.S. Dollars prior to being reintegrated into civilian society. At the same time the authorities put in place policies to ensure more oil wealth is directed back into community development.

Grouped under the organization, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP) the people in a petition of July 10, 2015 cited by Premium Times, have urged the President Buhari to use his “good offices and leadership to instruct appropriate government agencies to begin a thorough and effective investigation into allegation of corruption and denial of entitlement and allowances under the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Programme.” The government's amnesty programme is one whereby militants in the oil-rich-Niger delta are to be disarmed and rehabilitated with a stipend, job training and a micro-credit loan.

The petition signed by SERAP Executive Director Adetokunbo Mumuni alleges that, they have gone through the required training under the Amnesty Programme by the Federal Government. Although the Amnesty Office has issued identification cards to the petitioners and the Office has collected their bank details, the petitioners have not received their monthly payment of about 439 U.S. Dollars due to them under the Programme from November, 2011 to date.” They expressed the concern that, “the accrued allowances to the petitioners might have been stolen, diverted or mismanaged.

We fear that these cases may not just be isolated incidents and that they are likely to be a broader pattern of corruption, and impunity, and are in large part the consequence of the previous government’s failure to address it,” Premium Times quoted the petition. On a note of optimism, they are quoted as saying, “We believe that the President can play a leadership role in helping to address the problem and ensure justice and fair play to those affected. Doing so will be entirely consistent with the anticorruption policy of this government,”