The  Niger Delta Grand Initiative (NDGI) has hailed the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Major-General Barry Ndiomu, for reviving the PAP’s Aviation Training Programme for Cadet Pilots and Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, over eight years after it was first conceived.

The social pressure group maintained that Ndiomu’s administrative focus and revival of the stalled training programme is a testament of his dedication to the empowerment of Niger Delta ex-agitators in line with the vision and mission of the PAP as well as the recognition to build the capacity of the region and the people.

In a press statement following the flagging-off ceremony of the Aviation Resuscitation Programme for Cadet Pilots and Aircraft Maintenance Engineers for ex-agitators of the Niger Delta in Lagos, the group said Ndiomu deserved to be celebrated as an icon for “capacity development” for accomplishing what his predecessors could not achieve even with the injection of greater funds into the PAP while they held sway.

“We are aware that the training is being provided by Alom Aviation Services Limited adjudged one of the best in the aviation training industry and we use this forum to align ourselves with the words of
Ndiomu to those uninformed individuals who have been misinterpreting the Programme’s vision and mission” the group stated.

“We urge those pessimists to pay attention to both the Programme’s short and long-term benefits especially now because the aviation sector is a significant touch-point for global commerce”.

The training according NDGI presents a window into a future of greater benefits for the region and the people and Nigeria at large.

The group argued that professional training such as the aviation scheme, would enhance regional skills of ex-agitators and youths which would in turn contribute to growth, bring peace to the Niger Delta as well as change the socio- economic narrative of the region.

The NDGI particularly agreed with Ndiomu on the issue of exportation of the trainees’ knowledge upon graduation in the pursuit of greener pastures since they would definitely add value to the Nigerian economy with their work abroad through foreign exchange remittance.

“We therefore urge Niger Deltans to encourage and support Ndiomu for the initiatives being pursued in the PAP due to its huge benefits to the region and for his outstanding contributions over the course of his one year in office” the statement emphasized.

The NDGI also enjoined the beneficiaries to maintain discipline during the training and remain focused on the greater objective for the collective good of the Niger Delta Region.