The Federal Government has proposed a sum of N115bn in the 2026 Appropriation Bill for the reintegration of former militants under the Presidential Amnesty Programme, representing a significant funding increase.
Budget documents obtained from the National Assembly indicate that the allocation marks a 76.9 per cent rise from the N65bn earmarked for the programme in both 2024 and 2025 fiscal years. The new figure was contained in the 2026 Appropriation Bill approved by the legislature and detailed in the House of Representatives Order Paper dated Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
The allocation, classified under recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, was retained without adjustment by the House of Representatives during the passage of the bill, signaling legislative approval of the increase.
A comparative review of appropriation documents across the three fiscal years shows that funding for the programme remained unchanged at N65bn for two consecutive years before rising sharply by N50bn in the 2026 budget cycle. The latest allocation represents the highest single-year funding for the programme since 2017.
Over the past decade, the programme has reportedly received at least N700bn in cumulative funding. Data from the Govspend platform further revealed that no fewer than N8.6bn in identifiable payments were disbursed by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on the Niger Delta between 2023 and 2025.
A substantial portion of the expenditure was directed toward educational support, including the procurement of at least 2,000 laptops for scholarship beneficiaries at a base cost of N2.71bn. The total rose to N3.1bn after the addition of taxes and statutory charges.
The programme, introduced in June 2009 under former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, was designed to curb militancy in the Niger Delta through disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration of ex-combatants. It followed years of attacks on oil infrastructure and disruptions that significantly reduced Nigeria’s crude oil output.
Under the initiative, militants who surrendered their weapons within a 60-day window in 2009 were enrolled in rehabilitation programmes and provided with monthly stipends. At the end of the exercise, about 20,192 individuals had embraced the amnesty offer.
Although initially conceived as a short-term intervention expected to end by 2014, the programme has continued for over 16 years. However, it has faced persistent criticism over the absence of a legislative framework and allegations of financial mismanagement.
A 2021 report by the Stakeholder Democracy Network highlighted concerns about “ghost beneficiaries” and elite capture, alleging that some funds meant for genuine ex-militants were diverted by influential actors.
Despite these concerns, the Federal Government has maintained the programme as a key component of its strategy to sustain peace and stability in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
