By Samuel Oyadongha
YENAGOA — The nation’s oil and gas industry and the maritime sector are expected to absorb about 7,000 former militants in the Niger Delta region.

Already, about 250 former  militants from the state, Monday, departed Yenagoa the state capital in several buses for training in Delta, Rivers, Anambra, Enugu, Lagos and Niger States while others are expected join them in due course.

The Maritime Academy alone, it was learnt, is expected to assist in the placement of 6,000 youths while the Oil and Gas Committee of the Amnesty Implementation Committee has also promised to absorb 1,000 youths.

The amnesty committee, it was learnt, had reached out to the state and local government areas to also join in absorbing the youths after the training programme.

Bayelsa representative on the Federal Government amnesty, Mr. Selekaye Victor-Ben, disclosed this in Yenagoa while addressing a group of youths protesting the alleged refusal of the committee to pay them accommodation allowance.

He disclosed that the set of former militant youths slated for training in some reputable institutions including the Petroleum Training Institute in Warri, are expected to be absorbed into companies and organisations in the region.

“We have discussed with the Maritime Academy and a job for 6,000 persons will be provided and the oil and gas committee of the Amnesty Implementation Committee have also promised to absorb 1,000 youths. We have reached out to the state and local government to also join in absorbing the youths after the training,” he said.

Comrade Selekaye Victor_Ben debunked the claims that the committee promised the youth’s accommodation allowances and said the protest was at the prompting of some aggrieved ex_militant leaders in the state.

It was however learnt that some of the youths were however instigated into the protest by the some ex-militant leaders who felt the funds allocated by the Amnesty Committee for the transport of the youths to the various training centres should have be handed to them in bulk for onward payment to their boys.