Blessing Ibunge
The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has applauded a non-governmental organisation, Youth Rescue International Development Organisation (YRIDO) for impacting meaningfully in the lives of some popular notorious cultists and drug addicts in Niger Delta.
The Interim Administrator of PAP, Col. Milland Dikio (rtd), made the commendation in Port Harcourt, during the 2022 graduation ceremony of the repentant cultists, trained by YRIDO.
Represented by his Special Assistant on Research and Documentation, Mr. Wilfred Musa, Dikio congratulated the repentant cultists for choosing a new path of life.
Dikio who appealed to the government and other institutions in the region to support the initiative, described the efforts of the NGO, founded by an ex-agitator turned Pastor, Nature Keigha, as contributing to the peace in the region.
He said: “We in the Presidential Amnesty Programme are extremely proud of YRIDO. It is hoped that governments in the Niger Delta region would also key in and support the program.
“These are people who have real stories to tell about life. They have been on a difficult journey. They understand what darkness is and have now seen light. It is a total transformation for them.
“We are happy they made the decision to exit darkness and embrace light. We pray that God will use them all as influencers and agents of positive change.
“But I must add that it is not over yet. People will laugh at you but don’t hate them. Show them that you have truly changed from your old ways.
“Flee from your past completely. Hope and always pray. You paid the price to be here and you will definitely succeed.
“We sincerely look forward to this programme becoming bigger, an international event with a global calendar. A proogramme that will be held at stadiums with massive attendance.
“We call on government at all levels, corporate organisations and other entities to be part of this. We urge all the institutions that have a stake in the Niger Delta to work with you, support, encourage you and give you the resources that you need. Like I said earlier, for us in the PAP, we have decided to identify with this program”.
In his speech, Executive Director of YRIDO, Kieghe, said his vision was to see youths turn away from unprofitable lifestyles and embrace a new and righteous way of life.
He urged parents not to give up on their loved ones, saying there was always a possibility for every bad person to change.
Kieghe said: “The people you see here used to be rejected. But today they have been transformed with what we have added to their lives. We urge them to hold on and apply the training we have given them.
“The training we gave them had to do with character transformation; we have thought them a lot, including how to take care of themselves and their environment, and how to stay consistent because they were in camp for 12 weeks without going out. They were also taught how to build and maintain a relationship with God. So, we are very optimistic they will become useful to their families and the society at large.”
