The Amnesty Programme and Sustainable Peacebuilding in the Niger Delta: Achievements, Contradictions, and Future Prospects

This study examines the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) as an instrument of sustainable peacebuilding in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. The main aim is to evaluate the programme’s achievements, contradictions, and long-term prospects. The specific objectives are to examine PAP’s contributions to peace, rehabilitation, and socio-economic reintegration; to identify governance challenges and structural limitations; and to explore policy options for transforming the programme into a more inclusive, development-oriented framework. The study is anchored on Human Needs Theory as articulated by John Burton (1979, 1990), which holds that unmet basic needs such as security, recognition, and participation drive recurrent conflict and that sustainable peace requires addressing those needs. Using a descriptive research design, the study draws on secondary data from government reports, academic literature, policy papers, international organization publications, and credible media sources. Thematic content analysis was employed to identify patterns related to disarmament outcomes, reintegration, governance, and structural constraints. Findings show that PAP succeeded in reducing large-scale militancy and restoring stability, but its long-term impact is weakened by weak governance, elite capture, reliance on stipends, and persistent environmental and economic deficits. The study concludes that PAP must evolve from short-term pacification to development-led peacebuilding. Recommended actions are integration of PAP into a unified regional development framework, prioritizing entrepreneurship and access to microcredit for reintegrated youths, and instituting transparent beneficiary management with independent audits and participatory monitoring.