Tinubu Government Budgets N65billion For 'Reintegration Of Former Militants' In Amnesty Programme

A SaharaReporters' review of the 2025 proposed budget document has shown that Nigeria plans to spend N65 billion on reintegration or transformed ex-militants in 2025.

The expenditure is per the presidential amnesty programme.

While the government budgets this amount for “re-integration of ex-militants”, the Presidential amnesty programme website is non-functional, checks by SaharaReporters showed. 

The website url, www.osapnd.gov.ng reads “there has been a critical error on this website”.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that a report by the Auditor-General of the Federation exposed a shocking withdrawal of over N6billion without proper auditing processes. 

These included payment of tuition fees to various universities for students under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) without records of their identity.

“The report highlights a blatant disregard for financial regulations, with N1.53 billion paid as tuition fees without supporting documents. 

"This is a clear breach of Paragraph 708 of the Financial Regulations, 2009, which states that payment should not be made for services not yet performed or goods not yet supplied. 

"Furthermore, the report reveals widespread breaches of Paragraph 603(i) of the FR 2009, which requires vouchers to contain full particulars of each service, including dates, numbers, quantities, distances, and rates," the earlier report by SaharaReporters noted.

In the same vein, the report said a total of N3.62billion was raised without an internal audit check.

It said the PAP authorities did not provide a reason for non-compliance with the provisions of the extant regulations on internal audit checks were not provided, leading to the loss of public funds and unapproved payments.

The sum of N1.3billion was also approved, paid and entered into the cash book without raising paid vouchers.

There have been concerns on management and accountability around funds designated under the presidential amnesty program. 

Former President, Muhammadu Buhari, in 2020 suspended the coordinator of the Presidential amnesty programme, Charles Dokubo, over alleged corruption. 

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