16th August, 2010
The Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN), an NGO, has begun a continuous education programme for repentant militants who failed their mandatory examination on transformational training on non-violence.
The group’s National Chairman, Mr. Allen Onyema, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the Federal Government’s Post Amnesty Training Camp in Obubra, Cross River.
Onyema recalled that some ex-militants failed the training programme packaged to transform them, saying that the continuous education programme was to give them “a second chance to succeed.â€
He said that the former militants who passed the examination were awarded certificates issued by Emory University of Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. and endorsed by Prof. Bernard Lafayette, a Senior Trainer at the university.
Onyema said that the training which was being carried out in batches so far had been successful.
“We experienced tremendous success in the training programme. We have achieved almost a near perfect situation here after initial hitches. “The boys initially refused to sing the National Anthem on their arrival here because they did not believe in the nation. They had hatred and disbelief in them and that we have been able to cure.
“Now, they are singing the National Anthem and exhibiting full obedience and faith in their country. This is transformation and without their being transformed, they could not have done that.
“You can see it in their faces. There are very happy faces here. Some of them have never gone to any school, some are drop-outs while some passed through schools.â€
Onyema said that the failure rate recorded at the end of training for the second batch of the ex-militants at the transformation camp was minimal.