Delays show fragility of Nigeria's oil delta amnesty

By Austin Ekeinde

YENEGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria has yet to begin the process of educating and reintegrating thousands of former militants in the oil-producing Niger Delta, prompting some to question their decision to lay down arms for clemency.

Amnesty centres in Rivers and Delta states were supposed to start orientation programmes last week for the first batch of former gunmen, Timiebi Koripamo-Agary, spokeswoman for the presidential panel on amnesty, said on Monday.

But the government and former militant leaders have yet to agree details of President Umaru Yar'Adua's post-amnesty programme, the most serious effort yet to end years of unrest that has battered Africa's biggest energy sector.

"We were supposed to call them into our centres last week, but we are still waiting for feedback from former militant leaders on ways to proceed with the programme," Agary said.

Nigeria's main militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), said on Sunday it had started formal peace talks with the government to address the underlying problems in the impoverished region.

Representatives including Nobel Prize-winning writer Wole Soyinka met Yar'Adua for several hours on Saturday. But a spokesman for MEND -- whose demands include demilitarisation of the delta -- said the meeting was "more like a sparring match".

"We are aware the government is flooding the region with military and that is one of the issues that will be addressed before we can even talk of disarming," the spokesman said in an email to Reuters.

"The ultimate demand is the control of our land through fiscal federalism," the email said.