IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 25, Issue 3, Series. 2 (March. 2020) 01-09 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/0837-2503020109 www.iosrjournals.org 1 |Page Policy Formulation And Implementation In Nigeria: A Study Of The Amnesty Programme In The Niger Delta, 2009-2019 EJEZIE, Chinonye Geraldine 1 , OSAI, O Jason 2 , EGOBUEZE, Anthony 3 1 Post Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Rivers State University, Nkpolu – Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. 2 Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Rivers State University, Nkpolu – Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. 3 Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Rivers State University, Nkpolu – Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Abstract: The Niger Delta Region is the largest wetland in Africa and the nerve centre of oil and gas activities in Nigeria. Oil and gas account for over 80% of Nigeria‟s revenue, but the revenue derived from this petrodollar business is shared to every State in the Federation, yet, the area in which the black-gold is produced is struggling with modernity, their land, water and air are devastated due to pollution caused by the oil led development. The Niger Delta boiled and went into deep crisis in 2007 as a result of the oil led development, which did not impact maximally on the region. The consequence was the drop in the daily oil production to less than 800,000 barrels from over 2,200,000, and the drifting of the region to almost the Hobbesian state of nature, with an uncertainty of lives and properties. To check this imbroglio, the Federal Government of Nigeria led by His Excellency Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar‟Adua granted pardon to the militants that held arms and introduced the Amnesty Programme. This research aimed at exploring the reasons and impacts of the Federal Government Amnesty Programme for the Niger Delta Militants. Applying the Frustration and Aggression Theory as the theoretical framework, The investigation revealed that corruption and other institutional factors affected the proper implementation of the programme and recommended amongst others that the Federal Government should review the legislation that establish the Programme to entrench fiscal discipline and accountability in the management of the Programme. Key Words: Amnesty, Niger Delta. Policy, Policy Formulation, Policy implementation --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 26-02-2020 Date of Acceptance: 09-03-2020 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. INTRODUCTION Policy formulation and implementation are key pillars of governance. They not only create the opportunity for the State to forecast and plan, but also provide the right directions for protecting lives and properties, which is a cardinal function of the government. The Amnesty Programme is one of the Federal Government‟s policies in the eyes of the storm. Launched in 2009 by late President Umaru Yar Adua as a triple prone programme of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR), the amnesty programme was predicated on providing and arresting hostilities in the Niger Delta region of the country between the security forces fighting to protect oil installations, lives and properties and the warring militants who were agitating over the serial neglect of the region by succeeding Nigerian governments. This policy was made through executive fiat without a legislative enactment in 2009, however, it received legislative instrument in 2018. This to all intents and purposes negated the principle of separation of powers and checks and balances which Egobueze (2020, p. 241) posits „the doctrine of separation of powers means ordinarily that with power relations and application, the organs of government must deal with boundaries where they have been given powers and authority to function.‟ Nigeria, prior the program, almost moved into what could be described as a failed State. Her economy was in shambles and the lives of citizens were in threat and the State drift to almost the Hobbesian state of nature. Anarchy was let loose and the State almost could not hold sway. This hydrophobic state of affair, occasioned by the hydraheaded crisis led to the amnesty programme. The programme had key challenges which range from unacceptability of some Niger Delta freedom fighters like Assari Dakubo, to the granting of amnesty to some people that were not core militants and finally corruption. Yearly, the appropriation for the Programme is enormous with funds diverted to corruptly and different fronts. The programme lacks fiscal direction, and accountability is zero sum. Importantly, every successive administration budgets billions of Naira annually for the sustenance of the post amnesty programme.