Those who have followed the activities of Brig. Gen Paul Boroh closely from his days in the military will attest to his patriotic and unflinching commitment towards peace and nation building. Boroh is the special adviser to the president on Niger Delta Affairs and has been the coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme since July 2015-which saddles him with ensuring a conflict- free tinderbox Niger Delta.The assignment tests his brinkmanship, administrative acumen and savvy in conflict resolution, but the peace ambassador component in the assignment is rather what largely defines Borohs job description.A couple of months ago, the restiveness in Nigerias delta region, characterised by massive attacks on oil and gas facilities by agitators from the region crumbled the nations economy with the countrys daily production output, dropping to the lowest point in history. This development was everything Nigerians and the federal government did not want to see, given that oil is the mainstay of nations economy.As it stands, Borohs brinkmanship is the only magic wand that has been deployed so far by the government to rein in the dreaded Niger Delta Avengers, and about 30 of such armed groups in the Niger Delta, who were out to disempower the federal government and make everybody suffer until their demands are met. The peace the entire country enjoys from Niger Delta today, which has seen the countrys oil output rise from the abysmal1.2million barrel per day to 1.8million barrel takes roots entirely on the right approach and application of the right words on the frayed nerves of the sophisticatedly armed youths of the region. Applying the right words and the right approaches are what Boroh has been doing right from the start in roundtables that involve all the stakeholders in the region. Today, even with the obvious under-funding of the Presidential Amnesty Programme under his leadership, Boroh has delivered both the goods and peace of mind.If there is any meaningful boost he has received on this herculean task, it was the recent direct involvement of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in volunteering to lead the federal governments team on fact-finding missions to the states of the Niger Delta region. The visit of Osinbajo reinforced in the people of the delta region, the message which they have come to believe from Boroh, which is the sincerity of purpose of government in interfacing with the people through dialogue, and identifying all the problem areas with a view of addressing them meaningfully.Driving peace intiatives is not new to Boroh. He was a member of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) Peacekeeping operation, where led the Nigerian Battalion (NIBATT) 4 in March, 2000, providing security by patrolling the city of Freetown the Sierra Leonean capital to thwart the RUF rebels from taking over the city. He was also involved in Operation Thunderbolt, conducted by the British forces in Sierra Leone to extricate some British soldiers held by Sierra Leonean rebel soldiers known as West Side Boys.Boroh was also a prominent player in the resolution of the Liberia conflict. Before his mission to Liberia, Boroh was commanding officer 29 Battalion, Kaduna State, where he mediated in the resolution of the ethno-religious conflict that erupted in the state in 2000.His involvement in national and international peace keeping assignments, training and seminars did not go unnoticed as the Nigerian government had to entrust him with the position of commandant of the Nigerian Army Peace-keeping Centre- the pioneer centre for excellence for training Nigerian peacekeepers- before releasing them for United Nations mission.The recognition of his skills in conflict management, and tenacity to succeed, no doubt, earned him a place in the heart of President Muhammadu Buhari who brought on board to continue what he knows best- peace building efforts- this time, in Borohs own flammable Niger Delta constituency. He was appointed special adviser to the president on Niger Delta Affairs and coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme in July 2015, a period when violence peaked in the region.With the limited funds available to run the office, in which he is at the same breath, expected to maintain the cost of training the beneficiaries of Presidential Amnesty Programme, both home and overseas, Boroh had to come up with partnership initiatives with agencies as Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Local Content Board, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and ministries such as the Niger Delta Niger Affairs, agriculture and environment, foreign governments and private establishments, just to enable him deliver on his mandate.The Boroh led-Presidential Amnesty Programme has built and is still building world class leaders in engineering, maritime, automobile, medicine, law, technical and vocational education, modern agriculture with a good number of beneficiaries graduating with First Class and Second Class Upper honours in various high institutions at home and abroad.Born in Lagos State on 17 July 1958, Boroh hails from Sagbama local government area of Bayelsa State. He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps as a member of 24 Regular Combatant Commission in 1981 after completion his four years training in the Nigerian Defence Academy.
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