The commencement of accreditation of ex-militants from Imo state by the presidential team signals the triumph of reason over illogic but is, indeed, only the beginning of the process of the righting of the wrong done the Imo people by their initial exclusion from the post amnesty programme of the Federal Government.

The presidential team is to register and issue accreditation papers including the Presidential Amnesty Identity Cards (PAIC) to about 500 Imo ex-militants at the Obinze centre in Owerri West Local Council.

The inclusion of Imo state in this programme, has, however, unnecessarily come at a higher price than other affected states have had to pay. It has taken concerted efforts including delegations to Abuja by leaders of the state, including Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) top shot, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the state's governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim and the state's House of Assembly members, led by Hon Goodluck Nanah Opiah. The House even passed a motion on the matter, mandating the Speaker to lead the delegation to Abuja, before the Federal Government started this remedial measure which must go the whole hog.

Apart from initially sidelining the ex-militants from the state, the Federal Government had set aside a token N6 billion for projects in the state out of the N200 billion approved for post amnesty projects in the entire Niger Delta region.

Clearly, this allocation is gross miscarriage of justice because it cannot, on any reasonable ground, be justified. Afterall, Imo state is the fourth largest producer of crude oil out of the nine states that are covered by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The only ground on which anyone can begin to explain this travesty is exactly the same reason that should recommend Imo State for a lion's share of the N200 billion - a relatively non-violent approach to agitation for a better deal for oil producing communities and states.

The ex-militants from the state had, as much as possible, refrained from sabotage of oil facilities, kidnapping of staff of oil producing companies and general violence which the ex-militants from the other states had made their trade marks. And when President Umaru Yar'Adua granted amnesty, they embraced it, came out of the crecks and surrendered their weapons.

Should this preference for peace now be held against them? When they, too, had the capacity for violence but refrained from such? Shortchanging them could clearly send a very wrong signal to all Nigerians that the only way to be recognized is when you levy war against your fatherland, and this signal must not be sent out.

Inspite of its position on the oil producing states' chart, Imo state had in the past had to fight for every benefit that accrued to other oil producing states of the Niger Delta region as of right. To start with, most of its oil wells were inexplicably ceded to neighbouring states by Federal Government officials who must have been motivated by other than national interest.

As though that was not enough, the state was cruelly, literally left out of the largesse that came to oil producing states during the days of the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC).

When OMPADEC was rested and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo's government was putting together the NDDC bill, the state was also to be excluded, but for vigilant members of the then federal legislature from the state who physically fought on the floor of the National Assembly to ensure that the state was listed as one of the NDDC states.

When again Chief Obasanjo's government came up with a package of benefits for coastal states, Federal Government officials tried to advance some harebrained arguments to exclude the state but of course, superior logic carried the day and the state was made a beneficiary.

It must be the same mean spirited officials or their ilk that again tried to advise against the inclusion of Imo state's ex-militants in the post amnesty programme of the Federal Government.

Fortunately, President Yar'Adua has, going by the report of the commencement of the accreditation of the ex-militants in Imo state, spurned their foolish counsel. He must, however, go a step further by also rejecting the allocation of the paltry and inequitable sum of N6billion for projects in the state as part of the package.

The state merits a lot more than that, if not because of the quantum of oil it produces or the exemplary conduct of its ex-militants, at least for the fact that in the past it had suffered the worst forms of marginalization by the federal authorities.and

Posterity will remember the President for good if he takes this just position that would go a long way in fostering lasting peace and development in the Niger Delta region particularly and in the country generally.

The crude oil in Imo state is the same as in other states, the negative effects of oil production, including spillages, gas flaring , acid rain and other forms of environmental degradation are the same in Imo as in other states and the state cries for development even more than some of the other states.

The President and other concerned officials must take these into account, as well as the entreaties of the leaders of the state and ensure that the formula for the sharing of the N200 billion for post amnesty projects is readjusted in answer to the demands of fairness, justice and equity.

Those Imo state leaders who are championing this just cause must, on their part, not rest on their oars. Posterity will, indeed, remember them for good as those who rose in defence of the rights of their people and in furtherance of the goal of entrenchment of equity in the Nigerian federation.