Amnesty draws Nigeria 'closer' to OPEC quota: officialThe amnesty granted to armed militants in Nigeria's troubled oil-rich region has boosted the country's crude exports, drawing it closer to meeting its OPEC OPEC: see Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. OPEC in full Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Multinational organization established in 1960 to coordinate the petroleum production and export policies of its quota, an official said Wednesday. "The economic value of the amnesty has started to manifest in the rise of export of crude out of Nigeria," Yakubu Tanimu, chief economic adviser to President Umaru Yar'Adua, told reporters. Yar'Adua extended an amnesty offer to armed gangs based in the creeks of the southern oil-producing Niger Delta The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil. , if they laid down their arms. Most of the known militant leaders agreed to halt fighting and had surrendered by the amnesty offer deadline by Sunday. "...we are getting closer to our OPEC quota," of 1.8 millions barrels per day Barrels per day (abbreviated BPD, bbl/d, bpd, bd or b/d) is a measurement used to describe the amount of crude oil (measured in barrels) produced or consumed by an entity in one day. (mbd), he said. Nigeria is a member of 12-member Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a cartel pumping about 40 percent of the global oil supplies. Violence in the volatile region in the past three years -- characterised by killings, abduction Abduction Balfour, David expecting inheritance, kidnapped by uncle. [Br. Lit.: Kidnapped] Bertram, Henry kidnapped at age five; taken from Scotland. [Br. Lit. of mostly foreign oil workers and sabotaging of oil pipelines and facilities -- sharply knocked the country's oil output. "The economic value of peace in the Niger Delta is attested to in the return of contractors to the region who are now fast tracking the repair of oil and gas infrastructure," damaged by militants during the "oil war", he said. Information Minister Dora Akunyili Dr. Dora Nkem Akunyili is the Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of Nigeria. She is a pharmacist, professor and governmental administrator who has gained international recognition and won hundreds of awards for her work in said the militants' "positive response" to the amnesty is "a major breakthrough" in government efforts to stem the wave of violence in Niger Delta. The government is determined to take all necessary steps to "bring long lasting peace and development" to the region, she said. Niger Delta militants launched an armed insurgency in·sur·gen·cy n. pl. in·sur·gen·cies 1. The quality or circumstance of being rebellious. 2. An instance of rebellion; an insurgence. insurgency, insurgence 1. in 2006 saying they were fighting for a fairer distribution of oil revenues to the region's impoverished communities. 
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