Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Nigeria’s reintegration program for former militants in the Niger Delta region will begin on Nov. 11 when the first 3,000 of the former fighters will receive training, the Amnesty Implementation Committee said.

About 8,000 militants surrendered to the Nigerian government as part of an amnesty offer by President Umaru Yar’Adua, who provided assurances that grievances in the oil- rich region would be addressed in return for an end to hostilities and the surrender of arms.

“ We held a meeting with leaders of the former militants in Abuja today to inform them on the re-integration program” Timiebi Koripamo-Agarrich, media coordinator of the program, said in a phone interview today from Abuja.

Nigeria vies with Angola as Africa’s biggest oil producer. Attacks by armed groups targeting the country’s oil industry have cut more than 20 percent of the crude exports since 2006. The groups say they were fighting for more control of the delta’s oil revenue, most of which currently goes to the central government.

The first phase of the re-integration project, in which various government agencies will be involved, will last 21 days, Koripamo-Agarrich said.

“ The former militants will be sorted out in the various skills areas that they have indicated,” she said. “ Those who want to acquire vocational skills will be sent to training institutions, those who want to further their education will have to go through certain processes to get into tertiary institutions or go back to post-primary schools if there is need.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Tamuno in Port Harcourt via Johannesburg on abolleurs@bloomberg.net;

Last Updated: November 3, 2009 12:12 EST