Leadership (Abuja)
George Agba
15 September 2008
An Abuja-based constitutional Lawyer, Max Ogar, has said the creation of Ministry of Niger Delta by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's administration was the initiative of former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, during his Presidentail campaign.
According to him, "credit should be given to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who, a long time ago, envisioned the ministry of the Niger Delta, which he made a focal point in his 2007 presidential campaign. In as much as Yar'Adua should be commended for the initiative of creating a ministry to take charge of the affairs of the Niger Delta Region".
Ogar, a chieftain of the Action Congress (AC) from Cross River State, said that it was however, commendable that President Umaru Yar'Adua's administration could down play on ego and go for a position which the opposition had advocated. "This is how politics should be played. Politics should be issue-based not personality-based, "he emphasised.
While buttressing his argument, Ogar recalled that even after May 29, 2007 take-over by Yar'Adua's government, the AC continued to advocate for the ministry of the Niger Delta as the only panacea for a lasting peace in the Niger Delta. "On 15 July 2007, the AC, through the National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had maintained that the creation of a Niger Delta Ministry and a blue- print for the accelerated development of the region, with emphasis on infrastructure, amenities, job and wealth creation for the people of the region".
He further added that on October 29, 2007, in yet another press release by AC, titled: Opposition Not Responsible For Niger Delta Crises, the party reiterated the creation of the Niger Delta Ministry and pushed for an urgent and holistic solution to the worsening crises in the Niger Delta, warning that the current piece meal approach and seeming lack of seriousness on the part of stakeholders would not solve the problems in the region.
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