THE scrapping of the Niger Delta Ministry raised mixed reactions in the polity, yesterday, with a host of Niger Delta leaders and activists kicking against the move as the Federal Government explained that the ministry was renamed and not scrapped.
Elder Statesman and Ijaw Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, said Niger Delta people would not accept the move.
Urging President Bola Tinubu to explain to the people of the Niger Delta why he scrapped the ministry, Chief Clark alleged that the federal government was planning to use the resources of the South-South zone to fund other zonal development commissions.
Briefing state House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting, yesterday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said the Ministry of Niger Delta Development was renamed Ministry of Regional Development.
NDDC not scrapped- Momoh
The Minister of the newly created Ministry of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, who was in charge of the former Ministry of Niger Delta Development, clarified that the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, was still in place.
He also explained that the Ministry of Niger Delta Development was renamed and given a greater responsibility under the Ministry of Regional Development.
He said the new ministry was created to supervise all the agencies under the Ministry of Niger Delta Development and other regional commissions in the country.
He said: "For our people over there in the Niger Delta region, I would like them to know that, that has not removed anything from them. The NDDC is still very much in place, which is still under the Ministry of Regional Development and all other such agencies are there. It's just a question of change of nomenclature."
He advised that nobody from the Niger Delta region should feel that the Ministry of Niger Delta has been scrapped, and no longer exists.
"All the structures and everything about the Niger Delta remains. It's just a change of nomenclature and, of course, expansion of activities of the ministry. So I think it's something worth to be commended."
We won't allow it - Clark
However, Clark, a former Federal Commissioner for Information, disagreed, saying there was no basis for scrapping the ministry, and accused the Federal Government of planning to use the money from the South-South geo- political zone to develop the various development commissions of other geo- political zones that had been established.
According to the leader of Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, and Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, President Tinubu has no good plans for the people of the Niger Delta.
He noted that late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua created the ministry for the development of the Niger Delta, ensure permanent peace as well as nip in the bud, cases of pipeline vandalism.
His words: "The news came to me as a surprise. There is no basis for scrapping it now. Yar'Adua had a reason for creating it, to develop the Niger-Delta Region and Nigeria, to bring peace to the region.
"What I have noted so far is that there is no basis for scrapping it. Yar'Adua had a clear purpose to address the security situation in the Niger-Delta, which led to the creation of the Ministry to focus on the development of that area. We have been working for some time now, managing our commissions.
"Why would you take over a Ministry without any development plan, funding, or concrete action? Even the East-West Road, which was meant to be under the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, is not being addressed; it has been handed back to the Ministry of Works.
"What I am saying is that the Federal Government lacks special arrangements for this region. When I saw that every region was establishing its own development centre or Commission, I anticipated these issues would arise.
"Are there going to be multiple ministries within one region? One would expect that 30 or 40 people would have walked out to share the details.
"I remember during the national conference in 2014, it was decided to increase the revenue allocation to the regions from 13% to 25%. Ultimately, it was settled at 18%, but we disagreed, which led to further discussions about a separate fund to support development post-Boko Haram.
"There was also an agreement that 5% of the federation account would be allocated annually to support regions affected by the conflict. Unfortunately, this has not been implemented.
"We also agreed that 5% of the revenue account should be dedicated to developing mineral resources and other industries to enhance local capacity. I was pleased with these discussions, but they haven't translated into action, which is disturbing.
"The government needs to consult with the leaders of the Niger-Delta and South-South region. What we ate saying is that these unresolved issues cannot be overlooked by the government.
"The government must explain why they decided to halt critical legislation. This raises concerns about how the benefits of regional developments are being managed. Many people feel disconnected from the process, and it seems resources are being diverted from local needs.
"We need to ensure that regional development isn't scrapped without a clear plan for its replacement. We will not allow it to be scrapped, the government wants to use South-South money to develop other development commissions.
"In a democratic system, the government should be created for the people, by the people, and for their benefit. It shouldn't operate as a one-man show."
It'll lose its peculiarity with renaming - Omare
Also speaking, former President of Ijaw Youth Council, Barr Eric Omare, said renaming or merging the Niger-Delta Development Ministry with others will make it lose its peculiarity.
Omare said: "I do not know the basis for the decision. But I think that the government in scrapping the ministry of Niger Delta and merging it with other regional development missed the fact that the Niger Delta Ministry was created to address the peculiar developmental issues of the region which are different from the other regions.
"The creation of the Niger Delta Ministry has its root in the Henry Willinks report which is that the Niger Delta region has peculiar terrain and hence its developmental challenges are also different and therefore required a different and peculiar approach.
"But now that it has been merged with other regional developmental ministries, it has lost its peculiarity and it is good as not having any ministry for the region. I do not agree that it was the right decision."
It's ill-informed - Niger Delta activist, Ogheneovo
A legal practitioner and frontline Niger Delta Activist, Bar Kennedy Ota, said: "It is ill-informed. The late President Yar' Adua who created it was well-informed. He did it as an interventionist ministry to alleviate the plight of the region. He knew of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, but with his foresight and compassion for the region, he saw that more was needed to be done. So he created the Ministry of Niger Delta to address social political issues in the areas for hitch free exploration of oil and gas from the region. It was wisdom on his part. For another political consideration to come in that led to its scraping is not okay."
Also sharing his thoughts, Mr Fred Ogheneovo, an opinion leader in Warri, said: "Scrapping the Ministry is not the right step. The Niger Delta Development Commission for instance has its limitations by the Act establishing it. The Ministry of Niger Delta is what really serves all communities in the region.", he said.
"The government should have funded the Ministry very well. It's not too much for the Niger Delta to have a Ministry and a development agency given the level of underdevelopment in the region."
Scrapping of ministry long overdue -- Ambakederimo
The move however, got the endorsement of the Convener of South South Reawakening Group, Elder Joseph Ambakederimo, who hails from Bayelsa State.
He said: "The scrapping of the Ministry is long overdue. The President's action is in line with the recommendations of the Stephen Orosanye committee on rationalisation of Ministries, Departments and Agencies. We have equally called for the scrapping of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs for reasons of overlapping functions with the NDDC. There has been no single verifiable project in the region embarked upon by the Ministry. The resources of the Ministry are being siphoned with reckless abandon. Therefore, we urge the President to be focused and not succumb to blackmail as was in the recent past.
"I do not believe the decision to scrap the Ministry will have any resultant effect on oil production except we do not want to accept that the Ministry has since lost its relevance to the development of the region. We need to have a streamlined structure and template if we are serious about the development of the region. Therefore the scrapping of the Ministry will better place the NDDC as the core agency well positioned to develop the region if it is well funded as a result of their achievements including the ongoing reforms initiated by the present leadership."
Oil communities hail Tinubu's decision
Speaking as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Community Development Committee, CDC of oil and gas producing areas of the Niger- Delta, Ambakaderimo added that "the decision taken by the Federal Executive Council to scrap the Ministry of Niger Delta Development is a welcome development.
"So for us, the President has listened to wise counsel, he should not be blackmailed to reverse this decision, we say this because some form of untoward subtle blackmail was brought to bear on the President which led to the retaining of the Ministry of Niger Delta Development until today's action."
Ministry had lost its relevance -- Morris
Also, Comrade Alagoa Morris, Deputy Director, Environmental Defenders Network, EDEN and former chairman, Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, Bayelsa State, said: "In the beginning we were happy that the Niger Delta Affairs Ministry was created but along the line we saw that it was of no relevance to the region and we have been criticizing it. I have been seeing NDDC project signposts but I have never seen Niger Delta Affairs signposts in terms of projects executed. Also, the East-West road that they are wrongly putting on the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs Ministry signpost is not their project. So, if Mr. President chose to scrap the ministry it doesn't mean anything to us because the other parts of the country has seen the ministry as one of the good things the Federal Government has given to us but in reality we have not gotten anything from that ministry.
"Instead the Federal Government should give us a South South Development Commission to take care of the developmental needs of our people like other regions which were given special development commissions. The NDDC as we all know is mainly for oil producing states irrespective of the region such states are located."
It's escalation of corruption -- NDPC
Zik Gbemre, Coordinator, Niger Delta Peace Coalition, NDPC, said President Tinubu's action makes no meaningful difference but will only escalate corruption.
"Though the now defunct Ministry of Niger Delta was meant to focus on the region, it never really delivered much for the common good but instead became a cash-cow for the president and appointees to filter set funds into private vaults.
"That is why we had the ministry for years and still couldn't realise completion of the East-West Road for the Niger Delta. And while NDDC, after the sack of its foundation board, also became cash-cow for politicians in power, the sustained corruption in the commission escalated when President Muhammadu Buhari pushed NDDC into a patronage for the Ministry of Niger Delta.
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"So make no mistake about it. This new ministry is not about how much it denies the Niger-Delta special attention. With the emergent Ministry of Regional Development to now supervise all regional commissions, believe me, the circle of influence of the would be minister in charge is enlarged.
"It is corruption reloaded. The minister in charge will become one of the most influential officeholders in the Tinubu's administration, controlling and dictating the allocation of funds and projects for all the regional commissions.
"For me, what we need is true federalism and not the proliferation of regional commissions, ministries, agencies and departments working in conflict."
Good development, wrong timing --Akpan
To Saviour Akpan, Executive Director, COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peace Building, the move "is a good development but at the wrong time."
He said: "Wrong time because the defunct Ministry of Niger Delta unfortunately did not have the confidence of the people of the region due to perceived politicization of development without adequate needs assessment.
"I welcome the Regional Development Ministry but we need to do a lot to ensure adequate respect for the rule of law because it is only in a society where the rule of law is respected that such structures will be viable."
We're studying situation -- Asemota
Leader of the PANDEF in Edo State, Dr. Mike Asemota said they were studying the situation to come up with a position. However, he said it would have been proper for the Federal Government to consult with stakeholders before taking such a decision.
"We are still studying the situation. As you are talking to me right now, our people are in Port Harcourt. It is one of those issues we want to discuss with leaders. If it were to be in other climes, before they go out with such information they must have discussed with stakeholders. So, I don't want to preempt whatever will come out later, we are studying the situation."
It's not wrong if.. - Gen Ikponmwen
Forrmer Provost Marshal of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General Idada Ikponmwen, retd, said there was nothing wrong as far as it would bring efficiency to the system.
He said: "There is nothing wrong with that if the new ministry will be effectively managed. Taking cognizance of the needs of the various regions, it will be okay in so far as the whole objective of development is adequately taken care of and the manpower department is equal to the task."
