There is palpable apprehension in the Niger Delta region following the news of the dissolution of the Niger Delta Affairs Ministry by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the federal executive council, FEC, meeting in Abuja. While reacting to the President’s decision to scrap the ministry, the President of Ijaw National Congress, INC, Professor Benjamin Okaba on Thursday said the President’s action is to “short-change the Niger Delta people without any recourse to the overall interest of the people”. Prof Okaba declared that scrapping the ministry which was created by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to fix the developmental challenges of the region, will only “aggravate the problem this government was expected to solve to increase oil output. “You are causing pains to the same people that you were supposed to calm down to increase the daily output by scrapping a ministry that was established to cater for their infrastructural, educational and social needs among others”. The INC President noted that “the scrapping of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs presents both challenges and opportunities for the South-South geopolitical zone. A South-South Development Commission, if properly structured and resourced, could serve as a more agile and regionally focused body to drive sustainable development in the area.
“It would need to prioritise transparency, stakeholder engagement, and a holistic development agenda that goes beyond oil. This initiative could be a crucial step in addressing the long-standing economic, environmental, and social issues that have plagued the Niger Delta and the South-South region as a whole”. The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, on its part believes that the scrapping of the ministry is “a slap on the faces of the Niger Delta people”, said its President, Dr. Alaye Tari Theophilus. He threatens that the President’s action would reflect prominently when he comes to the south-south geo-political zone to canvass for vote in 2027. Theophilus said that though Tinubu may be a south-south President, “the overall interest of the Niger Delta people must be protected. You cannot just wake up and scrap a ministry that has been very key to the development of the Niger Delta people over the years. “You can’t maltreat us and expect to get our vote in 2027 for your re-election. We cannot be happy with such treatment. It clearly shows that the President does not have our interest at heart. Politics is all about give and take”, he said, adding that the council would meet with all stakeholders to come up with a resolution on the matter.
Sounding a bit mildly, the President of the movement for the survival of the Ogoni people, MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke said though he may not completely condemn the President’s action, the decision should be rescinded. “I understand that the ministry was not working maximally to fulfill the purpose at which it was established, I want the President to reconsider that decision for the sake of our people. The ministry should be closely monitored for transparency rather than scrap it out-rightly”.
