The House of Representatives has stepped down a motion asking President Bola Tinubu to rescind his decision of renaming the Ministry of Niger Delta Development to Ministry of Regional Development.
The House stepped down the motion sponsored by Oboku Oforji (PDP, Bayelsa) on the grounds that “it has been overtaken by events.”
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen told the House that he met with President Tinubu last week and got the assurance that he was favourably disposed to receiving the South-South Development Commission Bill to cater for specific issues of the Niger Delta region.
He told the sponsor that, in the light of the information, and due to the fact that the issues within the motion had already been overtaken by other events, he should allow the House to step down the motion.
Also, the House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo), said even though the issues contained in the motion were germane, the conversion of the Niger Delta Development Ministry to that of Ministry of Regional Development will not in any way deny the Niger Delta region of its due development, nor reduce its impact in the region, but only to broaden its scope to development of other regions.
Earlier, while moving the motion, Oforji recalled that the Ministry of Niger Delta Development initiated by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration, was created on September 10, 2008, with Ufot Ekaette as the pioneer Minister in-charge.
According to him, the ministry was created to promote and coordinate policies for the development, peace, unity and security of the Niger Delta area and is expected to formulate and execute plans, programmes and other initiatives as well as coordinate the activities of agencies, communities, donors and other relevant stakeholders involved in the development of the Niger Delta area.
He said late President Yar’Adua had good intention and foresight for creating the ministry as a way to ameliorate the suffering, agitations and neglect of oil-producing areas for decades by successive governments.
He said, “It was in the short term of late President Yar’Adua ‘s leadership from Katsina State that dialogue was initiated with major stakeholders in the region and militants culminating in the Amnesty Progam that has brought relative peace to the oil rich Niger Delta Region.
“These were prelude to the creation of the ministry which was aimed at infrastructural development, environmental protection and empowerment of the youths in the oil rich Niger Delta Region.
“Are we there yet? The answer is no,but the people of the Niger Delta believe that the lofty dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the region will be actualized someday, hence their embrace of the creation of the Ministry of Niger Delta Development.”
The lawmaker expressed concern that “on the October 24, 2024, the oil rich region witnessed palpable tension following the announcement of the scrapping of the ministry of Niger Delta Development by President Tinubu.
“This is not a good omen for a region that has contributed immensely to the economy development of our their country and has enjoyed some relative peace,” he had argued.
