President Bola Tinubu reshuffled his cabinet yesterday, which has attracted a barrage of reactions across boards.
A significant point of contention is the perceived “abolition” of the Niger Delta Ministry. However, the Federal Government has clarified that the Ministry has not been abolished but rather renamed.
Reacting earlier, an elder statesman and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, expressed that the people of the Niger Delta would not accept this change.
He called on President Tinubu to provide an explanation to the Niger Delta community regarding the ministry’s rebranding.
Additionally, Chief Clark raised concerns that the federal government might be planning to utilize resources from the South-South region to support other zonal development commissions.
Cabinet Reshuffle
Recall that Tinubu’s cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday affected six ministers who were removed from their positions, while ten others were reassigned.
In alignment with his Renewed Hope Agenda, President Tinubu has also nominated seven individuals for ministerial appointments, including Amb. Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
The nominations for Bianca and the other six candidates have been submitted to the National Assembly for approval.
Furthermore, the President appointed Shehu Dikko as the chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), who will oversee the activities and programs of the now-defunct Ministry of Sports Development, which has been dissolved along with the Ministry of Niger Delta Development.
The President also reinstated two former ministers from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Niger Delta Development Not Scrapped
Reacting to speculations, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said the Ministry of Niger Delta Development was renamed the Ministry of Regional Development.
Following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held yesterday in Abuja, he addressed members of the press.
Additionally, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, the minister of the newly established Ministry of Regional Development and former head of the Ministry of Niger Delta Development, confirmed that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) remains operational.
He further elaborated that the Ministry of Niger Delta Development has been rebranded and assigned expanded responsibilities within the framework of the Ministry of Regional Development.
He stated that the purpose of the new ministry is to oversee all agencies previously under the Ministry of Niger Delta Development, as well as other regional commissions throughout the nation.
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 worthy of commendation,” he added.
