By Akin Makanjuola
The Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs was announced by President Umaru Yar Adua on 10 September, 2008. The ministry has a Minister in charge of development of Niger Delta area, and a Minister of State in charge of youth empowerment. It was formed primarily to coordinate efforts to tackle the challenges of infrastructural development, environment protection and youth empowerment in the Niger Delta.
The area known as the Niger Delta originally was confined to the mangrove creeks around the River Niger tributaries towards the Atlantic Ocean coast line. Today, however, owing to the discovery of oil, the Niger Delta somewhat loosely refers to the oil producing states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Ondo now compares, if not competes with the Federal Republic of Nigeria in strategic economic importance.
According to a federal government statement, the establishment of the ministry is a direct response to the myriad of environmental and infrastructural neglects in the area. Essentially, the ministry is being established to drive a new pace of developments in the Niger Delta. In addition, it has been generally suggested that the ministry would specifically deliver on the promises of the Niger Delta Master Plan.
The Niger Delta Master Plan has never been greeted with a lot of fanfare since its scripting in 2006, however, not much was done by the previous administration to deliver on expectations.
The Niger Delta territory is presently in a volatile state. Dedicated violence is spinning off from amorphous militant groups with the most recent being the repeated blow up of oil facilities by Niger Delta Avengers. There are equally dreadful cult groups that have sucked up the youths, making strife, bloodletting and crime the major industry particularly in three of the states of the Niger Delta, namely, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States.
General economic activities are stifled. Anger and distraught are ruling over the land. Drawing from the promise and expectations attached to the Niger Delta Master Plan, not much has been accomplished. Although previous administrations started the Amnesty and disarmament process on the militants particularly of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, fold, not much in respect of infrastructure and environmental milestones have fully been addressed.
In effect, not much is on ground to assuage the anger, hunger, unemployment and the desperation in the land. Today, the Federal Government has flagged off the clean-up of Ogoni, for instance, but even at a rather more dramatic pace the militants are creating worse environmental health disasters by the level of blow up of elaborate oil facilities in the troubled territory.
But the new Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani has however, assured that efforts were in place under the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to renew the “Covenant” between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the people of Niger Delta region in order to create a solid and enduring Partnership for the socio-economic and industrial development of the region. The minister has reiterated that the Ministry has not and will not abandon any of its on-going projects in the nine oil producing states of the Niger Delta.
Pastor Usani said this when the community leaders of the nine oil producing states paid a courtesy visit on him recently. He said that “the ministry was eager to fast-track the development of the Niger Delta Region and would not abandon any of its projects.”
Similarly at a Technical Workshop titled “Niger Delta Way Forward: From Stabilisation to Sustainable Development,” co-organised by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Presidential Amnesty Programme Office, Federal Ministry of Environment and other development partners in Abuja,he said:
“We have gathered here today to forge a clear path for the development of the Niger Delta region and to renew our commitment to an existing covenant between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the men, women and children of the Niger Delta region”
“It is a covenant that was written after years of tears and pain. It took years of trauma and unbearable birth pangs for it to finally come to fruition. Out of that covenant, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs was created, out of that covenant, the NDDC was established, out of that covenant, the Amnesty Programme was born; it was also from within the womb of that covenant that today an Action Plan has been born. We have come here today not only to endorse this Action Plan, but also to take it to another level.”
The minister however, noted that while “previous efforts highlighted projects; the new approach will emphasise holistic programmes under which the projects fall. Previous efforts made a few individuals rich; the new approach will bring wealth to the communities. Previous efforts created monsters that were bigger than the communities; the new efforts will cut down these monsters and cause them to submit to their communities. Previous efforts were characterised by corruption and bribery of government officials, the new approach will bring all Stakeholders into a transparent commitment to the development of the Niger Delta region. Previous efforts paid more attention to mega projects like roads and huge buildings-which were celebrated but half-heartedly implemented, the new approach will pay considerable attention to projects that will truly empower the people-training, skill acquisition and ethical re orientation,” he said.
Only last week the minister revealed the plans of his ministry to send for training abroad 100 Niger Delta youths. He said that his ministry has entered into many training agreements with various European and United Kingdom Institutions to train the youths in strategic areas that will be of interest to the Niger Deltans and the nation at large. Specifically he mentioned that the Ministry of Niger Delta is into partnership with S.T Georges, Ministry of Youth and Sports to train Niger Delta youths on a programme tagged:”Train and Engage.”He said the trainees will readily be absorbed and constructively engaged in existing Oil and Gas industries as soon as they finished their studies abroad.
In addition, the minister said the Local Content Office of the Africa House in UK,Africa Business Forum and the Ministry of Niger Delta have entered into a collaboration to engage Niger Delta youths on a special programme along the NVQ model design.
He also warned that the era of free money is gone, that “those who take up jobs as contractors must deliver quality jobs to justify the tax payers money paid for such jobs. The minister said: “Contractors who appear to have abandoned their projects are advised to go back to site to complete them. If they have found themselves incompetent to deliver, government should be made to know on time in order to re-award the contract to a more competent company”, he stressed.
The minister also urged the people of Niger Delta not to complicate the current environmental challenge of the region by engaging in vandalism of oil and gas pipelines which cause oil spillage and pollution. On oil companies that cause spillage, the Minister warned: “The government will compel oil spilling organisations to do the necessary clean up because the government is on the side of the people to checking oil spillage”. Already the Federal Government has taken a lead in this direction as it has flagged off the clean-up of Ogoni-land.
In conclusion with the passing of the budget and accent by Mr President; the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs is set to hit the ground running. The ministry has rolled out an array of programmes and capital projects that will change the face and fortunes of Niger Delta. But all these lofty plans and goals can only be possible or feasible in an atmosphere of peace. It is therefore necessary for all parties to maintain the peace and work together for the rapid development of the Niger Delta.
The people need to heed the advice of the former Prime Minister of Britain when he said “It is better to jaw,jaw than to war,war.”
Mr. Makanjuola is an editor with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abuja
