Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has explained that the motion asking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rescind the decision to scrap the Ministry of Niger Delta Development for Ministry for Regional Development, saying “it (motion) has been overtaken by events.”
The House stepped down the motion, sponsored by Oboku Oforji, and Abbas told the House that he met with President Tinubu last week and got assurance that he was favorably disposed to receiving the South-South Development Commission Bill to cater for specific issues of the Niger Delta region.
He said in light of the information, and due to the fact that the issues within the motion have already been overtaken by other events, telling the sponsor to seek leave of the House to step it down.
Also, Majority Leader, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere 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.
Oforji had in the motion recalled that the Ministry of Niger Delta Development as created on September 10, 2008 by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who appointed Ufot Ekaette as the first minister, adding that the ministry was created to promote and coordinate policies for the development, peace, unity and security of the Niger Delta region.
“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 Progamme 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 actualised someday, hence their embrace of the creation of the Ministry of Niger Delta Development,” he said.
