Prominent South-South leader, Edwin Clark, has countered the decision of President Bola Tinubu to scrap the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
The former federal commissioner for information argued that there is no basis for the President to scrap the Ministry, alleging that the plan of the Nigerian leader is to use the money from the region to develop other regions of the country.
Naija News recalls President Tinubu, on Wednesday, scrapped the Niger Delta Ministry and the Ministry of Sports Development.
Tinubu said a Ministry of Regional Development would oversee all the regional development commissions, such as the Niger Delta Development Commission, North West Development Commission, South West Development Commission, and North East Development Commission.
The National Sports Commission will take over the role of the Ministry of Sports.
However, Clark, who is the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), saidPresident Tinubu has no good plans for the people of Niger Delta.
He argued that President Umaru Yar’Adua created the Ministry for the development of the region and to curb insecurity in the region; therefore, President Tinubu has no basis for scrapping the Ministry.
He said, “The news came to me as a surprise. There’s no basis for scrapping it now, Yar’Adua had a poised for creating it, to develop the Niger Delta Region and Nigeria, to bring peace to the region.
“What I have noted so far is that there is no basis for scrapping it. Yar’Adua had a clear purpose to address the security situation in the Niger Delta, which led to the creation of the Ministry to focus on the development of that area. We have been working for some time now, managing our commissions.
“It is not about that; it is the administrative structure created by the President. Unfortunately, it was misunderstood by Nigerians due to its complexity.
“Why would you take over a Ministry without any development plans, funding, or concrete actions? Even the East-West Road, which was meant to be under the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, is not being addressed; it has been handed back to the Ministry of Works.
“What I am saying is that the federal government lacks special arrangements for this region. When I saw that every region was establishing its development centres or Commissions, I anticipated these issues would arise.
“Are there going to be multiple ministries within one region? One would expect that 30 or 40 people would have walked out to share the details.
“I remember during the national conference in 2014, it was decided to increase the revenue allocation to the regions from 13% to 25%. Ultimately, it was settled at 18%, but we disagreed, which led to further discussions about a separate fund to support development post-Boko Haram.
“There was also an agreement that 5% of the federation account would be allocated annually to support regions affected by the conflict. Unfortunately, this has not been implemented.
“We also agreed that 5% of the revenue account should be dedicated to developing mineral resources and other industries to enhance local capacity. I was pleased with these discussions, but they haven’t translated into action, which is disturbing.
“The government needs to consult with the leaders of the Niger Delta and the South-South region. What we ate saying is that these unresolved issues cannot be overlooked by the government.”
Clark further said the decision to scrap the Ministry should not be a unilateral decision and the government must explain the reason for its action to the people.
“The government must explain why they decided to halt critical legislation. This raises concerns about how the benefits of regional developments are being managed. Many people feel disconnected from the process, and it seems resources are being diverted from local needs.
“We need to ensure that regional development isn’t scrapped without a clear plan for its replacement. We will not allow it to be scrapped, the government wants to use South South money to develop other Development Commissions.
“In a democratic system, the government should be created for the people, by the people, and for their benefit. It shouldn’t operate as a one-man show,” Clark added.
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