President Bola Tinubu last week scrapped the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. It was one of the major policy decisions he took to reduce the cost of governance. In place of it, Tinubu established the new Ministry of Regional Development to oversee all the newly introduced regional development commissions in the country as well as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
But the decision has set him against the people who see his action as another deliberate plan to impoverish them. Already, groups like the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and the Ijaw National Congress (INC), have all condemned the decision. They have called on the president to make a quick reversal.
Former Niger Delta warlord, Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, in a viral video, described the president as anti-Niger Delta. He said it is now obvious that Tinubu has a mission to annihilate the people. He regretted having worked for his emergence only for him to turn around and "betray" him and the people of the region with his actions and policies.
The sentiments of Dokubo, PANDEF, INC, and other individuals and groups from the region seem to represent the general feeling of the people on the issue. It is safe to say that the scrapping of the ministry was hasty, ulterior, and self-serving. There is every reason to believe that Tinubu did not think through it or was wrongly guided.
What is even more infuriating is the fact that Tinubu did not consult with the major stakeholders in the region before making the pronouncement. Extensive work was not done before arriving at the decision. Else, the President would have seen the red flag. He would have known that the action to scrap the Ministry may lead to another round of agitations by the youths, which will be devastating on the already beleaguered economy.
The argument in some quarters that the Ministry needed to go because of its conflicting functions with the NDDC does not hold water. Rather than hinge on that or the alleged poor performance of the ministry, the President should have appointed a technocrat to take charge instead of the political patronage appointment that he and his predecessor have subjected the Ministry to.
We recall that late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua created the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to compliment the NDDC. It was a further appreciation to the people and the region for the contributions to sustain the country economically. The ministry was situated to help rev up the socio-economic development of the Niger Delta by carrying out critical interventions.
As a child of necessity, the ministry brought some sense of belonging to the people. It has helped to create massive job opportunities for the people. If all of these were not considered before scrapping it, then the infamous name "T-pain" that Tinubu is now known for will be more frequently used in the region to call him.
For us, the new Ministry of Regional Development can stay to pursue the reason for its establishment. But the Niger Delta Ministry should be brought back and strengthened to deliver on its mandate. There are never going to be enough interventions for the Niger Delta because of the long years of suffering, neglect, and outright abandonment it has suffered.
We therefore, will like to appeal to the president to reverse the decision. In the past, he has done so, and it took nothing away from him. Leaders make mistakes like every other person because they are not immuned from mistakes. Their humility to turn around and accept that they are wrong is always applauded. It is the same loud ovation Tinubu will get if he takes the bold step to reverse his action.
In July this year, he sacked the Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey and replaced him with Dr. Olufemi Adekambi, a non-Ogoni. The decision sparked a wide protest among Ogonis, and when the president saw that he had goofed, he made a U-turn. It is the same U-turn we are urging him to make.
Tinubu’s handlers should know that his administration is sitting on a keg of gunpowder due to its unpopular and harsh economic policies that are strangulating the people. Adding controversial policies such as the scrapping of the Niger Delta Ministry is too r isky for the government.
