The leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, has criticized President Bola Tinubu, alleging that he governs Nigeria with ethnic bias similar to that of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
Clark voiced his concerns over the government’s decision to scrap the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, arguing that the region continues to face marginalization with little to lose. Speaking via telephone during PANDEF’s Special General Assembly in Port Harcourt, he remarked, “Nigeria is divided along ethnic and religious lines. We have no middle class, and the wealthy have taken all the resources, including our oil wells.”
He also recalled needing to travel to Daura, Buhari’s hometown, to secure favors for the Niger Delta during the former president’s administration. Clark lamented ongoing challenges of insecurity and poverty, suggesting that Boko Haram was utilized to destabilize Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency.
In response, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, clarified that the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs was not scrapped but rather expanded to oversee all regional development commissions, with a native of the Niger Delta still at the helm. Lokpobiri emphasized that the region could benefit significantly, particularly with the proposed establishment of a South-South Development Commission.