Former Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has criticized President Bola Tinubu for the recent decision to dissolve the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, asserting that the people of the region will not accept this move.
In a reaction to the announcement made yesterday in Abuja, the elder statesman questioned the rationale behind the ministry’s dissolution, accusing the federal government of intending to redirect funds from the South-South geopolitical zone to develop various other regional commissions.
As the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Clark expressed his discontent, stating that President Tinubu lacks a genuine commitment to the Niger Delta’s development. He emphasized that the late President Umaru Yar’Adua established the ministry to foster development, ensure lasting peace, and address issues such as pipeline vandalization.
Clark remarked, “The news came to me as a surprise. There’s no basis for scrapping it now. Yar’Adua had a purpose for creating it, to develop the Niger Delta Region and Nigeria, and to bring peace to the region.”
He elaborated on the significance of the ministry, stating, “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.”
Clark criticized the lack of developmental plans, funding, and concrete actions accompanying the ministry’s takeover, questioning why the federal government would dismantle an administrative structure without a clear vision. He pointed out that even critical projects like the East-West Road, initially under the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, have now been handed back to the Ministry of Works, which he believes indicates a lack of serious commitment to the region’s needs.
He concluded by stating, “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 centers 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.”