Clark faults Niger Delta ministry dissolution
Elder statesman and Convener of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, Chief Edwin Clark, has expressed his dismay over the recent decision of the Federal Executive Council to scrap the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
In a phone conversation on Wednesday, Clark described the move as unjustified and detrimental to the region’s development.
President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council earlier on Wednesday scrapped the Ministry of Niger Delta, subsuming its activities under the new Ministry of Regional Development.
Clark, however, said the news of the ministry’s dissolution came as a surprise, given the critical role it was created to play, noting that late President Musa Yar’Adua established the ministry with a clear mandate to address the security challenges in the region and promote development.
“What I’ve noted so far is that there’s 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 focused on developing that area. We have been working for some time now, managing our commission,” he said.
Clark emphasised that the ministry’s existence was not merely about its administrative structure, but about fulfilling the specific needs of the Niger Delta.
He lamented the lack of tangible development, pointing out the stalled progress of major projects like the East-West Road, which had been handed over to the Ministry of Works without any significant progress under the Niger Delta Ministry.
“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’m saying is that the federal government lacks special arrangements for this. When I saw that every region was establishing its development centres or commissions, I anticipated these issues would arise,” he said.
He also pointed to the larger issue of federal government disengagement from the region’s development efforts, noting that during the 2014 National Conference, there were agreements to increase revenue allocation to the oil-producing regions from 13% to 18% and to allocate 5% of the federation account annually to regions affected by conflict.
“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,” he said.
Clark further warned that scrapping the ministry without a replacement plan could create further discontent, stating “We will not allow it to be scrapped. The government cannot use South-South resources to develop other regions while neglecting the Niger Delta.”
