Rumour in Governance
At the last Federal Executive Council Meeting in Abuja, the Federal Government led by President Umaru Yar'Adua announced the creation of a Cabinet Ministry for the Niger Delta Region. The creation is part of the fulfilment of the Government's seven point agenda of which Niger Delta is one. Other sweeping changes were also announced in the Federal Ministries.

A fundamental aspect of the reform announced was the creation, for the first time, of a Ministry of the Niger Delta. This is seen as a deliberate step by the President to address the neglect of the oil producing region of the Niger Delta. By that the President is seeking to demonstrate that he is not only paying lip service to the aspirations of the Niger Delta region, but is willing and determined to address the problems of that region in a constructive manner.

Niger Delta region is a recurring decimal in the history of Nigeria. It was a sore point in the colonial period which led to the setting up of a Commission of enquiry. As a fall out of the Commission of Enquiry, a specialised organ was recommended for the region. That specialised organ was never established. Successive governments skirted around the issue and delivered cosmetic institutions and programmes. Today, we are living with the burden of that gross neglect. The neglect has culminated in violence on a continuing basis. Violence from protestations of the neglect of the area is not new.

But we are today witnessing it on a continuing and destructive basis. The activities of the armed men of the region have cost the nation great fortunes in all aspects of the national health. It has cost us heavily in lost revenue. It has cost us heavily in terms of security overload and civilian casualty. It has cost us enormously in terms of international rebukes and unwanted perception as an uncaring nation always exploiting the interests of the minorities without corresponding returns to them.

With the creation of the Ministry for the Niger Delta, the Federal Government as led by President Umaru Yar'Adua is seeking to fasttrack and coordinate effectively the implementation of his seven point agenda and by extension jump start the urgent development of the region. The Ministry of the Niger Delta is patterned after the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory which was created to coordinate the speedy development of the then new Federal Capital territory for Nigeria.

The Federal Government had, after the Aguda Commission recommended a new capital in a central and virgin location away from the then Federal Capital Lagos. The Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory was established to address the developmental needs of the new territory. There was no urgency in the process. It had a long term plan in its development programme. The Federal Capital was still in Lagos.

The Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory was the first specialised ministry created in Nigeria. The Ministry of the Niger Delta is the second in the life of Nigeria as a nation. The Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory was equally blessed with a working tool known then and now as Abuja master plan. It has often been distorted by contriving politicians and administrators, but greater focus and correction was brought during the tenure of El Rufai. So from the onset, Abuja was programmed for success. Successive administrations continued from the existing foundations already established.

The development of the Federal Capital Territory was not an urgent assignment. It was essentially an item of special development and deliberate effort to grow a truly neutral and independent territory devoid of ethnic colorations and pressure. But Niger Delta is different. The Federal Government in their haste has not clearly established their position on very pressing and urgent Niger Delta matters.

While Abuja was conceived and begun with a blue print, the Federal Government has not told us what plan it is seeking to execute. Has it adopted the Niger Delta Development master plan or has it created its own? Under the present dispensation, Niger Delta Development Commission would become a parastatal under the Ministry of Niger Delta, who now implements the plan? It is glaringly obvious that the Niger Delta Development Commission would represent a duplication of the same thing.

Again, while the Federal Government is making haste to assuage the urgent desires of the people of Niger Delta, it is acting in very worrying pattern. It has just constituted and inaugurated a forty five member technical committee to evaluate the past, present and extant volumes and records of matters connected to Niger Delta and the committee is yet to submit its report, on what basis is the Niger Delta Ministry being conceived?

Assuming but not suggesting that the Technical Committee just established comes up with a different recommendation inconsistent with the newly created Federal Ministry of Niger Delta, what would be the reaction of the Federal Government? While I believe that the Federal Government means well, its actions are full of duplications and open to several interpretations.

In the present state of gross underdevelopment and administrative suspicion by the Niger Delta region, there is the urgent need to distinguish this new Ministry of Niger Delta from the Federal Capital Territory. The needs of Niger Delta are very urgent. It cannot wait for the nuances of Federal Ministry bureaucracies. It is in the light of these realities that the mounting oppositions are continuing. We are witnesses to the peculiar administrations of Federal Ministries.

Time and resources are often wasted in managing scarce resources. We are also witnesses to the special political interests and petty jealousies of respective ministers and ministries. We are also witnesses to the lobbyist action that attend ministerial postings to assuage political and special interests, etc. These are the reasons why there are heavy and continuing opposition to the new Ministry of the Niger Delta. The manner of the new Ministry of Niger Delta is also another area of sour concern. It is conceived to be an amalgamation of Ministry of Environmental Coordination and Youth Empowerment. These are weighty issues indeed. Our next article shall further examine these issues.

Revd. Barr. Tonnie Anoruewhom,
0 8 0 2 3 2 5 8 7 1 6.
revdtonnie@yahoo.com
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