By Elizabeth Chukwma
Not many are surprised that the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, since 2015, had been planning to scrap the ministry of Niger Delta which was established by late President Umaru Yar’dua, in 2008, to fast track the development of the region for sustaining the nation through its oil revenue.
, Former Muhammadu Buhari may have seen it as giving the region too much with the establishment of an additional Niger Development Commission, NDDC, as an agency of the ministry . The then Katsina state born Nigerian President said to have tried to scrap the ministry or the NDDC, but did not know to how to go about it. Instead, he had established the North East Development Commission, NEDC, to equate with the NDDC.
In setting up the NEDC, the former Nigerian President had said that’’ it was in fulfilment of the pledge his Administration had made ‘’to fast track the development of the region’’. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who incidentally was a former Lagos state governor, with the return of democracy in Nigeria, in 1999, may have continued from where Buhari had stopped by signing into Law the North West Development Commission, NWDC, South East Development Commission, SEDC, and South West Development Commission, SWDC, bill passed by the National Assembly.
The NWDC, was mandated to oversee the development of the seven north western states of Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano and Jigawa while the SEDC, would be responsible for the development of the south east states of Abia, Anambra, Eboyi, Enugu and Enugu.
The Nigerian President may have given a hint of scrapping some ministries and agencies of government when he announced plan’’ to implement the Oransaye Report on review of the ministries, departments and agencies’’.
The President, who many believe is acting out a script, may have waited for an opportunity to scrap the ministry of Niger Delta, and merge the NDDC, with the other regional Development Commissions established by the Buhari’s Administration and the most recent Commissions which exists merely on paper.
The opportunity came on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, when the President carried out the much expected Cabinet reshuffle which had been in the works over the last couple of weeks. The former Lagos state may have concluded arrangement to scrap the ministry of NNDC, that he had kept it a closely guided secret, that even the likes of Nyensome Wike, his political ally, who was a former governor of Rivers state and now minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, did not known anything about the plan.
The Nigerian President may have travelled to abroad to spend his two weeks annual vacation, shuttling between United Kingdom, UK and France to put a final touch to the plan. He may have returned to Nigeria on Saturday, October 19, 2024, execute his plan. He had his way.
As a prelude to implementing his action plan, he was said to have held lengthy meetings with some of his political Aides including Nuhu Ribadu, his National Security Adviser, NSA, Coordinating the country’s ‘s security architecture and Gen. Christopher Musa, Chief of Dwfence Staff, among others . He was said to have also met with Hajia Hadiza Bala-Usman, a former Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, during Buhari’s Administration and now Special Adviser on Policy Coordination an Head of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit of Tinubu’s Administration.
Hajia Bala-Usman, described as one of the most powerful Presidential Aides in the Tinubu’s Administration charged with the responsibility of evaluating the performances of all the Nigerian President’s appointees, particular, the ministers.
The Nigeria Leader may have given an insight of the ministers and Heads of agencies to be retained as he was said to have met with them including Dele Alake, overseeing Solid Minerals Development, Dave Umahi, a former governor of Eboyi state and now minister of Works, believed to be doing the biddings of the President, and Zach Adedeji, Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Services and Special Advise to the President on Revenue.
Given the impression that the new policy measures that had been initiated by him was unanimously agreed at the FEC, members, the Presidency, through Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, had reportedly said on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, that the FEC, had scrapped the Niger Delta ministry , which energy analysts had described a big blow to the development drive of the region. The Nigerian President may have kept to his words as he had merged the NDDC and other regional Development Commissions to form the ministry of Regional Development.
Given an insider information the Presidential Aide had said that the newly created ministry of Regional Development would oversee the activities of all the Regional Development Commissions. He had alluded to the NDDC, NEDC, NWDC SEDC and the SWDC.
The former Lagos state governor who may have outsmarted his political Associates from the Niger Delta region to appease the political big shots in the north, against his re-election bids in the upcoming 2027 , general election , may have reappointed Abubakar Momoh the Edo state born politician and former minister of the ministry of Niger Delta to oversee the affairs of the new ministry of Regional Development, to win the heart of the people of the region showing that nothing had really changed.
Although, Onanuga, the President Aide, may have made Nigerians to believe that the scrapping of the Niger Delta ministry , merging and relocating some of the agencies of government and departments was part of the policy measures that had been taken by the Tinubu’s Administrations to reduce the high costs of governance in the country, opinions are still divided on it.
In a related development the Nigerian President who may have taken a critical look over his last one ear in one office may have been guided by ‘’empirical evidence’’, making reference to the performance indicator, which is being coordinated by the office of Policy Coordination and Central Delivery Unit, under the close watch of Hajia Bala-Usman.
Recall that at the last ministerial retreat t Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, the former Lagos state governor was said to have sounded a note of warning to the ministers to sit up, stating that there would be periodic reviews of their performance in office and that the decisions that are extracted from such reviews by the Policy Coordination and Central Delivery Unit officials ould be used to make their final decisions about their stay in office.
The President, who could not hide his feelings at the 2023, ministerial retreat, may have put the ministers and other top government functionaries holding strategic office in his Administration on their toes as he was said to have told them that they would be closely monitored by the staff of the office of the Special Adviser on Policy Coordination and Central Delivery Unit.
He was said to have made it clear that ‘’performances would be evaluated and accountability upheld’’, urging those who may have problem with the former NPA, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, now overseeing the Policy Coordination and Central Delivery Unit, to come to him. The evaluation report of the performances of the ministers may have facilitated the sack of the five ministers by the President Tinubu.
The affected ministers are Uju-Ken Ohanenye , a Lawyer and minister of Women Affairs, Lola Ade –John, minister of Tourism, Tahir Mammam, a Professor and minister of Education, Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo, minister of state, Housing and Urban Development, and amilo Bio, minister of Youth Development.
the south-south governors had expected the President to drop Wike , the FCT, minister because of his bad records in office. They were said to have threatened to stop attending meetings of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, under theChaired by AbdulRahmanAbdulRazaq and the , governor of Kwara state and the Nigeria Economic Council, NEC, Chaired by Vice President Kashim Shetima, who incidentally was a former governor of Borno state but that was how far they could go.
President Tinubu, may have made a mockery of the south-south governors’ threat as he had retained Wike in office as the FCT, minister, as he was said to have scored high based on the evaluation report of Haia Bala-Usman’s office.
Political analysts had expected the Nigerian President to appoint five new ministers to replace the sacked ones but he had appointed seven others awaiting the screening and confirmation of the Godswill Akpabio , a former governor of Akwa Ibom state led Senate.
The newly appointed ministers and heir portfolios include Nentawe Yilwatda, minister of Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation, Muhammadu Dingyyadi, minister of Labour and Employment, Ambassador Bianca Odimegwu- Ojukwu, minister of state , Foreign Affairs, Olajumke Oduwole, minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Idi Maiha, minister of Lvetock Development,Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, minister of state, Housing and Urban Development and Suwaiba Ahmad, minister of state, Education.
Appealing to the newly appointed ministers ‘’to understand the Administration’s eagerness and determination to set Nigeria on the path of irreversible growth and invest the best of their abilities’’, he had said that ‘’it is the only way for the actualization of his Administration’s priorities.
Note that Haja Bala-Usman’s report may have equally encouraged the Nigerian President’’ to reassign’’ 10 other ministers, to new ministries, where the President believes they can do much better.
Take for instance,Uba Maigari Ahmadu, minister of state, Steel Development, was moved to the ministry of Regional Development as minister of state, Doris Uzoka-Anite, minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, was redeployed to the ministry of Finance as minister of state, Sen. John Owan Enoh, minister of Sports Development , was reappointed to serve as minister of state ,Trade and Investment, Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim, minister of Police Affairs , has been given a new portfolios to oversee the ministry of Women Affairs while Salako Razaq Adekunle Adeboye, minister of state Environment, was moved to the ministry of Health as minister of state.
The Presidency had reportedly said that ‘’the dismissal and appointments are part of the eight far-reaching actions to reinvigorate the Administration’s capacity for optimal efficiency to deliver on his February 25, 2023, electionee Campaign promises’’.
Former President Obasanjo, who had been on the news on the recent weeks had said that ‘’the country is not progressing as expected towards achieving its economic goals’’, warning that ‘’the most West African country is sitting on a keg of gunpowder that would explode at any time soon if the present Tinubu’s Administration ‘’fails to take steps to address the challenges’’.
