Following the reactions that trailed the rejigging of the president’s cabinet and the scrapping of the Niger Delta Ministry, the presidency has stated that the ministry was never scrapped.
This is as they explained that it was just renamed, not scrapped.
News About Nigeria reports that the clarification was made by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, while speaking to Newsmen after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting yesterday in Abuja.
According to Onanuga, the Ministry of Niger Delta Development was renamed the Ministry of Regional Development.
Onanuga further explained that the Ministry of Niger Delta Development was renamed and given a greater responsibility under the Ministry of Regional Development.
Speaking further, he noted that the new ministry was created to supervise all the agencies under the Ministry of Niger Delta Development and other regional commissions in the country.
He said, “For our people over there in the Niger Delta region, I would like them to know that that has not removed anything from them. The NDDC is still very much in place, which is still under the Ministry of Regional Development, and all other such agencies are there. It’s just a question of change of nomenclature.”
He urged people from the Niger Delta region not to feel that the Ministry of Niger Delta has been scrapped and no longer exists.
“All the structures and everything about the Niger Delta remains. It’s just a change of nomenclature and, of course, expansion of activities of the ministry. So I think it’s something worthy of commendation.”
