A proposal to ask President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reverse the decision to rename the Ministry of Niger Delta Development as the Ministry of Regional Development has been stepped down by the House of Representatives.

The House rescinded the proposal, which was sponsored by Oboku Oforji (PDP, Bayelsa), stating that “events had taken precedence over it.”

In his remarks on the motion, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen informed the House that President Tinubu promised him at their meeting last week that he would be pleased to receive the South-South Development Commission Bill, which would address particular concerns facing the Niger Delta.

Therefore, he informed the lawmaker that the motion’s mover should let the House to step down the proposal given the information and the fact that other events had already taken precedence over the problems raised in the motion.

House Leader Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo) also spoke about the motion, stating that although the issues raised were pertinent, the Niger Delta Development Ministry’s conversion to the Ministry of Regional Development would not in any way deprive the region of its proper development or lessen its influence within it; rather, it would expand its reach to include the development of other regions.

Prior to making the motion, Oforji reminded everyone that the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua established the Ministry of Niger Delta Development on September 10, 2008, and named Ufot Ekaette as its first Minister.

According to him, the ministry was established to coordinate and promote policies for the Niger Delta Region’s development, peace, unity, and security. It is also expected to develop and implement plans, programs, and other initiatives, as well as coordinate the efforts of organisations, communities, donors, and other pertinent stakeholders.

He said that late President Yar’Adua had excellent intentions and insight when he established the ministry to alleviate the region’s decades of misery, unrest, and neglect at the hands of succeeding administrations. A region that generates the nation’s economic prosperity yet is impoverished and badly run.

He emphasised that militancy had emerged in the oil-rich region as a result of years of oil spills, a shortage of arable land, and a lack of social amenities, among other factors.

He stated: “The Amnesty Program, which has brought relative calm to the oil-rich Niger Delta Region, was the result of discussion with militants and significant players in the region during the brief tenure of the late President Yar’Adua from Katsina State.

These served as a precursor to the establishment of the ministry, which was focused on environmental preservation, youth empowerment, and infrastructure development in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.

“Are we there yet? The answer is no, but the people of the Niger Delta support the establishment of the Ministry of Niger Delta Development because they think that the region’s founding fathers’ grand goals and ambitions would one day come true.

He voiced worry that “there was a noticeable sense of tension in the oil-rich region on October 24, 2024, after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced that the ministry of Niger Delta Development would be abolished.”

“This is not a good omen for a region that has enjoyed some relative peace and has made significant contributions to our nation’s economic development.”