A bill in the House of Representatives has been withdrawn that would have asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to undo his decision to change the name of the Ministry of Niger Delta Development to the Ministry of Regional Development. The decision was made after Speaker Abbas Tajudeen said that President Tinubu told him he would be happy to accept the South-South Development Commission Bill. This bill would address specific problems in the Niger Delta region.
The motion, which was backed by Oboku Oforji, was meant to support and organize policies that would help the Niger Delta Region grow, stay peaceful, come together, and be safe. Oforji said that the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua set up the Ministry of Niger Delta Development on September 10, 2008, to deal with the pain, unrest, and negligence in the area.
The area has made a big difference in Nigeria’s economic growth, but it is still poor and badly run. Militancy has grown in the area because of years of oil spills, a lack of farmable land, and social facilities. The late President Yar’Adua started talking to militants and other important people. This led to the Amnesty Program, which made the area somewhat peaceful.
On October 24, 2024, President Tinubu said that the Ministry of Niger Delta Development would be dissolved. This caused unrest in the area. The people of the Niger Delta believe in the ministry’s goals and the founders’ hopes.
House Leader Julius Ihonvbere said that changing the name of the ministry to the Ministry of Regional growth would not stop the growth of the Niger Delta region, but would instead include other regions. Ihonvbere agreed that the move raised some issues, but he stressed that they should also think about the President’s promise.
Different people have different thoughts on the choice to drop the motion. Some lawmakers were worried that the ministry’s dissolution would slow down the growth of the region, while others saw it as a chance to fix problems in the region.
The development of the Niger Delta region is still a very important matter, and many people are calling for long-term efforts to solve its unique problems. People hope that the South-South Development Commission Bill will give us a way to deal with these problems.
In other news, the National Association of Resident Doctors has reported that Popoola, a doctor from Kaduna who had been kidnapped, has been freed after 10 months of being held captive. Nigerians are also asking the Federal Government to look at its economic policies because things are getting worse.
The case Court has also not yet made a decision on IPOB’s case, and veteran Yoruba actor Charles Olumo “Agbako” has died at the age of 101. The Court has decided not to fire NDDC board head Ebie, and there are reports of a cholera outbreak in Plateau that has killed two people and sent 18 to the hospital.
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