The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Worldwide has condemned the decision of President Bola Tinubu to scrap the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
The group said the decision is unacceptable to the people of the region.
The group urged the President to reconsider the move in the interest of regional development and the nation’s economic stability.
A statement by the IYC Secretary-General, Maobuye Nangi Obu, on Friday in Port Harcourt stressed that rather than eliminating development-focused structures, the Niger Delta deserves more specialized programs, projects, ministries, and intervention agencies.
Obu suggested that if overlapping functions were an issue, the ministry could have been reformed to address specific regional challenges instead of being disbanded.
“There is no justification whatsoever to dismantle structures established for Niger Delta development. If an interventionist agency is underperforming, we expect the federal government to reform it to better address our region’s unique needs,” Obu said.
He highlighted the persistent disadvantages faced by the Niger Delta, such as challenging terrain and environmental degradation from oil exploitation, which provide resources used to fund projects in other parts of the country.
The Secretary-General emphasized that the Niger Delta should be regarded as a “special territory” requiring multiple federal interventions.
“We expect President Tinubu, who understands our challenges, to appreciate the need for the Niger Delta Ministry rather than endorsing its removal.
“The IYC urges the President to reestablish the ministry and assign it a unique mandate, as well as to create additional programs, projects, and ministries to address the multitude of issues hindering development in the region,” he added.