Ex-Minister backs FG’s decision to scrap Niger Delta Ministry

By Kunle Sanni

Abubakar Momoh, the former Minister of Niger Delta Development, says the federal government’s decision to scrap the Ministry of Niger Delta is aimed at improving regional development coordination.

The news was first shared by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, who confirmed the move in a post on his X account after the commencement of the FEC meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

He explained that the newly established Ministry of Regional Development will now oversee various regional commissions, including the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), North West Development Commission (NWDC), South West Development Commission (SWDC), and North East Development Commission (NEDC).

Reacting to the development, Momoh, who has been retained as the Minister in charge of the new Ministry of Regional Development, emphasized that the restructuring is an administrative shift aimed at consolidating oversight and ensuring a more cohesive approach to regional development across the country.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the FEC meeting, Momoh assured that the move does not reduce the focus on the Niger Delta.

“The restructuring is purely administrative. It seeks to create a centralized oversight system for the growing number of regional development commissions nationwide, ensuring more efficient management and resource allocation,” he explained.

“For the people in the Niger Delta region, I want them to know that this has not taken anything away from them,” Momoh said.
“The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is still very much in place under the Ministry of Regional Development, and all other such agencies remain intact.

“All the structures and everything about the Niger Delta remain. It’s just a change in nomenclature and, of course, an expansion of the ministry’s activities.”