The views are as divergent as the issues are contentious: Who heads the newly created Ministry of the Niger Delta?
Where should the headquarters be located?
And who constitute the workforce?
Ethnic nationalities and prominent indigenes of the oil-rich region, who attempted to solve these riddles, yesterday did not reach a consensus.
While some made a case for an indigene to run the ministry set up by the Federal Government last Wednesday to implement President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s development agenda for the zones, others opted for a neutral but credible Nigerian from any part of the country.
Even if the office is conceded to the region, this again raised more posers such as which state or ethnic group produces the minister?
Those canvassing for an indigene of the region to head the ministry, argued that only a person, who understands the plight of the people and appreciates the area’s urgent development needs could easily fit into the office of minister.
The choice of the new ministry’s minister may, indeed, have triggered off a new kind of competition in the region.
For those, who were more specific, the current Minister of Special Duties in the Presidency, Godsday Orubebe is the choice. They said that he should be redeployed to superintend the ministry, being an Ijaw from Delta State.
But, this may be unacceptable to other tribes in the region, who might feel left out. Some argue that although the Ijaw constitute the majority tribe across the states and have been in the forefront of the Niger Delta agitation, they have had more than a fair share of positions accruing to the area. The current Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Timi Alaibe, for instance, is an Ijaw from Bayelsa State.
This is in addition to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan and Minister of Transport Mrs, Diezani Allison-Madueke, though marred to an Enugu State indigene.
Delta State has also headed the NDDC in the past, with Dr. Godwin Omene and Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, who served as managing directors at different times. But Delta spokesmen argue that producing the minister or one of the ministers should be some form of compensation for what they describe as the peace dividend the state has given the nation, at least since Uduaghan came into office.
Another contentious issue is the location of the ministry. Naturally, all Federal Ministries are headquartered in Abuja, but some of the Niger Delta stakeholders want the new ministry to be located in the heart of the region, something the Federal Government may find difficult to do.
Beyond the campaign for the ministerial slot, the government’s sincerity through adequate funding for the take off of the ministry to convince skeptics was also raised.
The structure and composition of the new ministry is something government would have to confront headlong but cautiously, the stakeholders’ said.
They said that the Niger Delta people should form the core employees of the ministry because they are conversant with the needs of the region. But this argument may fly in the face of the need to satisfy the principle of federal character in appointments into federal establishments.
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Pan Niger Delta Action Congress (PANDAC) and the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL), all expressed divergent views on the issues raised particularly where the minister should hail from and where the ministry should be located.
MOSOP spokesperson, Mr. Bari-ara Kpalap and the Executive Director of IHRHL, Mr. Anyankwe Nsirimovu canvassed for the minister to be appointed from any of the core Niger Delta states.
Kpalap told The Guardian that if the minister is from the region, he is bound to be more responsive to the yearnings of the people because he understands and appreciates the issues that have spurred agitations in the areas.
“A Niger Delta person should be appointed a minister because he understands the issues and will want to consult with the people to be able to succeed. It will also be appropriate to locate the ministry in the Niger Delta as well,” he said.
Nsirimovu, who is also a member of the Niger Delta Technical Committee, told The Guardian that since the people of the region have complained about maginalisation and are yearning for the development of the region, it would be appropriate to pick a minister from the zone.
He however, added that the person must be competent.
Spokesperson of PANDAC and Executive Director of Social Action, Mr. Isaac Osuka, said as a federal ministry, there was no basis for people to start clamouring for the minister to be appointed from the Niger Delta and the headquarters sited in the region.
He asked: “Will a ministry solve the problem of the Niger Delta? This is the fundamental question that should agitate the minds of the people. There is ministry of education, which is in decay. There is the ministry of health with a collapsed infrastructure. It is wrong for us to think that a ministry will solve our problem. Is it not another job for the politicians and the boys?”
For Chief Bekinbo Soberekon the ministry should be sited in Abuja since all other ministries are located in the nation’s capital. He said: “To be honest, all other ministries are in Abuja and we are operating a pseudo-federal system where the Federal Government is the caretaker, though one would wish to see a level of decentralisation of the government agencies.”
The business mogul turned-politician said that the two ministers for the ministry should come from Rivers State, Bayelsa State or Delta State because they are the states that produce the largest oil output.
On claims that other oil-producing states were complaining of marganalisation, the Kalabari chief said: “The truth remains that those states I mentioned are the ones suffering the environmental degradation and other hardships despite the fact they were producing most of the oil.” While commending Yar’Adua for the bold steps in solving the problem of the region, Soberekon said appointing ministers from the states would solve the problem of youth restiveness and militia because a minister from that region would know how to relate with them.
Governor of Delta State Emmanuel Uduaghan, congratulated Yar’Adua for his bold initiative in setting up the Ministry to tackle the challenges of the region.
“The step by the President demonstrates his seriousness to tackle this challenges in a meaningful and co-ordinated manner and I would urge our people to support it. As a first step, it is extremely positive, although I wish to note there are larger issues in the region that would require constitutional amendment, but the President has shown leadership by the action he has taken.
“The benefits of having this ministry are such that issues of policy and programme for the region can now be discussed at the highest policy making level of the Federal Government and close attention paid to them. I do believe that had this ministry existed before now, a strategic road like the N150 billion East-West Highway for instance, would have received proper funding that would have in all likelihood scaled up its budgetary provisions far above the present ridiculous figure in the 2008 budget provision,” he said.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Usman Bayero Nafada, also commended President Yar’Adau over the creation of the ministry and appealed to militants to sheathe their sword.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja, he said that the measure is an indication of the determination of the Federal Government to find lasting solution to the crises in the area, and urged the people to co-operate with government for the success of the ministry.
All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) also described the creation of the ministry as a welcome development.
In a statement yesterday, the party’s publicity secretary, Mr. Emma Eneukwu said the ministry would facilitate the rapid development of the region.
“Going by this new agenda, the people of the region are completely carried along and their demands or opinions will be heard immediately, as the Federal Government will be closer to the people. And that is true democracy.”
“Let the key positions in the ministry be handled by dedicated and determined personnel, that share the same view with the President that have the same focus, ideas and are determined to serve the country diligently, They must be competent enough to work with him as a team to achieve the desired result. If the key positions are left in the hands of mediocres and sycophants, then the whole exercise will become a jamboree, waste of time and fund,” he said.