President Bola Tinubu has reportedly scrapped the Ministry of Niger Delta, as it duplicates the functions of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). According to government sources, all the responsibilities of the ministry will now be transferred to the NDDC.
“Tinubu has scrapped the Ministry of Niger Delta. It was done because there is the Niger Delta Development Commission so it is like they are duplicating efforts. Now, all works done by the Ministry of Niger Delta will be moved to the NDDC,” one of the sources said.
On Wednesday, President Tinubu disclosed a list of his ministers and their respective portfolios. In addition to this, he introduced new ministries while making changes to the names of some existing ones.
The Ministry of Environment And Ecological Management, Ministry of Marine And Blue Economy, Ministry of Health And Social Welfare, Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, and the Ministry of Gas Resources have all undergone modifications. Furthermore, the Ministry Of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, formerly known as Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, has also been established. The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has been renamed as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and will be spearheaded by Betta Edu.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development had been split into two —Ministry of Youth and Ministry of Sports Development.
In May, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu called on President Tinubu to scrap the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
He described the works of the ministry as a duplication of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
“Some of the ministries and parastatals that are no longer viable like the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and some other ministries that are not viable should be scrapped.
We have the Niger Delta Development Commission like we have the North East Development Commission. So the Ministry of Niger Delta should be scrapped,” he said.
