Scrapping Ministry of Niger Delta terribly wrong – Ann-Kio Briggs

Human rights activist, Ann-Kio Briggs has faulted the scrapping of the Ministry of Niger Delta by President Bola Tinubu.

DAILY POST reports that Tinubu has in October scrapped the Ministry of Niger Delta.

The Ministry of Regional Development was created to oversee all development commissions, including the Niger Delta Development Commission, South-West Development Commission, North-West Development Commission, North-East Development Commission and the South-East Development Commission.

Commenting on the development on Channels TV on Friday, Briggs, an environmentalist, said the scrapping of Niger Delta ministry was wrong.

She insisted that the Ministry was created for a purpose.

“The Ministry of Niger Delta was created by the late (President Umaru) Yar’Adua. There was a reason for the creation.

“So they just removed it because the President was advised. I want to believe that he was advised because if he did it by himself that would be terribly wrong.

“But that’s not going to be the solution because who is going to fund the commissions? Is it the regions because it is called the Regional Development Ministry? Is it the states in the regions?

“What are the regions because we don’t work with regions right now; we are working with geopolitical zones.

“So, I was lost when I heard regions. Are we going back to regionalism? If we are, we have to discuss it, the President can’t decide on his own to restructure Nigeria.

“If we are restructuring Nigeria, the President alone can’t restructure Nigeria, he has to take my opinion and your opinion into consideration,” Briggs stated.

The activist described the NDDC as an Automated Teller Machine, ATM, for failed politicians.

Scrapping Ministry of Niger Delta terribly wrong – Ann-Kio Briggs