Minister Abubakar Momoh clears air on rumoured scrapping of NDDC

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Minister Abubakar Momoh clears air on rumoured scrapping of NDDC

Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, has cleared the air over the fears that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been scrapped.

Following the creation of the new Ministry of Regional Development by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, there were rumors that the popular NDDC is no longer in existence.

It was recalled that President Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) announced the scrapping of the Niger Delta Ministry and the Ministry of Sports Development.

Momoh, who was in charge of the Ministry of Niger Delta, is also to superintend over the Ministry of Regional Development, which will incorporate other regional development commissions such as the South East Development Commission (SEDC) and North East Development Commission (NEDC).

Addressing the press, Momoh emphasized that the NDDC has not been scrapped and is very much in place.

“It becomes necessary to give further clarification… so that people over there will not misconstrue what has been done. First, by the name and nomenclature, Niger Delta is just within the nine states of the region.

“Today, you’re all aware that regional development commissions like the North East, South East, and some others that are coming up are already in place. So, there must be a ministry to supervise all these agencies.

“So the President decided that all these agencies be brought under the erstwhile Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, which has been redesignated as the Ministry of Regional Development.

“For our people over there in the Niger Delta region, I want them to know that this has not removed anything from them.

“The NDDC is still very much in place, now under the Ministry of Regional Development, along with other regional agencies. It’s simply a change in nomenclature.

“That is what has been done. I wouldn’t want anybody in that region to begin to feel that it has been scrapped and is no longer in existence; all the structures and everything about the Niger Delta remain. It’s just a change of nomenclature and expansion of activities of the ministry.”