In 2015, my friend, a retired federal Permanent Secretary, Dr. Goke Adegoroye from Akure Oloyemekun in Ondo State wrote a book titled “RESTORING GOOD GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA”. The book is well researched and a guide to good governance in this country. Adegoroye was director general of Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) between 1996-1998). He became director of Special Duties in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation between 1999 and 2005. Adegoroye was appointed Director General to head the Bureau of Civil Service Reforms by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005.

On page 219 of that book, he wrote “flowing from the argument above, it would also become necessary to take a second look at the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, in view of the mandate of the super-agency Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The current situation in the North East of Nigeria makes it imperative to review the establishment of the ministry. Otherwise, are we going to create a similar ministry for the North East? Whatever the case, an agency to commence addressing the rehabilitation of the region appears to be something that we cannot run away from in the immediate term. However, it would be appropriate to recognise that, apart from the resource derivation angle of the Niger Delta region, the root causes of the issues in the two regions are related and derive from youth restiveness, which must be comprehensively addressed as a national issue.”

Nine years after the publication of Adegoroye’s book, the Ministry of Niger Delta was scrapped and renamed Ministry of Regional Development incorporating all regional development bodies such as North East, North West and other development commissions.
Details for the establishment of that Ministry are still being worked out.

The Ministry of Niger Delta Development was created in December 2008 by President Musa Umaru Yar’adua (August 16, 1951- May 5, 2010). The pioneer minister of that Ministry was my late boss, Chief Ufot Ekaette (1939-2019), who served as Secretary of the Government of the Federation between May 29, 1999 and May 28, 2007.

In creating the Ministry at that time, President Yar’adua explained then that the Ministry would have a Minister in charge of the development of Niger Delta area, and a Minister of State in charge of youth empowerment. The existing Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was to become a parastatal under the ministry. Yar’Adua said that the Ministry would coordinate efforts to tackle the challenges of infrastructural development, environment protection and youth empowerment in the Niger Delta.

In November 2009, Yar’ Adua allocated N64 billion to the Niger Delta ministry for its 2010 budget. Defending the proposed budget in December 2009 before the Senate Committee on Niger Delta, chaired by Senator James Manager, Obong Uffot Ekaette explained that the ministry had difficulties achieving targets in 2009 because the N19.5 billion allocated for its projects was unevenly spread.

Ekaette was from Ikot Edor, Onna Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State and I served under him for eight years. He was an Ibibio and a hardworking public servant, the like of which are not common in the public service today. As they say, once in government, always in government. It may be by coincidence that Adegoroye’s suggestion is being implemented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I have toured many parts of Niger Delta. Any time I am in that region, I am full of pity. Pollution is not only destroying their lives but making lives unbearable. One needs to be there.

In most parts of Niger Delta, because of oil pollution and other environmental problems, you are only lucky to be above 50. Almost every Nigerian leader had attempted to ameliorate the problems of the people of Niger Delta.

The current President’s action could be interpreted to mean that there is nothing special about Niger Delta after all. That would be very unfortunate.

Before and after independence, Niger Delta has always been a special area. In fact, agitations from that region had always impacted on the government of Nigeria. As we all know in 1957, the minority question in the Eastern Region of Nigeria and other parts of the country came to the front burner and culminated in the appointment of the Willink’s Minority Commission by the British colonial government to enquire into the fears of the ethnic minorities and the means of allaying them. Although the commission did not recommend the creation of states as strongly advocated by the minority ethnic groups, especially the Ibibio, the Ijaws, the Calabars and the Urhobos, it, however, accepted the fact that genuine fear of domination existed among the minorities. The sitting of the Commission was to demand for the creation of Calabar-Ogoja-Rivers (COR) State, in a bid to bring succor to the marginalised minorities.

At the 1957 Constitutional Conference held in London, the leaders of the COR State Movement held a private meeting with the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Mr. Lennox Boyd. Also present at the meeting were, the then Governor-General of Nigeria, Sir James Robertson as well as the Governor of the Eastern Region of Nigeria, Sir John Stapledon. The Secretary of State for the Colonies assured the COR State advocates of the sympathy of the Colonial Office on the issue of the creation of states. Eventually, at the Conference, the decision to set up the Minorities’ Commission of Enquiry to look into the fears of the minorities and the means of allaying such fears, including the exercise of the creation of states, was reached.

Sir Henry Willink was named as the chairman of the Commission. Other members of the Commission were, Gordon Hadow, Philip Mason, J.S. Shearer and K.J. Hilton, who served as the Secretary. On the 26th of September, 1957, the Commission was inaugurated with the following terms of reference: 1. to ascertain the factors about the fears of minorities in any part of Nigeria and to propose means of allaying those fears, whether well or ill-founded; 2. to advise what safeguards should be included for the purpose in the constitution of Nigeria; 3. If, but only if, no other solution seems to the Commission to meet the case, then as a last resort to make detailed recommendations for the creation of one or more new states, and in that case: a) to specify the precise areas to be included in such state or states; b) to recommend the governmental and administrative structure most appropriate for it; and c) to assess whether any state recommended would be viable from an economic and administrative point of view and what the effect of its creation would be on the region or regions from which it would be created and on the federation. 4. to report its findings and recommendations to the Secretary of State for the Colonies. The Commission began its work in November 1957. Its sittings were held in all parts of the country and sat in Calabar for seven days in January 1958.

To be continued tomorrow.

Teniola is a former director in the Presidency.