By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, said on Thursday that President Bola Tinubu has assured him that he would sign the bill for the creation of South/South Development Commission into Law.
Abbas said Tinubu revealed his plans to him in confidence during a meeting with him.
The speaker said this during a plenary session on Thursday where he abruptly interrupted a motion seeking to restore the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Development Affairs sponsored by Hon. Oboku Oforji (PDP-Bayelsa).
He told the House that he got the President’s assurances over the bill in a meeting, saying that the motion had been overtaken by events.
The Majority Leader of the House, Rep. Julius Ihonvbere (APC-Edo) said that the issues contained in the motion were germane.
He, however, said that the conversion of the Niger Delta Affairs Ministry to that of Ministry of Regional Development will not in any way deny the Niger Delta region of its due development.
According to him, it will reduce its impact in the region, but it has only broadened its scope to develop other regions.
It would be recalled that Tinubu had on Oct. 24, scrapped the ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and replaced it with the Ministry of Regional Development.
The change expanded the mandate of the new ministry to encompass developmental activities in all the six geo-political zones in the country.
Recall that Tinubu had last week scrapped the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta at the same time he announced the sack of some ministers and their replacements.
The move attracted reactions from some notable Nigerians from the South/South region. Prominent among those who condemned the decision was elder statesman, and first Republic politician, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark.
The nonagenarian accused Tinubu of taking unilateral decision stressing that he ought to have carried out stakeholders consultation prior to the announcement.
