Atiku: Why Niger Delta ministry should not be in Abuja

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says he plans to move the ministry of Niger Delta affairs from the federal capital territory (FCT) to the Niger Delta.

Abubakar spoke on Friday at a meeting with business groups in Abuja.

The former vice-president said the ministry was established to ensure the development of the Niger Delta, hence it should be in the region.

“The ministry should be situated in the Niger Delta,” he said.

“Whether it is Port Harcourt or any other place, the responsibility is to develop the infrastructure and human capital and so on of the Niger Delta.

“What has happened since the ministry of the Niger Delta was created? Billions of monies have been allocated to it. Where are the monies going? Into pockets?

“If I am elected, the ministry of Niger Delta will be in the Niger Delta.”

Abubakar asked Nigerians to vote for the PDP because it has done better in governance than the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“You have tasted PDP. You said you wanted change. You voted for change and you have seen what the change brought for you,” he said.

“Poverty, insecurity, it is clear there is a record for you to look at. So, if your choice is based on patriotism and performance of a given government, you know that you cannot compare PDP with APC.”

The former vice-president also said he will work to ensure that the ECOWAS monitoring group (ECOMOG) is restored to tackle insecurity in the West African region.

“I have visited some West African countries in the last few months. What I told them is Nigeria will be back,” he said.

“Nigeria has been retreating in the past seven years. Did you hear about Nigeria again in the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS)?

“I told those presidents that I will bring back ECOMOG. I will ensure multinational forces to ensure regional security, peace, and stability so that we can all deal with this insecurity decisively.”