The federal government has warned that the Mknistry of Regional Development can not be ministry for settlement, adding that any head Ministry’s department or agencies performing below expectations appointment would be revoked.
The Minister for Regional Development, Engr Abubakar Momoh, stated this at the commencement of the second edition of Ministerial Briefing Session that featured the Ministries of Livestock Development, and also said the ministry’s will not condone any form of corruption as it main focus is on actualizing President Tinubu’s mandate.
The Minister highlighted the achievements of the Niger Delta Development Commission, noting that the commission has empowered 450 youths and resumed work on abandoned projects in the region.
He also revealed that his Ministry is equally putting all necessary supervision in place as a measure geared towards ensuring development commissions deliver on their mandates.
The Minister of State for Regional Development, Uba Maigari Ahmadu, in a similar vain, expressed satisfaction with the projects executed by the North East Development Commission in Borno State.
While also noting that has relative peace is being enjoyed in the Niger Delta region as a result of the giant strides being undertaking by the Niger Delta Development Commission, which has not only empowered 450 youths with N250,000 starter parks but also resumed work on abandoned projects scattered all over the region by the previous administrations.
“The Ministry can’t be ministry for settlement. The whole money you are hearing is in the ministry of regional developmen. They are domicile in those commissions, and in those commissions, you have a management team, and we have a board. There are going to be a lot of checks and balances. That is where we are coming, as supervisory ministers.Thank God they are going to grow up with us.
“There will be no room for any settlements. So, if you know in the past, there are any agencies that have been serving. I have made it clear to them that those that we have inaugurated so far, that, in fact, we read the riot chart. If you don’t perform, if you do not go according to the mandate given to you, and in line with the vision of Mr. President, it means your job is gone.
“We will not hesitate to recommend the revocation of your appointment to Mr. President.So, for that purpose, I do not see any of this regional commission that will be a settlement agency. Because all eyes are on them, and we expect them to perform. So, if the Minister of State has anything to add to that, I think you are free to make a comment.”
The Minister, while speaking on his own area of supervision, which includes the North East, North West, and North Central, said the ministry had no reason to fail Nigerians as he was determined to actualise the goal of President Bola Tinubu. This is as he expressed satisfaction with what the North East Development Commission is doing.
“We just got back to Abuja on Wednesday from a road trip we took, designed specifically to follow the money. We went alongside journalists, your colleagues, to all major project sites in Borno State.We started from Borno for a purpose, because we believe being the epicenter of the insurgency and the reason why the commission was created in the first place. We went there to see what they have been able to do.
” In the six year, they have been running the commission. And I make bold to say that we are satisfied.
“Under our watch, we went to see roads. Some of you would have forgotten Zabarmari, where many farmers were slaughtered by the insurgents about three years ago. Mr. President graciously approved and built a road directly connecting the farming communities.You will be marvelled to see the quality of work and how that area has been transformed in two years. It’s there for you to verify. From Mungom, where there are 1,000 housing projects standing, commissioned, funded by NEDC, we went also to see the Jere Bowl, which has been opened up for irrigation and many other farming activities.You see livestock well-fed, cocooned in one environment, with security manned by soldiers. Those are the kind of projects the NEDC is executing. The National Bond Centre at the University of MeduguriTeaching Hospital is one other project that is there.We also visited a farmer-grade drug schooling store funded by the NEDC. The NEDC also bought world-class dredgers from China to dredge canals and waterways around the Lecha region to make farming and open up the waterways for irrigation easier.
“Those are just a few of some of the projects we are doing. It is your responsibility as journalists to also follow the projects to confirm and make sure that we are working tirelessly to make sure that we deliver on the promises Mr. President made to the nation. And there will be no mistakes, no missing of the road on delivering of the mandate on Mr. President’s Renewed Hope agenda.”
For his part, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, announced plans to remodel all abattoirs across Nigeria and connect them to ranches to curb disease transmission and maintain high standards in meat processing.
According to him, the ministry plans to quadruple the value of livestock from $32 billion to $78 billion within the next five years.
Adding that the ministry is establishing a National Livestock Identification and Traceability System (NLITS) to provide accurate data on the national livestock population, support disease monitoring, and facilitate compliance with international trade regulations as a measure of achieving the value.
Other initiatives, as highlighted by the Ministrr Livestock Development, include improving livestock security through the tagging of livestock, particularly cattle, and revitalizing the dairy value chain by implementing the National Dairy Policy 2023-2028.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, earlier in his welc9me address, commended the media for their dedication in covering the Ministerial Briefing Sessions, describing them as invaluable partners in informing Nigerians. He urged journalists to uphold accuracy and fairness in their reporting.
“It is my pleasure to welcome you to the second edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing Series. As you may recall, on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, I inaugurated this year’s series by highlighting key successes of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”
He noted that the Ministries of Livestock Development and Regional Development are the latest additions by President Tinubu, established to harness the vast potential of Nigeria’s livestock industry and to drive regional development across the six geo-political zones.
“These two ministries happen to be the newest in the country. The Ministry of Livestock Development was created in July 2024, to transform Nigeria’s multi-billion-dollar livestock potential into actual economic prosperity for Nigerians, while the Ministry of Regional Development was created in October 2024, to oversee the activities of the country’s regional development commissions. These two Ministers have since hit the ground running, and they are here today to shed more light on what they have been working on since the creation of their Ministries,” he said.
The Minister commended the media for their dedication in covering the Ministerial Briefing Sessions, describing them as invaluable partners in informing Nigerians. He urged journalists to uphold accuracy and fairness in their reporting.
“The media have remained invaluable partners in our stride to continue to update Nigerians on the laudable achievements of the Tinubu Administration. I urge the media to ensure that these briefings are reported with the utmost sense of fairness and accuracy. There should be no recourse to sensationalism in the reporting of government policies and programs. Criticisms and disagreements are welcome, in the spirit of democratic practice, but misinformation and disinformation should have no room whatsoever in public discourse,” he said.
Idris assured that the government will provide wide publicity for the briefing sessions across multiple media platforms to promote accountability and encourage public feedback.
He also said there would be subsequent Ministerial Briefing Series that will feature key government officials, who will provide regular updates on the administration’s progress in various sectors as they get featured.
