Akpabio: We'll Ensure N'Delta Development *Ahmed urges staff to redouble effort

The newly appointed Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and his counterpart, Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Festus Keyamo, resumed work at the ministry soon after the swearing-in yesterday by President Muhammadu Buhari, promising to take  the development of the region to an enviable height.

The assurance came just as the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, urged the staff of the ministry to redouble their efforts in order to help attain the ministry's objectives.

Akpabio, Keyamo, and Ahmed spoke at their respective ministries as they resumed duties after they were sworn in by President Buhari.

At the reception organised by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, and management staff, on Wednesday in Abuja, the Akpabio and Keysmo expressed their readiness to urgently address the developmental needs of the Niger Delta region.

In a statement issued by Head, Press and Public Relations Unit, Deworitshe Patricia, Akpabio said being from the Niger Delta region, it behooves on him to take the developmental challenges more seriously, hence, the issues of capacity building, inadequate infrastructure, poverty alleviation, youth restiveness, entrepreneurship, environmental degradation, among others, will be tackled head-on as he was not unaware of how these challenges negatively affected people of the region. 

He pledged to work harmoniously with his counterpart to ensure that they live up to the expectations of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The minister added that he loved leaving marks anywhere he worked and called on staff and management of the Ministry to ‘put all hands on deck to ensure that our developmental efforts yield fruits’.

In his remarks, the Minister of State, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, thanked staff of the Ministry for the warm reception accorded them and pledged to give his best in boosting the confidence reposed in him through his appointment. He expressed his eagerness to get to work.

Also speaking, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, who arrived at the ministry headquarters around 2:45p.m. urged the staff to redouble their efforts.

She said: "We got these new assignments because of the quality of work we have been doing, I didn't do the work you did. The Ministry of Finance has one of the best civil servants. We have been remerged with the Ministry of Budget and National Planning. It's a very big responsibility that has been given to us.

"And you know our nation is facing the crisis, or near fiscal crisis. It's up to us to make sure it is arrested, that we don't slip into a crisis. We have been growing for eight consecutive quarters, our revenues have boomed but there's still a 55 per cent shortfall of what is projected. We still have to pay salaries, debts and also we have to operate on a daily basis for the sustainable growth of our economy.

"The whole of this responsibility lies on your shoulders as permanent secretaries, directors, and staff of the Ministry of Finance , Budget, and National Planning. I want to urge you that the good work you have done in the past should be redoubled because the task is now double.

"We will be reaching out to our sisters in budget and national planning. Where there are gaps, we will fix them and we will make some changes to make sure we work better together," she said.