MEND Opposes New Ministry

Nigeria's most prominent militant group on Thursday criticized the creation of a new ministry dedicated to the problems of the oil-rich Niger Delta, saying it could lead to corruption.

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua announced changes to ministries on Wednesday that included the creation of a ministry for the Niger Delta and the separation of the energy ministry into petroleum and power.

"The people of the region should receive this latest dish with apprehension," the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said in a statement.

"It will be yet another avenue for corruption and political favouritism."

Yar'Adua, who took office 16 months ago, has been under pressure to bring stability to the delta. The MEND launched a campaign of violence in early 2006 that has shut a fifth of the OPEC member's oil output.

Nigeria's government set up a panel on Monday to look at how to bring peace to the Niger Delta but militants dismissed it as no more likely to succeed than past efforts.

A peace summit promised by Yar'Adua was shelved in July after a mediator organising the event resigned.

(Reuters)

Note: MEND's fears were exactly the thought I had when the FG announced formation of this new governmental entity. This is just one more layer of government bureacracy to be corrupted and will split bribe money and ill gotten gains even further than it is now. In my opinion, Yar'Adua has simply created another source of income in a country where corruption is the norm. Until Nigerians realize that to kill a snake you must cut off its head, the country will be ruled by increasingly greedy Medusa's and it will be the average citizen who continues to suffer.