The Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, has said that the people of the Niger Delta will support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election, citing the administration’s development interventions and reforms.
Momoh stated this while speaking at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Partners for Sustainable Development Conference, themed “Synergy for Transformation”, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He noted that the administration had done a lot for the region, pointing to the ongoing construction of the Ka-Ataba Bridge, which he said would be known as the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Bridge.
The Minister mentioned that the 1.2-kilometre bridge would connect communities across a major river, adding that he had instructed that the bridge should be solar-powered when completed to enable residents travelling between the communities to do so at night.
Momoh also appealed to traditional rulers to communicate the administration’s message to their respective domains, while expressing confidence that the region would support Tinubu in 2027.
“I’m sure that as long as we are committed to ensure that by 2027, all our people back home will be for the President,” he said.
He also asked the gathering: “Is there any person who will not vote for our president?”
The Minister attributed the anticipated support to the reforms being undertaken by the administration, acknowledging that some of the measures had introduced hardship.
“Everything that wants to be good, there must be some kind of temporary discomfort. But with time, things will get better,” he remarked.
Momoh called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, the private sector, development partners, traditional communities, and other stakeholders to achieve sustainable development in the Niger Delta.
He argued that no single institution could resolve the region’s complex development challenges alone, stressing that partnerships should be built around measurable outcomes.
According to him, every partnership promoted through the forum should clearly identify the problem to be addressed, the communities to be served, the contributions expected from each partner, the timeline for delivery, and how progress would be independently assessed.
Momoh equally explained that the emerging national policy on regional development was intended to provide a coherent framework for the work of regional development commissions, strengthen coordination among institutions, and ensure that interventions align with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He described the Niger Delta as a region with enormous potential, citing its youthful population, natural resources, strategic coastline, biodiversity, and commercial centres.
Momoh further affirmed that the region faces environmental pressures, infrastructure gaps, unemployment, poverty, and climate-related risks.
He urged stakeholders to move beyond ceremonial declarations and pursue coordinated programmes and investments that would deliver visible improvements across the region.
