"I willingly resigned to join politics, not sacked" - Orubebe

Following the media publicity that the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, was sacked by President Goodluck Jonathan, the former minister has said he willingly resigned.

Addressing newsmen at a handing over ceremony on Thursday, Orubebe said his resignation was as a result of his political interest at the national and state levels.

He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, I was not dropped, and I was not sacked. I put in my letter of resignation because I want to go and play politics both at the national level at another dimension and in Delta State at another dimension.”

Orubebe, who was appointed a by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2010, had been steering the affairs of the ministry until February12.

It will be recalled that Orubebe was at different times a local government councillor, local government chairman, Minister of Special Duties, Supervising Minister of National Planning, Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

Speaking on the experiences he had gathered in politics and civil service, Orubebe said, “I want to offload these to the services of my people because I don’t want to go just like that without giving back what God has given to me.”

He said that the ministry embarked on the construction of nine skills centres, adding that the one in Bayelsa would be commissioned by April and it would train youths in oil and gas and maritime activities.

He also said that the slow completion of the entire skills acquisition centres was as a result of diversion of funds of the ministry to the completion of the East/West Road, stressing that they would be completed as soon as fund was made available.