SPOTLIGHT ON IKOT EKPENE SENATORIAL DISTRICT CONSTITUENCY BRIEFING AND UNCOMMON EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME BY THE SENATE MINORITY LEADER, HIS EXCELLENCY, SENATOR GODSWILL AKPABIO, CON ON JULY 6, 2017 AT IKOT EKPENE TOWNSHIP STADIUM
As the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District and indeed Akwa Ibom State gear up to witness what has been described as the mother of all constituency briefings, the concept of effective representation again rears itself for evaluation and consideration.
His Excellency, Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON, the Senate Monitory Leader representing Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial district is meeting his constituents with his mid-term report card having spent two years in the Senate.
The event which is billed for July 6, 2017 at Ikot Ekpene Township Stadium, is expected to have in attendance the executive governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, the deputy governor, His Excellency, Mr. Moses Ekpo, an indigene of the Senatorial District who is to chair the event, top government functionaries, members of the political class, youths and youth groups, women, socio-cultural organizations, political associations, non-governmental organizations and other sundry groups.
Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District has four federal constituencies, ten local government areas and 106 wards. Senator Godswill Akpabio has been innovative in ensuring that his representation brings the greatest good to the greatest number. This is unequivocal when one examines his mid-term report as well as other prospects that his representation portends.
The use of the expression, “Uncommon empowerment” in the invitation is certainly not idle. The consideration of education as premium in the empowerment plan lends credence to Senator Akpabio’s acknowledgement that education is the key that unlocks the development potential of any individual. And unless a man is mentally equipped to develop himself, he cannot contribute in the development of a society.
In pursuing this development agenda, His Excellency, Senator Godswill Akpabio has instituted a robust full scholarship scheme of two persons from each of the ten local government areas of the Senatorial District, totaling 20. Suffice it to say that the 20 were produced through a competitive examination that had 106 participants. He is also providing bursary to 212 students across the 106 wards of the Senatorial District. Two students were painstakingly selected from each ward.
Distinguished Senator Akpabio’s achievements as a Senator these past two years are difficult to capture and compress into one treatise of the mould of this spotlight. His zeal for service is manifestly seen in the surfeit of things achieved in such a short duration. Indeed, he has set new benchmarks and challenged other members of the legislature that persistently whine over what they construe as limitation that trail that arm of government. Senator Akpabio has come to prove that you can still perform from there. And that once a performer, always a performer.
In the sponsorship of Bills, Distinguished Senator Akpabio has discharged his responsibility creditably. He sponsored the Bill for the establishment of Federal Polytechnic, Ukana. He also sponsored the Bill for the upgrading of Maritime Academy, Oron to Maritime University. The Bills are at various stages of deliberation in the National Assembly. Senator Akpabio has sponsored several motions including the continued voters’ registration exercise on a continuing and permanent basis in respect of polling units until all prospective registrants are registered.
Distinguished Senator Akpabio’s determination to empower Akwa Ibom people has also been eloquent in his facilitation of employment for hundreds of indigenes of the state into the Federal Civil Service. He has also facilitated the training of over 400 youths and women in entrepreneurship through Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency, SMEDAN and National Directorate of Employment, NDE. The trained persons are to be the beneficiaries of the empowerment tools that are to be distributed.
In the area of constituency projects, Senator Akpabio has made unalterable mark with such projects spread all over the local governments of North West Senatorial district. It is pertinent to isolate them for identification especially the peculiar ones and to state that projects like market stalls, solar powered boreholes and rehabilitation of classroom blocks and supply of pupils’ desk, headmasters’ tables and chairs and white boards have been replicated in various sections of all the ten local government areas.
In Essien Udim Local Government Area, for instance, the constituency projects include: the construction of open market stalls at Urua Akpan at Afaha; Solar Powered Borehole at Ukana Nsasak Village Square, Ukana East; Rehabilitation of 3 Classroom Blocks and supply of pupils’ desks, one headmaster’s table and chair and three white boards at Government Primary School, Ikot Ndem. There is also the construction of Skills Acquisition/Sports’ Recreational Facility with borehole and water treatment plant at the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana Ikot Ntuen. The local government also has a flood and erosion control project at Ikot Ekefre, Nto Ubiam Road. There is the construction of Model Health Centre at Ikpe Ikot Akpan, followed with the supply of medical equipment and accessories to Cottage Hospital, Ukana Ikot Ntuen
In Ika Local Government Area, the constituency projects include the construction of open market stall at Ikot Osukpong; Solar powered borehole at Ikot Inyang Udo Village; Rehabilitation of 3 classroom blocks and supply of 60 pupils’ desk, one headmaster’s table and chair and three white boards at Primary school, Ikot Ntia.
In Oruk Anam Local Government Area, Senator Akpabio expanded the scope of the constituency gesture. Apart from replicating what can be said to be routine projects, he has also constructed a Town Hall with borehole, overhead tank and donated a 6.5 KVA generator in Ikot Ekpuk in fulfillment of a promise he made during the burial of His Excellency, Chief (Senator) Donald Dick Etiebet, one time governor of old Cross River State. As stated earlier, all the local government areas that make up North West Senatorial District can boast of these routine projects.
Empowerment items ready to be doled out on July 6, 2017 are mouth watering. They include: 30 vehicles, 100 computers and accessories, 800 generating sets for small scale businesses, 4 tractors to each of the federal constituencies, tricycles and sewing machines. Beneficiaries would leverage on these worthy gestures to evolve a life of self reliance.
There is no disputing the fact that Senator Godswill Akpabio has given Akwa Ibom people a voice and a place in the Red Chamber and made the state salient in national discourse. As he himself once stated: “My people have seen that I have been able to lend my voice to nation building and that is why they sent me to Abuja. I have also been able to protect their interest in the sense that the things that ought to go for them have also gone to them. My people wanted to have a voice in the making of a new Nigeria, in strengthening Nigeria. They wanted to have a voice in nation building and that voice they hear on a daily basis through my representation”
And so as he steps out today to further his act of goodness and extension of goodwill soused in his insatiable quest to put smiles on the faces of those whose hopes once tottered on the precipice of despair, may we join our voices in prayers to say God bless this SPECIAL ONE who has wrought a difference in the lives of many.
Congratulations Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, CON.
Joe Iniodu from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District is a public affairs commentator
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