Ndi Umunneochi,
On this anniversary of our two years in office, I want to thank you all again for trusting us with your sacred mandate to represent our great people at the state House of Assembly. As I had pledged during the campaign – which social contract I hereby renew – ours is a fresh approach to representation whose polar guide is “Umunneochi First” in carrying out our three-pronged legislative duty. This understanding is in keeping with our campaign slogan of “People First.”
On assumption, we put our hands to the plough and have not relented inspite of systemic bottlenecks and unique challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. My view is that, leadership, no matter how tough always requires those in positions of trust to rise up always and meet the urgencies of the moment instead of complaining and bickering.
We have intervened in multiple ways to attempt to solve the myriad of problems facing Ndi Umunneochi. First, I have always believed and I do now with every sense of duty that at this special period in the 21st century, electrical energy being the bedrock of all infrastructure should no longer be a discussion. Sadly, sub-Saharan Africa, nay, Nigeria is still bedeviled with epileptic power supply. To meet this challenge, I immediately introduced HAB-12 – a bill intended to chart a new energy policy for Abia State and to truly privatize the energy sector and do what we did in the telecoms by truly liberating the energy sector in our dear state. I believe in this bill with every fiber of my being and I am bold to announce that it is nearing passage having cleared all committee and other legislative benchmark scrutiny. The benefits that will inure from passage of HAB-12 into law is endless and Umunneochi will be a chief beneficiary as some of us with corporate tentacles will immediately swing into action and ensure our dear constituency gets fully energized.
We have equally intervened in another major infrastructure deficit area – road rehabilitation. Through the Hon. Okey Igwe Annual Road Rehabilitation Scheme, we have done multiple and strategic roads requiring urgent attention. As is expected, our people in areas not touched yet are crying for attention. Help is on the way for sure.
We have built new schools and rehabilitated debilitating ones in collaboration with ASUBEB. We have reached out to our widows on a monthly basis through our Indigent Widows’ Support Initiative – as pledged, this scheme will run throughout our stay in office. We have provided needed support and palliative during the biting period of the Covid-19 pandemic to our people. I wish use this opportunity to call on our people to get out and get a shot of the vaccine in their arms and together we can all beat back the scourge of the pandemic. On a daily basis, I continue to provide moral and financial support to those with special needs especially those in hospital.
Our ongoing electricity energization scheme continues to collaborate with communities to provide electricity within the limits of our resources. Agriculture is dear to our heart as the main panacea to getting out of the hole we have dug our selves into. To this end, we have encouraged farmers through provision of fertilizers and other needed gadgets. The clarion call remains for all to get back to land. I personally planted 300 tubers last season and have tripled the effort this season. The first instruction from God to man was to till the ground – doesn’t get any better and resourceful than farming.
Finally, we are on the legislative plough still and will not relent. I am not unmindful of the fact that much work needs to be done. I am going to pay special attention to our youth and our great party PDP and our structure CFC in the final two years. Stay patient with me and as always: It shall be well with Umunneochi.
Hon. Okey Igwe, Esq.
Member Umunneochi State Constituency
Abia State House of Assembly
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