The abandoned Uwa Junction-Urua Edet Obo-Nto Edino Road with a bridge in Essien Udim and Obot Akara Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State has received attention of the House of Representatives.
Speaking at the Conference of Online Publishers in Akwa Ibom State (COOPA) chat series on Thursday in Uyo, Dr. Patrick Umoh, a member representing Ikot Ekpene-Essien Udim-Obot Akara Federal Constituency, said the road awarded by Niger Delta Development Commission would be constructed during his tenure of office.
Umoh said NDDC awarded contract for the construction of the road with a bridge across a river which takes a five-minute drive to Nto Edino, the headquarters of Obot Akara, but later abandoned it.
“That road connects over 40 communities, schools, and businesses, playing a crucial role in the daily lives of our people.
“It is troubling that this project, awarded in 2021, has been abandoned due to insufficient funding, causing unimaginable hardships for the people, so it is an essential road,” he stated.
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Recall that the Federal Lawmaker justified this in his recent Motion of urgent importance on the floor of the House when the matter was referred to Committee on NDDC in the house for investigation and action, calling on the Federal Government to expedite action in completing the road.
The Chairman of Monitoring and Evaluation Committee in the House stated that though NDDC has a budget of N18 billion for roads in the 2024 financial year, it could not accommodate construction of the road with a bridge.
Assuring to alleviate the plights of his constituents caused by the abandoned road, he reiterated his determination to ensuring the Federal Government complete it soon.
On reported skirmishes between herdsmen and farmers in Akwa Ibom State, he frowned at the gross trespass of herders on people’s farmlands in Essien Udim and other parts of the state, describing the act as sheer wickedness and a waste of people’s painstaking efforts.
“The issue of open grazing is a serious concern because it undermines the efforts of our farmers and is a palpable cause of communal conflict”, he stated.
Sharing his personal experience and encounter with the situation, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Legislation said it was unlawful, unfair and unjust for cows to be carelessly allowed to graze on farms meant for subsistence or commercial use.
He, however, acknowledged sadly that most of the cattle herds in the State are owned by people of the state and called on such owners to be more conscientious.
“Even the Bible says we should do to others what we want them to do to us, and its vice-versa. So our people should be more conscientious”, he appealed.
The Knight of Saint John International who validated the impact of the harsh economy on his constituents and Nigerians at large said he was doing his bid to salvage the unsavory situation, beyond making cases for them at the Green Chambers.
He announced that he has facilitated permanent employment in the Federal Civil Service and other agencies for five of his constituents, while others including People Living with Disabilities are being empowered regularly with vocational and soft skills for self-reliance.
”On the first day of March 2024, I engaged with family heads and youth leaders in his constituency where he gave out 510 bags of rice and N2.3 million to People Living with Disabilities.”
This was followed by a similar gesture by the Lawmaker during the Yuletide period, where 300 bags of rice, three cows, and the sum of N4 million were distributed among party stakeholders and the women.
He also awarded a million-naira business grant to Ntiufan Multipurpose Cooperative to enhance their business/loan capital and improve their stance as a Cooperative.
On the endemic corruption in the country, the former University of Uyo senior lecturer said it misplacement for people to always blame politicians for committing corruption, whereas more bureaucrats and International oil companies in the system commit more corrupt practices.
Commenting on budget padding, Umoh denied knowledge of the padding by the Federal lawmakers in the country, explaining that it the duty of the executive to send budget to the legislators for passage into law.
”The National Assembly has powers to tinker with the budget depending on the circumstances. Is this budget padding? I doubt because it part of our duty to add or substract figures to fit into what the people wan,” he explained.
The legal luminary used the forum to urge the media to play a pivotal role in raising awareness and reorienting the public’s mindset away from entitlement towards productive and meaningful engagements.
The parliamentarian used the opportunity to express his gratitude to Senator Godswill Akpabio, the President of the Senate, whom he referred to as his political leader. He acknowledged the pivotal roles played by the former Akwa Ibom Governor in shaping his career, leading to his current position as a member of parliament.
“We must commend Mr. President for the many bold steps to reposition Nigeria, including macroeconomics, the removal of fuel subsidies, foreign exchange policies, and so on. Indeed, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the kind of President we want for this country,” he noted.
