BY AUSTIN OYIBODE, ASABA
Senator Ned Nwoko representing Delta North in the national assembly is a man with guts. Since Delta North began having representations at the national assembly, he remains the most vibrant and most determined to tread where others fear to tread. He is also the first to have championed the development of the region without looking for personal gain. Ned Nwoko, ordinarily could not be looking for personal interest as he is already made prior to becoming Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
His interest at the moment is the wellbeing of his constituents. He knows his job at the Senate. He knows he was elected to champion the cause of the Anioma people. And that he is well positioned to achieve. This he made clear during the Delta North Stakeholders Summit held at Grand Hotels a few weeks ago.
He made it clear that his pursuit of the Anioma state, one of his biggest projects, is not for him to be governor but he is seeking the good of the people he represents at the upper chamber of the national assembly. His actions, body movement, language, everything points to a man seeking the welfare of his people. That is true representation.
During his campaigns, this was his promise to the people of Delta North. One thing about Ned Nwoko is that he is well connected to powers. As such, anything he wants to do, he has the wherewithal to get it done. He knows that there are developmental issues in Delta North, hence his major pre-occupation in the national assembly is to address those challenges with how much strength he can surmount and reduce them within the period he will remain at the red chambers.
On the issue of Anioma state creation, Senator Ned Nwoko has crossed the rubicon and he cannot backtrack for any unforeseeable reason. He told the stakeholders who gathered at the Grand Hotels and Resort during the summit that he was not the one who started the move but he is hell-bent on actualizing the Anioma state.
He told the people all the efforts he has made and he is still making. He told the people his discussion with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He told them the assurances he has garnered and the possibility of the actualization of the Anioma state. He told them of the special committee of the national assembly which he is privileged to be a member and the discussions ongoing at the committee.
He told the people the plan of President Tinubu to create a state in each of the geo-political zones of the country. For him, therefore, considering the long years of struggle for the creation of Anioma state and with him now at the upper chamber, this will be the last move for the actualization of the Anioma state for the Anioma people.
He explained that the bill he put together has passed through first reading and after it has passed through second reading at the senate, a public hearing would be called and that stakeholders from Delta North would be mobilized to Abuja to participate in the public hearing at the national assembly. He revealed the multiple benefits that would accrue to the people of Anioma at the actualization of Anioma state.
For him, the benefits are innumerable. State creation will open opportunity for people who have never had access to government to be given opportunity for governance. Instead of one senator, three senators will emerge. Members of the House of Representatives will increase, so also the state house of assembly that will be exclusively for Anioma state. He added that development will be closer to the people at the grassroots.
Another thing that cannot be removed from Senator Ned Nwoko is that he has never failed in every of his move to achieve a pre-determined goal. As a man with deep pocket and his connection locally, nationally and globally, Ned Nwoko has achieved a lot of goals which may seem impossible for the feeble minded. He has a large heart that can accommodate whatever pressure and at the same time push forward to get his dreams achieved amidst all odds.
This was how he joined hands with others to pursue the Paris Club refunds for Nigeria which ran into billions of dollars. There were big obstacles on his way. Many stood against him. But he circumvented all of them and the entire nation, 36 states and the 774 local governments in Nigeria benefited from his move. It was a significant breakthrough for the Nigerian government. That is the man Ned Nwoko.
The name Senator Ned Nwoko rings bell across various strata of the nation. He has made much impact in lives of people before emerging Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is bent on continuing his humanitarian gesture with the objective of meeting needs of people and making people live comfortable lives. He has outlined series of programmes aimed at moving the senatorial district out of the woods.
Communities in Ndokwa land, especially Okpai area will be receiving the best attention through his efforts. He has indicated interest in the Okpai power plant. He has also indicated interest in the dam at Ogwashi Uku in Aniocha South. He is putting modalities in place to address the challenges in those areas and make life meaningful for the rural dwellers. He is systematically targeting areas that need the attention of government and putting modalities in place to tackle them headlong. That is the man Senator Ned Nwoko.
What Senator Ned Nwoko needs from his constituents at this moment is support to bring his laudable objectives to fruition. Without support, it will be a Herculean task to run the agenda and meet the need of the Anioma people. He is not unaware that there are saboteurs and people who are intentionally working to sabotage his dream for the zone. Senator Nwoko is well aware of this. But he is also working behind the clock to bring everyone to his side and to make them understand that his efforts are for the overall good of the entire people of Delta North, not for his own personal aggrandisement.
For him, he has all that life can offer. The needed comfort for survival, the funds to achieve any goal in life, he has it. The connection to get anything done, he has it. The political will to achieve a goal, he has it. Hence, his drive at the moment is for the good of the grassroots and not for himself. It is therefore wise that his constituents toe the line of his dream so that together they could uplift the zone from the doldrums of underdevelopment and backwardness.
