BY AUSTIN OYIBODE, ASABA
Delta North, a senatorial district in Delta state with nine local government areas, has been under the rule of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the past 23 years. From 1999 till 2021, the zone has been represented at the National Assembly by elected senators under the PDP.
From 1999 to 2011, late Senator Patrick Osakwe from Ndokwa represented the district in the national assembly. Senator Ifeanyi Okowa who is the incumbent governor of the state from Ika nation represented the zone from 2011 to 2015, just for one term. And from 2015 till date Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, a former PDP state chairman from Oshimili North is the incumbent representative of the zone. However, in 2021, Nwaoboshi defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) following some disagreements he had with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
Now, with the three senators who have represented and still representing the district, it will be good to examine whether Delta North has benefited from their representation or not. It will also be nice to examine whether their representation has added any value to the lives of the people of the zone.
It is worthy of note that apart from Asaba, the people of Anioma nation are predominantly farmers and living in rural areas. But for the 23 years of PDP controlling Delta North, the rural dwellers have not experienced any transformation in their lives. The people of the senatorial district cannot lay hands on any tangible project executed by late Senator Osakwe who hailed from Ndokwa nation. Even when Okowa was Senator, he did nothing for Anioma people. One of the biggest challenges of the Ndokwa nation today is electricity which is not visible in most parts of Ndokwa East.
Ndokwa east is home to oil firms in Delta state. Okpai in the local government has oil companies. Other communities in the three local government areas that make up Ndokwa nation have oil firms operating in them but communities in the region do not have electricity supply.
These are communities where electricity is generated to power other cities in Nigeria. But the communities where the oil is produced have no electricity. And there have been senators who represented and still represent the zone in the national assembly. They were elected to represent the people and present their matters to the federal government but how much have they done for the people of the zone. Most of them are there to feather their own nests and grow their accounts.
In Ogwashi Uku, a federal government project has been deemed completed and signed but in reality not close to completion. The dam in the area is to serve as means of irrigation, electricity generation and water for domestic use but it is abandoned by the contractors and the awarding agency. It is reported to have been completed but still far from completion. No senator, no Rep member has spoken about it.
But there have been senators and Reps members, one from Aniocha South, as representative of Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency but very unfortunately no one takes interest in championing the cause of the people they represent. They consistently argue for issues that favour their personal ego and swell their pockets at the detriment of their constituents.
Again, there are so many projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) sited in parts of the senatorial district but they are either abandoned or executed in a very poor state. Monies appropriated for the projects are diverted, shared and frittered away. Most roads supposedly earmarked as NDDC roads are not completed while others are given clean bill of health but not executed.
The contractors allegedly go into agreement with the representatives and the funds are disbursed without the projects being executed. Some of the Senators and Reps are the contractors without contracting firms. They collect contracts from the federal government and NDDC and begin search for firms with equipment to execute the projects. They pay them one-third of money collected and the project is not monitored because they have entered a deal.
The senators and Reps members who have been representing the zone under the PDP have not carried out their oversight functions in ensuring that projects sited in the zone are executed according to specifications and meet the needs of the people. They only carry out empowerment of the people with tricycles, motorcycles, hair dressing machines, generators, deep freezers, and others which are only given to their party members whereas they were voted into power by the majority of the people of Delta North.
People in the zone, especially in the country side have been yearning for the good things of life but their representatives have not met their needs. This is why there is need for a paradigm shift to a new party where people who have not been corrupted should take over power and change the narrative.
This is where Labour Party is coming in and Ken Kanma has been chosen as the man to represent Delta North in the National Assembly in 2023. Ken Kanma is poised to change the narrative and bring dividends of democracy to the people of Anioma nation. Ken Kanma is a stainless man. He is a man of integrity and is determined to make things work for the good of Anioma people.
He is set to drive the vision of Peter Obi with his six-point agenda which he titled “The Power of 6”. He has consistently said that he cannot be senator representing Delta North and projects earmarked for Delta North are not executed or executed but not to specifications. For him, no contractor will go scot free without executing projects awarded to him. He either executes the projects to specifications or refund money paid to him. That is the man Ken Kanma.
He is a die-hard believer in ensuring the welfare of the people of Anioma nation. For Ken Kanma, there cannot be sleep until the needs of the people he represents are met and the people are happy.
Delta North would have been far better than what it is now but for lack of quality, effective and people-driven representation. The previous representatives have been on selfish mission and not for the welfare of Delta North people.
So, there is need for a shift from the old order. The old order has taken too long and has not benefited the people of Anioma land in any way. Hence, there’s need for a change. Ken Kanma has said it that Ndokwa people cannot be without light and he is senator, not possible. He has also said that he cannot be senator and Ogwashi Uku dam is not completed. He has said that he cannot be senator and projects are executed shoddily while contractors disappear with money. For him, this cannot happen.
He is one of the few men left in Nigeria who are bent on ensuring social justice and better living conditions for all. He believes that the national cake is not to be shared by the privileged few but should be expended on meeting social needs, infrastructural development and providing good life for the people of Nigeria and especially his immediate constituency.
Ken Kanma, who abhors everything that has corruption tendency, has said he would work with Peter Obi to rid the nation of corruption and restore sanity to the battered image of the country. The resources in Nigeria are for the good of all Nigerians. Ken Kanma, a lawyer by profession and who has practiced for years, is bent on ensuring that Delta North people are happy.
The ball is in the courts of the voters. Vote for the old order and remain in perpetual pain or vote for a new order being powdered by Labour Party and enjoy the good life. Let’s choose right. Ken Kanma will make a big difference.
