Ben Ezechime, Enugu
Senator Okey Ezea, representing Enugu North Senatorial district of Enugu State has assured the people of his constituency that their expectations would not be in vain.
Ezea said this in a message during a reception organised in his honour by his constituents in Nsukka, Nsukka Local Government Area.
He said: “While recognising that the decision to elect me as your senator is a testament to your belief in my capacity, I also understand the enormity of the expectations that lie in between.
“I promise never to allow that hope to evaporate.
“I am here to assure you that you have not made a mistake by choosing me.”
The senator said that in the past nine months in the upper legislative chamber he had learned the ropes as a first-time senator.
“I have been a party to a squad of go-getters in the National Assembly (whom you elected also) to make the voice of Enugu North heard loud and clear.
“It’s not just on the floor of the National Assembly that our struggles have come in full bloom.
“We have also done the job behind the cameras, microphones and loudspeakers, thus, the marginalisation of our district in the distribution of federal appointments and projects is no longer beer-parlour talk.
“The nation has heard our cry for justice and equity,” Ezea said.
He said that his interactions with his colleagues in the National Assembly, ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government have started to produce good fruits.
“This is evident in the ongoing reconstruction of the dilapidated Makurdi–Obollo–Opi– 9th Mile expressway which has lately been in the news.
“Those who have visited 9th Mile and Makurdi recently know that something has already started happening on the road and I am reliably informed by the federal authorities that, in a few weeks, work on that highway will gather steam at several points.
“I have not stopped pestering the Federal Ministry of Works and the China Harbour Engineering Ltd, the contractors handling the project, to whom the minister, HE Engr. Dave Umahi, has since introduced to me,” he said.
Ezea further made mention of ongoing three rural road projects at Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area which he inherited from Sen. Chukwuka Utazi, which he said was “moving on smoothly.”
According to him, “Granted, the roads were attracted during the 9th Senate to which Sen. Utazi was a member; however, because of the nature of our budgeting system that ensures that budget implementation takes place in the succeeding year, the actual award of the projects took place last November, five clear months after my inauguration in June last year.
“It took collaborative efforts between me and Senator Utazi to ensure that the projects were not diverted after the dissolution of the 9th Assembly.”
He further disclosed that discussions ware ongoing with the National Orthopedic Hospital, Enugu, to establish an annex at Aku, “and by the special grace of God the construction works at the site of the annex will commence soon, as it has been captured in the 2024 budget.”
“In the current fiscal year, we shall also be constructing and installing solar-powered boreholes in several communities in the zone.
“This is in addition to the construction and installation of solar street lights in some communities across the senatorial district, including the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, which we intend to embark on in the current year,” the senator said.
He assured the people that he would always give his best in the senate.
“What I am currently doing and what I plan to do may not meet the expectations of many victims of our national economy, but there will be steady progress until we achieve all our aims.
“Where we are today is indeed far better than where we were in the past,” Ezea said.
He appealed to the people to remain patient and understanding while he strives to give his best in the green chamber.
“Beyond my primary duty as a lawmaker, most of the other things I do to offer quality representation at the National Assembly are still being fashioned out.
“I’ve said this before that in the coming weeks and months, most of what we are doing will become clearer to you,” he said..
He solicited for more support from the people of Enugu North Senatorial district in his quest to “reposition our zone for greatness.”
