Nyok|7 January 2019
The candidate for the Cross River Central Senatorial District seat vying under the auspices of the All Progressives Congress, APC Mr Victor Ndoma-Egba SAN, weekend highlighted a handful of things he forgot in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which constitute part of the reasons why he is seeking to again represent the senatorial district at the floor of the 9th National Assembly (NASS) NEGROIDHAVEN can say authoritatively.
Ndoma-Egba revealed these things in Calabar when he granted bloggers/ newsmen an audience at his Calabar residence in the annual media parley he usually has with members of the fourth estate. The legal luminary cited about 5 abandoned projects and bills, 37 in number, he had initiated but which unfortunately have not been completed even by successive government.
His words, 'Well, I forgot a lot of things in the Senate: I started the Uruan Dam in Boki, it's not finished, that is forgotten in the Senate; I started the Greater Edor Water Scheme that was intended to supply water from Nde in Ikom Constituency II to Nko-Mfam that is the last village before Ogoja Local Government, that too hasn't been completed, that too has been forgotten in the Senate; I started a Specialist Hospital in Ikom which is not completed, that has been forgotten in the Senate; I started the Ikom-Ekome-Agbokim Waterfalls Road, it's still not finished, it's forgotten in the Senate; and off course, I started a police barracks in Itighidi, not finished, it's forgotten in the Senate; I started a Faculty of Law Building in the University of Calabar, not finished, that is forgotten in the Senate; so, those are the things I forgot in the Senate.
'And offcourse I had many bills in the Senate, only the Freedom of Information bill became an Act of the National Assembly, so the other thirty seven bills are still there unprocessed. So, I forgot all of those things in the Senate.'
However, Ndoma-Egba who is incidentally the incumbent chair of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC further added that his advantage over the Senate PDP candidate, Dr Sandy Onoh despite being qualified according to him is his previous stay in the Senate evolving into a ranking member, unlike the latter.
His words, 'But essentially, I'll let the people know that the Senate especially in the peculiar circumstances of Cross River State is about sending somebody who brings value and somebody who will align the state with the national government in Abuja.
'My friend, my colleague, Dr Sandy Onoh is eminently qualified for it, but he will not be achieving what Cross River needs for which is aligning our state with the centre and in any case, he will not be bringing the kind of traction to the Senate that I will be bringing because as a ranking member, ranking in the Senate comes with many priveleges which will not be available to a first term Senator.'
Ndoma-Egba denied rumours making the rounds that his motivation for vying for the Senate in 2019 is to be made a Senate President. He said he is running on his record, whereas Onoh will run on promises.
Efio-Ita Nyok is the blogger-in-chief, editor-in-chief and publisher of NEGROIDHAVEN
