CROSS RIVER CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT 2015: THE VICTOR - TopicsExpress



          

CROSS RIVER CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT 2015: THE VICTOR NDOMA-EGBA PHENOMENON. By Missang Oyama The Cross River central senatorial district is a combination of two blocs; the old Ikom and old Obubra Local Government Areas respectively. The former comprises of the present Ikom, Boki and Etung Local Government Areas. The latter is made up of the present Obubra, Abi and Yakurr Local Government Areas. It follows therefore that the senatorial district is a geo-political enclave of six Local Government Areas carved out from two sister blocs. The people constitute a larger majority of the Ekoi ethnic nationality in Nigeria. They share a common tradition with very negligible cultural diversities. One outstanding feature in this senatorial district is the Oyono river that flows through all the Local Government Areas except for Yakurr. Yakurr is considerably an up-land Local Government Area. Oyono is where the state actually derives its name ( Cross River) from. It stretches its source from the Cameroon mountain and empties itself in the Atlantic Ocean. A journey through memory lane would show that this senatorial district has produced three Senators within the past twenty three years. In the botched third republic, 1991 to be precise, the incumbent governor of the state, Senator Liyel Imoke took a shot at the Red Chamber at a record age of 30yrs; a feat that has been unrivalled since then. At the advent of this fourth republic in 1999, Senator Mathew Mbu (Jr) made a foray into the hallowed chamber of the Nigerian Senate. His bid for re-election to the senate for a second term in 2003 hit the brick wall . He lost the election to the incumbent, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba(SAN) OFR. From 2003, Chief as he was fondly called then, has held sway at the upper echelon of the Nigerias National Assembly as a Senator representing Cross River central senatorial district. The incursion of this very brilliant lawyer into the upper legislative house of the National Assembly has since unveiled the gait and carriage of a typical Atam man. The charisma and intellectual prowess that Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba has brought to bear on his legislative duties has cast the Cross River central senatorial district in the light of a region of hidden treasures of unsung heroes in the federation. His panache and finesse in handling legislative matters has been quite admirable for those who follow the Senate plenary. Little wonder then that Victor Ndoma-Egba has enjoyed meteoric rise from 2003 till date. In his first term in office, he was made the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity. He was saddled with the responsibility of interfacing the Nigeria Senate with the fourth estate of the realm and by extension the entire nation as the spokesman. He discharged his duties creditably. In his second term, the distinguished Senator rose to the elite class of the Principal Officers of the Senate. Here, Ndoma- Egba was appointed the Deputy Senate Leader. Subsequently, in his third term running, he is sitting atop as the Leader of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is no mean feat! It is a clear indication of a man with the understanding and capacity to play for the high-stakes at the highest level in our body polity. While we recognize and appreciate the contributions of his predecessors who represented our senatorial district, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba clearly stands out as the most visible of the trio. His rich legal background which is quite enigmatic and intimidating has set him on a glowing pedestal in lawmaking. Victor, as his peers would call him, is a home-grown Nigerian who understands the adage that whatever your right hand does, your left hand must not know. Against this backdrop, his generosity and philanthropic gestures are always kept in almost absolute secrecy. For him, charity is a spiritual obligation that should never be a subject of media hype or vain-glorification. From the conservative hue of a jurist father, Senator Ndoma-Egba grew up to be reclusive with almost an ascetic mien. Nevertheless, as a prodigiously talented lawyer and exceptional gentleman, he has built a superlative network of friends; spreading his tentacles across the length and breadth of the country and beyond. Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba is the Master of human capacity development. His avowed commitment to the educational development of young people in our senatorial district is an eloquent testimony. Between 2003 and 2014, the senator has awarded scholarship to indigent students in excess of a whooping N73m. He operates on the philosophy that education is the best legacy you can bequeath to any generation. Few months after he was sworn-in as a Senator, Ndoma-Egba launched the free computer training program where thousands have become computer literate. In order to alleviate poverty and enhance the financial capacity as well as create jobs for his people, he has initiated and implemented several people- oriented empowerment programs. In his quest to revive the entrepreneurial spirit in our people, Ndoma-Egba had to partner with the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) through the CBN/Ndoma-Egba Entrepreneurial Training Program. Here, more than 120 constituents have been properly trained in various vocations and empowered with start-up capital. The Senate Leader has been in the vanguard for the placement of hundreds of his constituents in Federal and State Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs). He has also leveraged on his position to attract some key capital projects to his constituency and other parts of the state. For instance, The Trans-African Highway, the Calabar-Oban-Nsan-Okoroba roads, just to mention a few. These are multi- billion naira projects that the man influenced. Ndoma-Egba is regarded as a man of wit. He does not have a massive frame but he does carry massive brains. The Senator, for the umpteen time is a quintessential pride and prestige of Cross River central senatorial district as he sits as the only Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN) in the 7th National Assembly. Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba has bestride the Red Chamber like a colossus making invaluable contributions to debates, resolutions, sponsoring and co-sponsoring bills. His voice on the floor of the senate can only be liken to the voice of a king. So highly revered by his colleagues. He is considered as one of the wise men who framed the now famous Doctrine of Necessity that was adopted to stabilize the ship of state in the dark days of the cabal. In that regard, he has unobtrusively etched the name of the Cross River central senatorial district in history books as one of the districts that stood to be counted to rescue the country from drifting into the precipice. Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba has demonstrated capacity and leadership at the highest level. His penchant for details and clear logic on the floor of the Nigerian Senate is legendary. He is unarguably one of the brightest legislative minds this country has ever produced. He is sitting as the real Octopus in the Red Chamber today. Like everyone of us, he has his weaknesses; he is Gods work in progress.Therefore, my good people of Cross River central senatorial district, we cannot afford to rob this nation of one of our best. His absence in the 8th Assembly is unthinkable. Ndoma-Egba cannot be substituted for any freshman senator on the altar of parochial sentiments. His voice can only be louder, his wit and wisdom more desirable in the next term. Cross River PDP family, put your house in order and give Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba(SAN) OFR the right of first refusal which he so richly deserves for re-election to the Nigerian Senate for more phenomenal strides. Missang Oyama is an economist, management consultant and a public policy analyst. missangoyama@gmail, missang_oyama@yahoo. Twitter: @oyama_missang
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 14:59:46 +0000

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