THE SPLENDID DEEDS OF DR. CHRIS NWABUEZE NGIGE AS SENATOR By Law Mefor Senator Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige is indeed a rare gem. He has easily reenacted his startling performance as Anambra State Governor (2003-2006) as a Senator. Even his enemies agree his governorship represents a Golden Era for the State and his stay in the Senate is as distinguished in the last 2 years. Any claim that it is otherwise is wry and smacks of remarkable ignorance of the role of the legislators and the legislative arm of government and more importantly, the historic and marvelous contributions of Senator Dr. Ngige as a first time Senator. To fairly rate the performance of Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige as a senator, one has to first and foremost understand the fundamental and statutory responsibilities of the arm of Government. Statutorily, by the 1999 Constitution as amended and the Nigerian Senate Rules (the Red Book), the functions of the Legislature are Representation, Lawmaking and Oversights functions or monitoring of implementation of those laws, especially the money laws - Appropriation Act. On these three scores, Senator Ngige has been one of the most effervescent and remarkable Senators of the 7th Senate. He is one of the most visible, amongst those who spoke regularly, vociferously and forcefully in support of Bills and Motions that could ameliorate the lot of the distressed Nigerian masses. And when the need arose, he also spoke against Bills that are oppressive and anti masses. It will also interest the reader to know that in the National Assembly, the bulk of the work is done in Committees and Senator Ngige has been very remarkable in Committees’ works, especially in the Senate Committee on Power where he is the Vice Chairman and Health where he is the Medical Doctor with the longest year of graduation and of public service. He is one of a handful of Senators on more than 5 Committees; in Ngige’s case, he is on 7 Committees; namely: Senate Committees on Power, Science and Technology, Health, Trade and Investments, Capital Market, Police Affairs as well as on the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution. Remarkably, before the Senators representing both Anambra North and South took their seats in the Senate, following their long drawn and protracted litigations, Senator Ngige ensured that the Constituency Projects accruing to the 2 Zones were not lost. He fought singlehandedly for their Constituency Projects to be captured in the year 2012 Budget, amidst stiff opposition from those who argued that with Senator Andy Ubah’s mandate nullified by the Court of Appeal then and Senator Margery Okadigbo slugging it out with Chief Alphonsus Igbeke in the different Courts for about 2 years, their Zones were not entitled to those funds. Perhaps the most historic contribution of Senator Ngige is his Motion for the immortalization and National Burial for the Late Professor Chinua Achebe. Professor Achebe ordinarily may not have been given a National Burial if the Motion by Senator Ngige did not forcefully pray for it and win it in debate. Though one of the most outstanding Nigerians ever lived, Achebe never served at National level in a capacity that would have commanded such a National honour. To give Professor Chinua Achebe his full place in Nigerian history, Senator Chris Ngige believed that anything short of National Burial would be a disservice to the fallen national hero. He captured it in the Motion and the Senate totally agreed, with the other 108 Senators signing on as co-sponsors. This is the first time such wholesome and complete agreement has passed the Nigerian Senate. Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, graciously acted on the Motion and Professor Achebe was given a national burial, comparable to those of the late Dim Emeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. A National monument will also be named after him in the spirit of the approved Motion. President Jonathan and the President of Ghana, John Mahama attended, resulting in both Presidents making a pledge to rebuild Achebe’s erstwhile primary school. Senator Ngige also has several Bills passing through the different stages of legislative process; including a revolutionary Bill – “Farmers Registration Council Bill” – which aims to, among other things, revolutionize agriculture by providing for a specialized Parastatal in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture that will be responsible for registering farmers and their farms. That way, the nation will develop a sustainable data base of professional farmers in the country, where they are, the kind of farming they engage in, and more importantly, be able to plan interventions for the Nigerian farmers, thereby permanently eliminate middle men who usually hijack the process and divert Government assistance to farmers. Ngige has many other Bills; for repeal and reenactment of National Hospital Abuja Act, Bill for the ban on importation of Incandescent Energy Consuming Bulbs, to name a few. Ngige also sponsored and co-sponsored a total of about 50 Motions. Apart from the clear legislative activism of Senator Chris Ngige, he has equally put to good use his position as Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Power to improve the lot of the Anambra people, especially in the area of electricity and employment. The number of graduate employments, especially in the area of Electrical/Electronic Engineering graduates, and transformers which he made available or has in the 2013 Budget for Anambra State speak for themselves. A typical example is the 21 young 1st degree graduates in Electrical/Electronic Engineering graduates he sponsored for one year field training at the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), and at various electrical outfits and Transmission Stations – Ijora, Egbim, Afam, Kanji and Jebba Stations. Equally important should be the several electrification projects, which he attracted to Anambra state. These efforts have yielded a boost in electricity supply in the state and given access to the many areas hitherto without electricity supply. Electricity Supply in Awka Metropolis and environs has greatly improved with the work on the 2 by 40 MVA/132 KV line and the 2 by 15 MVA Distribution in Agu Awka, completed by the PHCN/NIPP with Ngige’s pressure. Similar works on the Onitsha – Nnewi axis are at verge of test-run too, courtesy of Ngige’s pressure as a senator as well. Ngige has also been a resource person to the Senate Committees he belongs by drawing heavily from his wide experience as a seasoned Civil Servant who retired in the directorate cadre and in governance as former Governor in management of men, materials and projects. Always fearless, Senator Ngige was responsible for the Nigeria Customs recovering its missing 22 Containers of NIPP materials months ago. The recovery of these containers has contributed much to the recent improvement in power supply in many parts of the country. For details and clarifications, the Senate Hansard having contributions of Senators to Debates is available in the National Assembly Internet Site for researchers to avail themselves. On Anambra governorship race, an objective assessor would give it to Senator Chris Ngige as one whom the cap fits, as he stands head and shoulder above the other political lilliput contenders. He had been there before and posted a starling performance, despite the saturation bombing and onslaughts against his administration by the Obasanjo-led Federal Government and his local co-conspirators in their intransigent, desperate maneuvers to remove him from office. The return of Ngige as Governor is in the best interest of Anambra State and the South East. As Governor, Ngige’s achievements were not just limited to payment of salaries and road construction as some revisionists want many to believe. He restored security to the State, among many other great deeds. Though human memory is short, many will recall that as at 2003 when he came in as Governor, Anambra State had become infested by robbers and night marauders, to the extent that even the Governor’s Lodge was being invaded by these miscreants. Ngige wiped out all these in a matter of months. And by December of the same 2003, Anambrarians had started visiting home again and were no longer taking refuge in Abuja and Lagos, as many did then and do today. Ngige got no funds or help at the instance of the Federal Government e.g. Ecological, Special Intervention Funds. Yet, he courageously forged on, providing unparallel visionary leadership, security for the state, constructed roads, including federal roads that were then deathtraps; cleared the arrears of salaries and pensions accumulated by the Chinwoke Mbadinuju Administration and paid salaries and pensions as at when due, revived schools, hospitals, among other things and for the first time Anambrarians heaved a sigh of relief and received dividends of democracy. It is also a fact that as Governor, Nigige inherited close to N30 Billion debts from his predecessor and left on a clean financial slate and for the first in the history of Nigeria, left a N13.8 Billion Credit in the Banks despite his giant strides in developing Anambra State. As a Golden Era, in his 34 months of reengineering Anambra State as Governor, Anambra State realized for the first time that there was money accruing to the coffers of the state. With such relatively meager resources and his stubborn refusal to share the State money with the cabals, he launched the State into the path to true greatness as the gateway to Eastern Nigeria and a flagship State in Nigeria. Going by by quantum leaps in development of of the State, there is little doubt that Anambra under Ngige would have long attained the One City State status longed for by many, fully industrialized and connected to the rest of the world as the commercial and industrial hob of West Africa reminiscent of the Silicon Valley in the US or Dubai. For Anambra to become a One City State as many hope, there is the need for the kind of visionary and astute leadership that Senator Chris Ngige can offer. Anambra cannot become a One City State without the prerequisites like industrial parks, inland ports, airport, modernized markets, power base, water supply, developed state capital and more. Yet, the airport that Senator Ngige was re-conceiving and completed its engineering design, was abandoned and Delta State took up the initiative and built Asaba airport, which Anambrarians are now patronizing in droves today. It is equally embarrassing that today; many businessmen in Onitsha and environs prefer to reside in Asaba, for the obvious reasons of lack of electricity, security and water, among others. And for security too, many now do wine- carrying in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt and may soon start burying their dead there too if things remain the way they are. Awka too, for inexplicable reasons, remains the only undeveloped State Capital in Nigeria since its creation in 1991, prompting former Minister Oby Ezekwesili christening Awka as a “Glorified Village Capital”. Such are the absurdities compelling Senator Chris Ngige to return to Awka Government House to finish the good work he started in 2003. Experience counts; and Senator Ngige has that requisite experience, which is required for the effective governance of Anambra State. He has done it before and under the present better democratic environment, he is better positioned to quadruple his earlier performance as governor. He is clearly the only man standing in the race as the others are minnows. All Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige and well-meaning Anambrarians ask of INEC is a free and fair election so that Anambra masses may decide
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 03:55:04 +0000
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