By Ebriku John Friday
…promises one polling unit one borehole, Ogoja reference medical centre
As the Cross River North senatorial election draws closer, an aspirant under the Platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rt Hon Ogana Lukpata, has promised to revisit and fight for creation of Ogoja State if elected.
Lukpata who said he has a burden for the rapid development of his area promised that the dream for the state creation will be achieved based on his passion and support he will receive for the push on floor of the senate.
The two term State House of Assembly lawmakers, representing Yala 2 State Constituency stated this when he visited a party stalwart, High Chief Higgins Peters to consult him on his senatorial aspiration.
He said: “My aspiration to the Senate is such a big aspiration that should not end up with discussions on the phone. It must be grounded. And now it has been grounded. I have come and seen him and he gave me good counsel.
“And I am a system man, I vowed at some point to play system politics that is ‘establishment politics’ and I will play it.
“But finally, it is that the debate for Ogoja State must not die. It shouldn’t die. It has been mentioned Abakaliki was under Ogoja, today it is a state capital. Even if we don’t get an Ogoja state now, the debate shouldn’t die.
“Let it be on record. I will continue that debate. I will reintroduce it. I would ask for a constitutional amendment or implementation of the constitutional reforms earlier submitted. Nigeria must do something to create an Ogoja State and doing this we know the advantages.
“Now we have one government with about 40 commissioners, as the south will have theirs we too will have ours and the opportunities will expand, development would get close to the people. We need a state for our name Ogoja to be established.
“A state is an identity in this country and that is how resources are shared. The people of Ogoja have gone through trauma begging for a state and losing all our rights and entitlements in the federation of Nigeria. That debate must continue.”
Meanwhile, he expressed concern over the plight of rural dwellers who lack access to standard health care facility and portable water, which he promised to ensure there is a befitting health care facility to safeguard health of his people and also embark on ‘one ward-one borehole’ in order to tackle the long standing problem of water supply in the senatorial district.
“Number one I think that the north, we don’t have a reference hospital. People travel from Ogoja to Calabar and all the way to Enugu, Abakaliki and Markurdi for six to seven hours. This is not normal. I will use my position as senator to synergies with Federal Government establishments and get a reference hospital of a tertiary level to the Ogoja people and it would be located in Ogoja. This would reduce the expenses of traveling long distance and the risk factors in medical issues.
“Number two, I come from a rural area, the remotest of the remote places in Yala Local Government and I know the problem our people are facing, which is water and I think will be the focus of my constituency projects including provision of borehole water for as many communities as possible.
“My initial attention will be first for those communities with polling units, I will start from there, one polling unit, one borehole. If capacity enlarges I could expand from there”, he said.
