….as constituents benefit from mega empowerment programme
Ahead of 2019 general election the people of Cross River North Senatorial District, Governor Ben Ayade, former governor of the state, Sen Liyel Imoke and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the weekend, threw their support behind the senator representing the area, Dr Rose Oko, for re-election.
Speaking at the mega empowerment programme organised by Sen Oko for the constituents with assorted items for socio-economic activities worth millions of Naira, the Cross River State Chairman of PDP, Mr Edim Inok said there is no cause for alarm as far as the party and the people of Cross River North are concerned her re-election has been sealed come 2019.
Inok further stated that the performance and representation of Oko has been satisfactory and impacting since 2015 till date, therefore the party and people have solidly rooted for her to represent them as their senator based on what she has done positively to move them forward.
He said: “I am satisfied with what she (Oko) has done. So I want to stand here today and say, I and the PDP we have endorsed her back. I want you to look at this programme and if you are satisfied then you have to endorse her
“Of a legislator as a senator, his primary function is not to come and buy motorcycle and does empowerment, and you should be able to ask her what she has done. The work of a legislator is to sponsor bills on the floor of the senate and of the parliament and she has done it.”
Giving his remarks, chief host and special guest of honour at the occasion, the Governor of Cross Rivers State, Prof Ben Ayade, also gave his support to ensure the re-election of Oko in 2019.
Ayade also solicited the support and cooperation of the people in the area where he was the former senator before he was elected governor of the state. He urged them to be united and have a common voice that would promote solidarity and commitment to achieve Oko’s re-election and other federal and state representatives at the National and State Houses of Assembly
“For us the people of the north, time has come for us to recognise the role of PDP. I am sure there is no time for me to analyze all the bills, all the motions that Sen. Rose Oko has brought up on the floor of the senate
“I want to use this opportunity to assure you, we have three people who have done us very proud at the National Assembly and so I want us to know that this people have represented the North very well and I am sure you will support them any time we present them back to you again.
“I have come here with something very physical for all of you, the DG Mobilisation will work with Senator Rose Oko because I want to support her with a token sum of N10 million and that N10 million she will share it to each local government and we should plan it in such a way that those of us who are here will show commitment”, he said.
In his remarks, chairman of the occasion, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), pledged his support for Oko, where he said the federal lawmaker has lived up to expectation and her responsibilities, therefore deserves another term in the senate.
“I am very grateful to my sister Senator Rose Oko, I came here to plead with you to support her.
“Rose, I am grateful to you for living up to the responsibilities of this office. I am grateful to you for your capacity to organise a ceremony like this. Once upon a time I was in the Senate myself but I could not do something like this, the fact that you can do it, it means you are an extraordinary woman, may God bless you.
“My dear brothers and sisters, you have always supported me, you have never tilted in your support for me, you have shown me great love and I am looking forward to a day when I can come and express my gratitude to you for that love. But one thing more I ask of you and it is this that you should support my sister Senator Rose Oko to go back to the Senate”, he stated.
The Senator representing the people of Cross River North, Sen Oko who was the host of the mega empowerment programme, in her speech while responding to all that was said, expressed gratitude and overwhelmed by the mammoth crowd of supporters and dignitaries that attended the programme
Oko said she will always appreciate the electorates in her senatorial district who have over the years reposed their confidence in her.
“Constituents let me say, every opportunity that I have to say thank you for standing by me in both 2011 and 2015, I would like to say I appreciate your efforts, I appreciate the confidence that you repose in me in both of those occasions and voted me back in 2015 under very difficult circumstances, I say thank you for that effort.
“Let me start by welcoming all of you and all others that came to grace this occasion. For the former governor who is a very busy person in Abuja, who is playing a national role in our great party, that he found time to be here with us, we truly appreciate it and we say thank you.
“For the chairman of the occasion I know how busy he is back in Abuja but the moment I told him about this occasion he didn’t hesitate, he came immediately and he is here today. I want to say thank you Mr Chairman, I want to say thank you Senator Agabi, thank you former minister for coming.
“To my constituents let me say, every opportunity that I have to say thank you for standing by me in both 2011 and 2015, I would like to say I appreciate your efforts, I appreciate the confidence that you repose in me in both of those occasions and voted me back in 2015 under very difficult circumstances, I say thank you for that effort.
“When I sort for your votes in 2011 and in 2015, I told you that if you gave me your mandate that I was going to do everything to represent you well; that I will represent you both on the floor of the National Assembly of the senate and I will represent you in terms of attracting everything that should come to Cross River state north, that I will attract it back to Cross River state north. I want to assure you that that is what I will continue to do.
“My dear constituents what I want to tell you is that at all times, I want to say, any time that you vote for me, I want to do the best I can for Cross River North.”
According to her when she was elected to represent the people at the Senate said have impacted on the people.
“We have done a number of things; we did a medical outreach programme where we conducted about 80 surgeries and donated equipments worth N40 million to three hospitals across the senatorial districts. In that exercise we also gave out glasses to our constituents.
“Also between 2016 and 2017 I distributed science equipments, books and desks to about 34 schools across Cross River North. I want to do the best for Cross River north and if you support me and vote for me come 2019, I want to let you know that I will do even more.”
She went further to highlight the packages for the mega empowerment programme as she said, “In the present exercise that I am undertaking that we are here for today, we have also completed construction of nine school blocks and attracted two more. Between 2015 and 2017, we constructed six classroom blocks.
“So in the three years that I have been in the senate, we have done a total of 15 classroom blocks across Cross River North. In today’s exercise we have on ground, thirteen vehicles; five of them are Jeeps, one of them is a Sienna bus and seven of them are Peugeot.
“We have on ground 54 motorcycle, we also have on ground 27 keke napep, we have on ground a complete set of rice mill comprising a dryer with diesel engine, a thresher, a distoner and a winnower.
“We also have on ground three rice mill threshers. We have on ground a groundnut Sheller and I want to talk about the groundnut sheller because I was moved and I was touched when I saw on national television that Bekwara women were breaking groundnuts with their hands. So I decided there and than that what I would give to Bekwara from this empowerment is that groundnut sheller
“We also have on ground, groundnut oil mill. I do know that Obudu women do a lot of groundnut oil and I thought that we should give them a groundnut oil mill. We have on ground 47 grinding machines and we have eight hundred bags of fertilizers for our farmers.”
She further stated that other items include provision of some grants for the people. “We cannot reach everybody but we made sure that we provided grants for about 122 young men and women across the board.
“We also have made sure that we provide support to the party, we must not forget that the party is the vehicle and at all times we must take the party along, so we have provided that support for the party.
“Now we also have provided something for the traditional rulers’ council.”
The senator also disclosed that another people oriented programmed will soon be unveiled, which will be the installment of a dialysis machines.
“We have another project that is coming, what I would do this year again before the elections come is that I already have dialysis machines on ground, I imported them and they are in Abuja. I am waiting for approval from the state ministry to be able to complete one of the buildings in the General Hospital here in Ogoja.
“Dialysis machines are for people that have kidney problem; those machines may not go round everybody, everybody may not be able to use it but a lot of our people will be able to use it and if that thing happens because before now, we used to think that people with kidney problems somebody is after them and we used to think that they will die but you need not die with kidney problem, you can go on dialysis, you can go on those machines and keep your life going.
“And so when I got to know about, I thought that it was something good for our people to have; so that project will come before the end of this year.
“I want to assure you that going forward Dr Mrs Rose Oko will continue to serve you, will continue to serve Cross River north and if you give me your support I will be able to do that”, she assured.
