One year at the Red chamber: Ned Nwoko, the game changer ~ Truth Reporters

 

By Andy Emephia

Precisely one year in office as Senator representing Delta North Senatorial district in the 10th Nigerian Senate, his has been a game changing foray, a trailblazing one of remarkable might , mirth , and main.

Inaugurated on the 13th of June 2023, this pathfinder, who, twenty years ago , had represented the good people of Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency , at the green chambers of the National Assembly , has unarguably , surpassed the performance of his predecessors with a landmark 20 bills to his credit , as well as numerous motions dovetailing around the greater good of the downtrodden , not only in Delta North , but the entire natíon at large.

A member of 16 strategic senate committees , among which he is Vice Chairman of the strategic environment committee , he has demonstrated ample capacity in his legislative duties of law making and oversight functions , to the admiration of not only the people of Delta North , but also to the entire members of the 10th Senate.

Highly respected , Senator Prince Chinedum ( Ned Nwoko), the doyen of the Paris club loan refunds that lifted Nigeria from economic depression, the first Nigerian to go to Antarctica and hoist the nation,s flag in the quest for malaria cure, the Chancellor of the first Sports University in Sub Saharan Africa , culture and tourism connoisseur , philanthropist per excellence and lots more , is indeed a pride of Anioma in particular , and Delta in general.

A man of high transparency , Ned, as he is fondly called, had announced that he had attracted a whooping #3.5bn from the 2024 federal budget , for sundry infrastructural projects to Anioma , cutting across roads , schools , markets and so on, in total contrast to the sickening secrecy displayed by politicians in this clime.

SCORECARD lN ONE YEAR.

In November 2023, 250 persons were empowered and given #150,000 each, in a poverty alleviation and wealth creation scheme designed to take the youths and women off the unemployment rung , into self sustaining vocations.

In the works also , is another of such programmes scheduled for the end of June 2024.

Not done , over 1,000 persons , through the federal government's social investment scheme , are slated to benefit from a #50,000 each Conditional Cash Transfer scheme, to be supervised by the senator,s office.

Senator Ned Nwoko,s desire for the people of Delta North to enjoy uninterrupted electricity through the step down of the Okpai electricity project , has started yielding results with assurances that the step down project , whiwaslong abandoned by successive federal governments, will see the enjoying their God given natural endowment.

Also on his list of achievements within the period under review, is the resuscitation of the Ogwashi uku Dam which was started over 20 years ago when he was the House of Reps member representg Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency and also abandoned by the federal agency in charge of the project, the federal ministry of water resources. The project,s completion is dear to Nwoko,s heart , as it will bring the agricultural prowess of the surrounding communities to the fore through irrigation as is done across the world.

Senator without border

The release of the family involved in fire arms production at Onicha Olona in Aniocha north , clearly attests to Ned,s knack for seeing beyond to ferret the good out of a bad siruation  . For the sheer fact that he met with the military hierarchy at the 63 Brigade of the Nigerian Army to personally plead for the release of the family members involved in this seemingly criminal act of producing fire arms and soliciting for them to be integrated into a process whereby those skilled in manufacturing arms can be integrated into a programme where they can be formally engaged to work with the relevant military hardware production outfits , is a clear manifestation of his uncanny knack to discover talents in any field of human endeavour.

The Okwuama issue: Ned again to the rescue

Unmindful of the fact that he was not a representative of the Okwuama people of Delta Central , Ned played a key and central role in the release of the Ewu kingdom Monarch , HRM Clement lkolo, Urhukpe 1, who was detained by the  Military authorities in Abuja , over the March 14, 2024 killing of 17 soldiers on a peace mission to the community . Even the monarch after his release , visited Ned at his Maitama , Abuja residence, where he openly admitted that his release was largely due to Ned,s intervention.

Bills and Motions.

Too numerous to mention what Senator Ned Nwoko has put forward within this one year at the floor of the Senate . But suffice it to say that though they are in the public domain , they range from firearms ownership , diaspora voting , youth empowerment , rent related matters and anti open grazing across states among others.

His legion motions include stoppage of gas flaring , completion of the East/ West Road, total rehabilitation of the Benin Onitsha highway and sundry others too numerous to mention.

Not the least indicative of a man in tow with the urgency of the moment , Ned,s bill for the creation of Anioma state from the present Delta State , clearly speak volumes of his awareness of history.

Conclusion

With the groundswell of hearty approbation and vote of confidence garnered from the youth , women , traditional institutions and the entire people of Anioma, it is as clear as crystal , as chill as the reaches of outer space , that Delta North has struck gold with a worthy repsentative at the red chambers , in Ned.