From FRED ITUA, Abuja
The Senator representing Edo Central Senatorial District and vice chairman of the Senate committee on Works, Clifford Ordia has dolled out empowerment packages worth N40 million to his constituents. According to the lawmaker, the empowerment scheme is meant to cushion the effects of the biting economic hardship in the country.
The N40 million empowerment packages were distributed evenly to the five local government areas of Esan West, Esan Central, Igueben, Esan North-east and Esan South-east in the state.
According to a breakdown of the N40 million worth of items dolled out, there are motorcycles, fertilizers (NPK/Urea), Toyota Hiace 18 seater bus, ambulance, 6.5 KVA generator sets, grain grinding machines, sewing machines, wheel chairs and aluminum covered double engine ferry boat.
Speaking on the significance of the empowerment scheme and how it will ameliorate the sufferings of the people, Senator Ordia said: “When I told myself that I wanted to go the Senate, I had something in mind and that was to be the voice of the voiceless and to give qualitative representation to my people. In my opinion, the way I see quality representation is different from the way many other people see it.
“I do not believe that you have to make all the noise and shout for people to know that you are a Senator. Your actions should speak more for you. The people you represent should be able to tell if you are doing that well. I know that naturally, the role of a Senator is to make laws, but I cannot just pretend as if I do not know what my people are going through.
“This intervention we have provided will help many of them in so many ways. This is just the first of many more things to come. We will do more. And for me, it goes beyond party affiliation. I am of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but I represent everybody, whether he or she is party A or party B. We ensured that people got these empowerment packages and we did not use party politics. Let us all join hands together to take Edo Central Senatorial District to a greater height. Thank you all for your prayers and support.
“I did not go to Abuja to enrich myself. I came to Abuja to give my people qualitative representation. The atmosphere is different from what we had in the past, but that will not stop us from helping our people even if it means spending my personal money to do that. One thing I can assure my people is that, I will never fail them.”
Some of the beneficiaries and stakeholders in the constituency, told our correspondent that the empowerment package was the first of its kind in the area since 1999. “We have had two Senators in the past. But this is the first time we are actually seeing the dividends of democracy in action,” one of the recipients who got a motorcycle said.
Another beneficiary, Mrs. Comfort Onobun who went home with a grinding machine said: “I am a single mother. I lost my husband some years back and things have been very difficult since then. It may sound somehow, but this grinding machine is the biggest gift I have gotten since my husband died. You have no idea what this means to me. With this, I will be able to solve a lot of family problems that have to do with money. Senator Ordia was truly sent by God to rescue us at this trying time.”
Mrs Onobun is not alone. A tailor who identified herself as Omotese and benefited from one of the sewing machines, said she was surprised to be called up. She said in the past, people needed to be members of a political party before they could be included in the list of those to benefit from empowerment programmes like this.
“I am not a member of PDP or All Progressives Congress (APC) and I was surprise that I actually benefited from this. This is very unusual. I have been a tailor for a while now and I know how things like this are done. But this is the first time we are getting something without belonging to a political party. Even what we have had in the past were just bags of rice and they usually distributed during elections. At least, there is no election now and we got these things. It is unusual,” the beneficiary said.
In his remarks, one of the beneficiaries of the wheelchairs, who could not hold back his tears, recalled how he dragged himself around for years without any help. He said he was born crippled, but that his parents were too poor to secure a wheelchair for him. He said in the past, he made frantic efforts to appeal to politicians in his area, but was rebuffed.
“You and I know how difficult it is to move around this town without depending on people. These people I depend on to help me have their own lives to live. Sometimes, I saw myself as a liability and I did not like it. Since I could not drag myself out everyday, I stayed inside the house almost all the time. But with this wheelchair, my life has taken a new turn. It will change so many things in my life from this day forward and I thank God for using Senator Ordia to come to my aid.”