Dr Alex Egbona is one man who likes to say it the way it is. He can be as blunt as he possibly can. Sometimes, he does not know how to polish lies to make them look like the truth. That was what he did when he engaged some journalists as he spoke on his re-election agenda and how has been able to touch lives in his Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency since he got into the National Assembly in 2019.
TNN was there.
Nigeria is celebrating another independence anniversary. What does this period mean to you?
Thank you for this opportunity. For me, anytime we celebrate the anniversary of the independence of our country, it reminds me of freedom. And it tells me about what we need to do as a people to remain free indeed. Between 1960 and now, Nigeria has gone through a lot. There have been the good and the bad sides. Only recently, a Nigerian, Tobi Amusan broke world record at the World Athletics Championship. In other spheres, Nigerians are shining. That is not to say that there have not been some bad sides. But I think 62 years after, we have gone a long way as a people and as a nation.
Do you think we have seen the best of Nigeria?
No, no, no. Nigeria is still work in progress. I believe that better days are ahead for this country. Yes, we have some teething problems as a country, among them leadership issues. And I think the moment we can solve the problem of leadership, every other thing will fall into line. For example, if we can have the right leadership, the challenges of insecurity, power supply, unemployment, weak economy and all that, will be a thing of the past. That is why the next general election is very critical. It is time for Nigerians to avoid sentiments and vote for the right people so that things can be better in this country.
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You are a leader in your own right. You have been in the House of Reps. How well are you solving the problems in your constituency?
If you have been following my activities, you would have known that as a member of the House of Reps, I have turned things around in my federal constituency. At the risk of sounding immodest, at the risk of being seen to be beating my own drums, I can boldly say that Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency which I have the privilege of representing since 2019, has experienced an unprecedented growth in all ramifications. I challenge anybody in the constituency to counter what I am saying-Abi/Yakurr has not seen this level of positive, people-oriented representation since 1999. Recall that we have had two other people on that seat before me. Hon Obeten Okorn was there for eight years. He comes from Ugep in Yakurr Local Government. After him was Hon Bassey Ewah, from Yakurr too. He was there for 12 years.
I am from Abi, and this is the first time that someone from Abi is occupying the seat. I have done barely three years on the seat. But if you check out the things that I have done, you will be shocked that a first timer in the House of Reps has been able to do this much. The list is long. But let me say that for the first time, the Abi/Yakurr people have seen what is called a functional constituency office, a fully functional office where the people can go to. There are staff there and they collate information and send across to me in Abuja and from time to time, I visit the constituency office to relate with the people. There is a federal polytechnic in operation now; it came through the effort I made, in collaboration with other people from the constituency. Hundreds of people from the two local governments have been trained and empowered in various skill acquisition programmes, many have been employed through my recommendation, schools and health centres have been renovated through my intervention, scores of the constituents have been empowered with cash and other items, there have been street lights, there have been water projects, some roads have either been constructed or reconstructed through my intervention, educational materials have been provided to schools through me. There are a lot of people whose lives have been given a new meaning because of what God has used me to do. It has not been this good for our people.
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A legacy housing estate is coming to the constituency for the benefit of our people. A mega farm that will employ about 10,000 people from the constituency through direct and indirect labour is also coming. This is done in partnership with the National Agricultural Land Development Authority. Hundreds of our people have been assisted with school fees. I can tell you that there is hardly any sector that I have not touched. Mind you, all of these are not my primary functions.
My primary function as a legislator is to make laws for the good of our country. And in this regard, I can tell you that I have sponsored about nine bills and no fewer than eight motions and counting. Among the bills is the bill for the establishment of a federal college of agriculture in the constituency.
In the next few months, before the next election, as we get set to implement the 2022 budget, many more projects are coming to the constituency.
This is leadership. Leadership also means ensuring that there is peace. And I have done well in this area too. I have initiated moves to ensure peaceful co-existence between our communities and the neighbouring states. I have not failed to intervene whenever the need arises. In times of war or threats to the peace in any part of the constituency, I have always been in front, to see that peace is restored and the people properly taken care of. That is me; and I will not relent in doing this in the days ahead.
Are you threatened by those seeking to take over your seat from Yakurr LGA?
I cannot be threatened. Not me. How can I be threatened when I have the people on my side? I have served the people well in the last three years and I have informed them of my readiness to return so that I can do more for them.
That is not to say that any other person is not entitled to contest for the office. It is an open contest. But you see, greed and injustice is very bad and can lead to retrogression. I am aware that some persons from Yakurr Local Government are angling to take over the seat again in 2023. I am happy that some men of good conscience and strong will from that area who are really interested in the peace and justice theory, have already spoken against this move. And I agree with those in this school of thought, that anybody from Yakurr who is
angling for the seat in 2023 is merely greedy. Come on, if not for greed, how can a people who have occupied the seat for the past 20 years, still want to come back in 2023? Abi has only been there for three years. In 2023, we would have been there for four years, even though technically, it will not be up to four years because a whole year was wasted in the court, before I settled down for real business.
My plea to my Yakurr brothers and sisters is that there has to be fairness and equity in this business. Let’s look at it this way-if we are two brothers and our father left behind some property for us, then my brother made use of the property for 20 years and I struggled to collect it and used same for just four years and even before the end of the four years, he is already giving me signals to hurry up and leave because he wants to come and take over the property, what will you call that? Is that not greed? Is that not wickedness on the part of my own brother? Is that not selfishness?
Come to think of it. The same Yakurr people are also vying for the senate seat. So, in the PDP, they want to have the Senate seat. Under the Labour Party, they want to have the House of Reps seat. So, if they are allowed to have their way, Yakurr will produce both senate and House of Reps. What do you call that? This can only lead to a fight between us as brothers. But it can be avoided. Let us learn to be fair and just in everything we are doing. The House of Reps seat is a seat for two local governments. If you have occupied it for 20 years, it is only fair and proper to also allow the other local government to take same number of years on the seat before you think of coming back. Unless you are saying that Abi people are your slaves and can be trampled upon anytime, otherwise every right thinking person must support an Abi person to retain the seat in 2023. I know that Abi people are not slaves to Yakurr, neither are Yakurr people slaves to Abi people. We have equal stake and we should all exercise our right to the seat on equal basis. This is the definition of justice and fairness.
So, how ready are you for the election?
Yea, I am very ready. My achievements in the last three years will speak for me when campaigns start. My projects will speak for me on Election Day. The programmes that I have attracted to my people, programmes that have benefitted our people, will speak for me on that day. That is why I am so sure that I will return to the House to represent my people. See, I have always said that as far as I am concerned, my re-election is a done deal. I have the masses by my side. By the time INEC opens the doors for campaigns to start, we will hit the roads. We will campaign with our projects and evidence of great representation. I am so certain that we will win.
