From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar The Posts Graduate Students Union, University of Calabar Saturday presented an award of excellence to Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba “for...
Ndoma Egba
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
The Posts Graduate Students Union, University of Calabar Saturday presented an award of excellence to Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba “for his contribution to the progress of Nigeria’’.
Presenting the award on behalf of the students, the union’s President, Comrade Tom Bissong, said their award of “Nigeria’s Most Outstanding Senator of the Century’’ was befitting for the senate leader.
According to the students Ndoma-Egba has contributed in his own way to the progress of Nigeria.
He said the award was part of the Centenary Lecture and Award Night organised by the union to mark Nigeria’s centenary celebrations.
Bissong said: “In that award we had the privilege of hosting Mr Kanu Agabi as Chairman of the occasion. He also presented the centenary lecture. We realised that you have received a number of awards in the past.
“A committee was constituted and it came up with about 18 key awards for the state including his Excellency, Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State. You came second. e also realised that if we were in advanced democracy the personality of Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba should not be seeking for election before he goes to the senate.
“He should be a permanent non-elected member of the Senate and even if he should be elected his constituency should beg him to be elected. I recall that in American history the personality of Edward Kennedy serves the the US senate for 48 years for the simple reason of his contribution to the US senate. There was no sentiments about it.
“And today we have found it very necessary and history will not forgive us if we do not give him this award. He deserves much more than this award. We are aware of your role in the senate especially the role you played in 2010 when the Doctrine of Necessity was invoked to pave the way for Dr Goodluck Jonathan to mount the thrown at the demise of President Yar’Adua. That role is still being applauded and this award is today presented to a well-meaning son of Cross River.
In his response Ndoma-Egba’s said he was deeply touched by the union members’ visit and the award especially because he is an Alumnus of the Post Graduate School, University of Calabar.
“We were the first set of LLM students. So as far as I am concerned this is my constituency,’’ he said.
The senate leader also lauded the role of education as “the biggest resource that any nation can have’’ .
“It is projected that in another 30 years, the 30 per cent of the global population of those under 30 years will be Africans. Nigeria is the largest black nation in the world, so about 30 per cent of that 30 per cent is likely to be Nigerians.
“A youthful population can be a strength or a problem. It will be a strength it will be resource if that youthful education is educated or trained. Otherwise it is a time bomb. When I see those who are already graduates pursuing post graduate studies it means that you trying to convert that 30 per cent of the population into a resource,’’ he said.
He also congratulated them for seeing the value of education and for having the discipline to pursue post graduate studies.
According to him the modest achievements he made in the National assembly would not have been possible “without Cross Riverians in general and Cross Riverians in the Central Senatorial District’’.
“I am one senator who has not come to settle political disputes. Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River has been able to handle that. So I am able to handle the job I am sent to handle.
He said that he had so far sponsored 39 bills outside the Executive bills and “quite a number of motions in the senate.
“We are getting attention from the World Bank, African Development Bank and today you can have a smooth drive from Enugu through Abakaliki to Ikom and to the Cameroun Republic with no potholes on the road project sponsored by the respective banks.
“We are working very hard to get Ogoja-Ikom-Calabar road done. As we speak a contract has been awarded for another road from Calabar through Oban to Nsan that will come out to Ajasor just to link up the Enugu-Abakaliki-Ikom-Mamfe road. There is a provision in the budget for another bridge between Ikom and Etung this year. There is a Specialist Hospital in Ikom,’’ he said.
He said that his community, Akparabong, which has never had drinking water today has 52 stand pumps with water gushing out.
“We have not counted the stand pumps in Adijinkpor, a neighbouring community. That project is to be commissioned. A major water project is going on in Edor. We are fighting very hard for a tertiary institution for Cross River Central and my political life depends on getting that institution for my constituency.
“Later this month I will be inspecting my project and we estimate that it will take us seven days and after that roll out my major empowerment,’’ he said.
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