Ndoma Egba
From Diana Effiong (Uyo)
It was celebration galore in Cross River Central Senatorial district at the weekend as over 500 persons and organisations have been empowered with various items worth over N150 million.
The Senate Leader, Chief Victor Ndoma-Egba said the empowerment programme was the fifth in the series he had carried out this year.
Some of the items given out include 50 cars, oil mills, corn mills, deep freezers, flat screen televisions for viewing centres, complete band sets to 22 churches in the district among others. 26 cars were given in previous empowerment programme few weeks ago.
In addition, he said 121 people from his constituency who trained at the entrepreneurial development centre in Calabar were given N200, 000 to start up their businesses as part of effort to boost education in his senatorial district and the state.
“The six local government area that constitutes the Senatorial district shall receive N1million each for empowerment of rural petty market women, while another N1million for each council area shall also be given for empowerment of widows besides other empowerment kiths that shall be made available today”.
The Senaate Leader urged that those who have not benefited yet would get theirs in future because their turn would certainly come `for the rain to fall on you’’.
All the beneficiaries cut across the six local government areas that make up the senatorial district.
The Senate President, Mr David Mark commended Ndoma-Egba for his towering empowerment programme saying certainly the senate will support him to come back and continue with the good work he is doing in the senate.
He said, “if Victor Ndoma-Egba goes back to the Senate then, there will be sustainable empowerment. If he doesn’t go back, you cannot sustain the empowerment. I hope that language is clear to those who are here. Go out and spread that message”.
Equally speaking, the state governor, Senator Liyel Imoke lauded the Senate Leader for the empowerment programme urging other lawmakers to emulate same.
His words, “Democracy is not about self but the people. Those who represent us are expected by our people to truly empower them, to go out there and work for them and bring good things to them. We are here to witness the good thing Ndoma-Egba has brought to his people in the central senatorial district.
“Today we come to honour the leader of the senate as our own son who has done well and who sees it necessary to come to his people and say thank you. All our representatives must engage in empowerment. I am talking about sustainable empowerment. They must ensure that our people truly feel the impact of democracy.
“I want to thank our leader for purpose leadership at the national level and here in the state. I want to thank our son for being part of that family that today makes Cross River State proud.”
Also speaking, the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, said the party was happy that its representatives had been “building structures that promote the well-being of our people and democracy’’
“Though these we keep democracy alive. We should continue to empower people, promote goodwill and support government,’’ Mu’azu, represented by Dr Steve Oru, PDP Chairman, South South said.
One of the beneficiaries Mr David Oyamaid “I thank God for this opportunituty granted me. I also thank God for using Senator Ndoma-Egba to sponsor the empowerment programme. It is an enlarged empowerment which has never been done before as far as Cross River is concerned. May God give him the favour to go back and represent us more”
High point of the event was the commissioning of erosion control works at the 1.5km Justice ET Ndoma-Egba Road in Ikom, and the commissioning of water project in Akparabong village amongst others.
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