2007: Need for Continuity for Ndubueze As Imo North Senator in 11th Assembly
Jim C. Isilebo
As the tempo of political activities heightens preceding the 2027 general election in the country, expectedly, all political actors jostling for one elective office or the other have raised their preparation and manoeuvres towards the actualization of their respective aspirations of being elected. A cursory look at the recent developments in Imo North Senatorial District is indicative of the emergence of various interest groups grappling for the senatorial seat presently occupied by one of the most valuable revelations of Nigeria’s 10th Senate, Senator Patrick Chinwuba Ndubueze, a thoroughbred and consummate professional engineer from Umualumoke Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State.
An Imo-born public affairs commentator and age-long ally of the senator, Chief Ethelbert Nwachukwu, who has been monitoring his political trajectory, said this uncommon politician who was once a member of the House of Representatives at a relatively young age of 28 in the early 90s, commenced his quest of representing the people of Imo North Senatorial District or Okigwe zone of a wider geographical space with his sojourn at DPN.
Ever since, he has perennially continued to make relentless efforts in virtually every election cycle towards actualizing his avowed target, despite advices from friends and associates to step down and take another shot at the House of Representatives. Over the years, keen watchers of contemporary political development in Imo North Senatorial district will attest to the fact that on each of the occasions of his contest for this Senate seat, he won at both the primaries and main elections, but unfortunately was denied victory by the notorious ‘Nigerian factor’.
But finally, providence smiled at Ndubueze in the 2023 general election when his long-sort aspiration came to fruition as he emerged victorious at both the elections and courts. At this juncture, the senator being a resolutely committed Christian, in recompense for answered prayers to God, made a vow to commit all his energy and resources towards a desirable and valuable stewardship to the good people of Okigwe Senatorial zone, as he immediately rolled up his sleeves and went to work which has yielded enviable dividends since the advent of the present political dispensation.
Road Network Infrastructure
Senator Ndubueze, as an unsullied and home-bred politician, coupled with his professional training as a tested civil engineer, clearly understood the challenges of his people. Following which he firmly pledged during his electioneering to do everything within his powers, capability, and capacity to ensure that the key interconnecting roads in Okigwe zone were well captured in the appropriation acts.
He envisaged that if there is an intentional, honest and diligent pursuit in the execution of these projects, it will bring communities within the zone much closer to one another thus, awakening their realisation of oneness.
In pursuant to this, during his short-lived tenure as Senate Committee Chairman on Works, Ndubueze facilitated the capturing of several roads within the zone in the 2024 Appropriation Act, some of which are at completion stages, or about commencement at the moment.
They include Umuelemai-Ikpem-Orreh-Umualumoke-Enugu/PH Expressway (25km. linking Isiala-Mbano,Ehime-Mbano,Onuimo,and Okigwe; Ishinweke-Uboma-Ugwaka-Ezinnachi-Ogii-Enugu/PH Expressway (29 5kms) linking Okigwe,Ihitte-Uboma and extending to Obowo; Afor Umuna-Umuduruegbeaguru-Ndiadimoha road (13kms) linking Okigwe and Onuimo; and Aba branch-Eke Ahiara-Okpala road linking Ehime-Mbano,Ahiazu-Mbaise,Abor-Mbaise and Ngor Okpala.
Complimentary to the above, the senator also leveraged on his vice-chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to facilitate the capturing of some arterial road projects and other vital infrastructures, as skills acquisition centres construction/reconstruction of dilapidated school infrastructure, solar community lifting projects in their 2025/26 budgetary year. He is assiduously working towards the successful processing and execution of these projects in the nearest future.
Sponsorship of Bills and Motions
Senator Ndubueze during his electioneering resolutely reassured his constituents of their voices at the floor of the red chamber. He has never reneged on this promise as shown in his robust participation with constructive and vital inputs at both plenary and committee levels in the Senate over the last three years. According to available records, he performed excellently well in sponsorship, co-sponsorship of critical bills and motions. Some of these bills have been passed and accented to by President Bola Tinubu, while some are either awaiting presidential accents or at their various stages of passage.
They include Project Development Agency (PRODA) Bill-2023 (SB 49); Public Partnership Regulatory Commission Bill-2023 (SB 131); National Road Fund Bill, 2023 (SB 60); National Centre For Cancer Research & Treatment (Establishment) Bill 2024 (SB 347); Federal University Okigwe, Imo State (Establishment)2024; Federal Medical Centre (Amendment) Bill 2023(SB-315) (originated from the House, but aided speedy/seamless Senate concurrence); Local Automative Industry Patronage Bill,2023(SB 315).
Motions (sponsored/co-sponsored)
Need to investigate the controversial huge expenditures on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) under the subsidy recovery regime of NNPC, July 11, 2023 (sponsored); Need to holistically investigate the disbursement of loans by Development Bank of Nigeria NIRSA and related banks to Micro, Small and Medium scale Enterprises (MSME) in Nigeria from 2015 to date, July 12, 2023. (co-sponsored); Collapse of road infrastructure in Nigeria, 19th July 2023; Poor state of roads Infrastructure/menace of gully erosion in Nigeria, July 19, 2023. (co-sponsored); Condemnation of the disruptive nature of ‘sit-at-home’ demonstrations in the South-east, July 26, 2023; Urgent need to balance geo-political representation in ministerial appointments, August 7, 2023; Urgent need to withdraw from schools the book ‘Fundamentals of Civic Education for Basic 8 (JSS2)’ by Shola Akinyemi, October 5, 2023; Urgent need to upgrade the eastern rail line traversing PH-Enugu-Maiduguri from Narrow Gauge Rail, November 15, 2023; Introduction of food stamps in Nigeria as interim measure to address imminent food insecurity in the country, February 21, 2024.
Jinx-breaking Legacy Projects
Aside from all the major roads connecting the six local government areas of the state which Senator Ndubueze is consciously pursuing for eventual implementation because on completion they will all outlive our generation, there are remarkable pivotal projects he conceptualized to lift the entire zone off its current state as the least developed in Imo state.
One key pivotal legacy that Ndubueze will be remembered for is his role in addressing the age-long electricity challenge in Okigwe zone. In a bid to resolve it, Ndubueze from his first day in office embarked on the Greater Okigwe Regional Power Project in partnership with relevant Federal Government agencies and Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State. As it was a well-known fact that Okigwe Senatorial District is the only zone in Imo State without a university (state or federal), Ndubueze presented a bill for the creation of university, which resulted in President Tinubu’s accent to the bill.
Human Capital Development
In view of the unemployment challenges plaguing the country, which also affects his constituency, Ndubueze, has within his capacity engaged many youths from his constituency. He has facilitated the training of some youths in China so as to become self-employed. The senator also organised various training/seminars for the youths which included ‘Seminar on Frontier Health Quarantine for officials of developing countries’, ‘Seminar on Malaria control for developing countries’, ‘Seminar on Law-based and Internationalised Business Environment for BRI countries’ and others. Also, within his first two years at the Senate, Ndubueze has aided four of his constituents skilled personnel in travelling to Kuwait and meaningfully engaged.
· Chief Isilebo, a Consultant on Strategic Communication, writes from Abuja, Nigeria