RT. HON. FRANCIS UDUYOK: DIARY OF A GOLDEN
LEGISLATOR IN HIS SHELL
By Aniedi UKOENANG
By Aniedi UKOENANG
An age long adage says that empty vessels make the loudest noise, a statement which metaphorically answers the question of how and why a gold fish cannot hide.
In a time when politicians have turned themselves to town criers, making so much noise in an effort to gain relevance and broadcast how they have given keke or motorcycle to one or two people in a whole constituency, here is a diary of a man who dislike blowing his trumpets, despite his five star performance in all his political journey.
Rt. Hon Francis Uduyok, the member
representing Ikot Abasi Federal constituency in the Federal House of
Representatives, Abuja is a man who has
paid his dues in the political arena in the state and has at different times
shown competency in shouldering the socio-political and economic burden of the
electorates.
The odyssey of his political
ascension portrays a gradual elevation from the very infantry level of
Students’ unionism as worldwide president of all Eastern Obolo students,
Special Assistant to a former state lawmaker, two term Local Government Chairman
and now Member, Federal House of Representatives, Abuja.
This is in addition to a very juicy
career he enjoyed in many companies and Federal Government parastatals , being
a professional accountant trained by the University of Calabar, and at the
verge of getting a masters degree from the University of Uyo.
The gradual political growth which
comes with much experience garnered through learning from elderly politicians
gives him a foundation that is largely unshakeable, unlike if his ascension to
political power was a quantum lip or sudden metamorphosis.
The saying that a gold fish cannot
hide reveals the circumstances that culminated the choice of a none noisemaker
like Rt. Hon. Francis Uduyok to his exalted office in Abuja.
The portrait of Hon Uduyok presents
the personality of a silent achiever, whose impact is better felt than heard.
The lawmaker sees services to his
people as his responsibility and not a favour to them, hence he prefers not to
announce them, he rather make them spread across the length and breadth of any
constituency his duty post locates at each given time.
A perusal of a list of his projects,
services-delivered and achievements as a Local Government Chairman and House of
Reps member makes one wonder if all these are happening in the same Akwa Ibom
State considering what is obtainable in respective LGAs.
As a council boss between 2007 and
2015, he was one of the very few local government Chairmen who could among
other things attempt road projects despite the difficulty and high cost of
carrying out such a project in the coastal terrain and topology of the creek of
Eastern Obolo Local government. While many other local government councils were
overtaken by weed, he gave aesthetics to his council by building secretariat
blocks, admin block, finance / Treasury block, ultra modern legislative block
all in the Local Government headquarters.
He also carried out electrification
projects in communities like Amadaka and iko, health Centers, school blocks, to
many government primary schools in the area amongst so many other life touching
projects running to tens of pages too numerous to list.
When it comes to empowerment, his ideology
is that of the Chinese that it is better to teach a man how to fish, than
giving a man fish. From his days as a Local government council boss, he has
never been a rice and motorcycle politician, though he does it ones in a while
at festivities due to the need of the time, but mostly he rather offered
revolving loans for women, purchased over 30 cars as empowerment to supporters,
and purchase of 4 fibre and 4 engine boats to ease transportation and
constructed town halls in Isiotoyo and Emeroke communities.
As a lover of education, the welfare
of students received prime attention as students bursaries were promptly paid,
in addition to Sponsorship of law students in law school. Even workers were frequently
trained and retrained, and over 15working committees constituted, a practice
that is very rare and almost alien to Local Government administration in this
part of the country, in addition to prompt payment of salaries and allowances.
As a local government chairman of
Eastern Obolo, his interventionist projects to his people which cannot be
captured by this write up alone because of the volume, made Estern Obolo a
reference point and a model in Local Government administration not only in Akwa
Ibom State, but in the country.
The fact that his name is synonymous
to development and empowerment is well known to his people and this must have
been the reason the people stood by him against all odds in an election
fiercely contested by political heavyweights from the three local governments,
including a sitting House of Reps member who the people unseated on his behalf,
in 2015 elections.
Just as the people who sort him out
of his golden shield expected when they placed
on his broad shoulders the audacity to speak for the people of the thee coastal
local governments in National Assembly, the Eastern Obolo born MP has been a
blessing to Akwa Ibom as a unit and the country at large through his useful
contributions on the floor of the house.
For
example, though a first term member, his astuteness and exposure has given him
the courage to attain a level of relevance that most second and even third term
members are wishing to attain. Apart from the fact that his contributions are
always well received and treated with utmost importance, he has successfully
sponsored up to three sensitive legislative bills in the lower chambers of the
National Assembly, a feat that some longstanding members are still wishing to
attain.
In the National Assembly he has
sponsored motions on ALSCON reactivation, motion compelling the House members
to honour and show solidarity to the victims of the Reigners Bible Church Collapse
(the video of the House of Reps responds of course went viral online), motion
on creation of additional State constituencies in Akwa Ibom state and Nigeria
in accordance with our constitution.
As a legislator who is not only on
ground but also has his eyes on the plights of his people, soon after he
assumed office in Abuja he pushed a motion on dilapidated structures and
abandoned projects at Federal Government Girls College, Ikot Obio Itong, Mkpat Enin LGA, Motion on completion of abandoned
projects at Federal Medical Centre Uyo.
He also moved a motion on the reintroduction
of toll gates to raise fund to boost our economy and co-sponsored motion on
security on our coastal areas in Niger Delta Nigeria.
Talking about bills, he has
sponsored some bills which are of national importance and have drawn the
applause of public affairs analysts and commentators nationally and
internationally. They include a bill for an act to establish election petitions
tribunal to try electoral offences, a bill for an act to repeal the export
prohibition act, to remove restrictions on selected items that could enhance
exportation of goods to boost the economy and pending jungle justice bill amendment
on past and former presidents’ entitlement act.
Away from bills, the myriad of ongoing
projects he has attracted to his Federal Constituency have turned the whole area
to a huge construction site to the jealousy of other Federal Constituencies who
are feeling that the state government is focusing more on the area, not knowing
that the green chambers man is responsible to an extent.
Through his lobbying skills and hard
work even as a first time member he has spearheaded many projects for his
people. Some are; construction of a Mini stadium at Okoroete Eastern obolo, 4
Classroom blocks at Secondary Commercial School Ibekwe, Ikot Abasi LGA, 4
Classroom blocks at Community High School Ekim Mkpat Enin LGA, renovation of 6
classroom block at Osong Mkpat Enin LGA, 3 classroom block at ife town Mkpat Enin
LGA, 3 classroom at Ikot Esene Akpan Ntuen Mkpat Enin LGA, 3 classroom block at
Ukam Mkpat Enin LGA, 3 classroom block at Qic primary school, Ife town Mkpat
Enin LGA, Borehole project at QIC Primary School Ife Town, Store at QIC, Ife town Mkpat Enin LGA, 3 classroom block at
Community Secondary Commercial school,
Ife town Mkpat Enin LGA,
3 classroom block at African primary
Ikot Eda Ife Mkpat Enin.
Recently too, even when most lawmakers
were running away from the faces of their supporters and constituents due to
inability to fulfill their promises of giving them a pat on the back for their
support, he carried out a mind blowing empowerment scheme, giving out 10 saloon
camry cars, 6 mini Buses, 40 sewing machines, 20 grinding machines, 60 motor
cycles, 10 tricycles (keke), in addition to giving to Law students assistance
scheme.
Additionally, his loyalty to his
party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has ensued peace and political
stability in Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency.
Needless to say that the people are
highly hopeful and anticipating that if he could do all these in such a short
time, better days await them with Rt. Hon. Francis Uduyok on the saddle as their
mouth-piece in the green chambers of the National Assembly.
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Good one
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