The New Democratic Agenda is beloved of progressive politicians all over the world who believe in grassroots emancipation, economic welfarism, democratic populism ,women and youth empowerment, patriotic nationalism and the upliftment of society to globally acclaimed standards.
From the ’60s to the ‘2000s, Jawaharlal Nehru,John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, James Cameron, Barack Obama were a few of the dynamic,creative, resourceful and pragmatic young political leaders that were attuned to the New Democratic philosophy of uplifting and emancipating the masses from abject poverty, illiteracy, disease, unemployment and abysmal homelessness.
Coming nearer home, one dashing exemplar of the New Democratic political imperative is no other eminent personality than Hon Nnamdi Ezechi Chairman House Commitee Nigeria/South Korea Parliament who won a landslide victory in the February 2023 National Assembly elections as a Honourable Member representing the enlightened and resourceful people of Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency of Delta State in the House of Representatives. Hon Nnamdi Ezechi did not emerge victorious by mere accident or providence rather his electoral triumph bore the fruits of years of painstaking effort, dedication, perseverance, hardwork and strategic calculation geared towards disarming would be opponents or political adversaries. Despite his acclaimed victory on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), an offshoot of the New Democratic Agenda school of thought, an inclusive and accommodating Hon Nnamdi Ezechi is open to all persons, ideas, opinions and perspectives irrespective of partisan, sectional, ethnic, linguistic or religious affiliations as far as they are geared towards moving Ndokwa/Ukwuani federal constituency and the nation forward in all positive ramifications. Indeed Hon Nnamdi Ezechi has relentlessly burnt the midnight oil in order to aggregate a comprehensive political, legislative and developmental agenda that is designed to alleviate the socio-economic challenges facing his beloved people in all material particulars.
For instance he has sponsored a pivotal Bill to Establish a Federal Medical Centre Ndokwa in order to ameliorate the health and medical challenges of his people who do not have access to state of the art facilities to address those challenges.
The Bill has passed the second reading and is working its way up the legislative process to bring succour to his federal constituency : ‘The Bill for an Act to Amend the Federal Medical Centre, Kwale (Establishment) Act was singularly sponsored by me because Kwale, is a highly populated metropolis that is dire need of modern medical facilities to cope with the huge health challenges posed by its rapidly expanding population.
During my electioneering campaign, many of the town residents clamoured for the establishment of a modern hospital to take care of their health requirements. And to the glory of God, this Bill has passed second reading today and when it is finally approved, it will bring succour to our people and assuage their yearnings for adequate health care. Kwale is an oil-rich town and the need for a federal medical centre with state of the art facilities is paramount to me as many of the town residents are faced with the health challenges posed by incessant flaring of toxic gas into the atmosphere.
They find it difficult to access good health care; the nearest one, Federal Medical Centre Asaba is quite a distance away and someone in critical condition might not make it before getting there for treatment. The medical facilities available in FMC Asaba or Benin is needed in Kwale where toxic gas flaring is negatively impacting on our people’- Hon Ezechi disclosed.
The action-oriented populist leader has also called out the oil and gas companies operating in his zone for not living up to their social responsibility imperatives by providing physical infrastructure and social amenities while they reap huge profits in oil exploration and exploitative activities there: ‘The only federal presence in my constituency is a federal correctional centre and that is not enough given the vast contributions we make to the nation’s economy as the highest producer of gas in the country. We don’t need prisons, what our people need is tertiary institutions, health institutions, road infrastructure etc and not correctional facilities.
We are the largest producer of gas in the whole of sub-saharan Africa and we cannot boast of a single federal presence apart from a prison calls for concern and our people are not happy at all.
We are hosting a power station producing over 960 MW of electricity yet if you go to Ndokwa there is no light. All the three local governments in my constituency hosts oil and gas facilities yet we have no light. For instance in my community, Okpai, the roads are unmotorable and impassable yet it is hosting a gigantic 960MW power facility, AGIP Oil Company, Sterling Global, Midwestern Oil, and other multinational companies that generate billions of naira monthly.
But their host communities have no motorable roads, no basic amenities and when the people protest, they are suppressed by the security agencies’ – a sombre Hon Nnamdi Ezechi remonstrated.
In this regard the calm, comported, confident and energetic political paragon has called for his people to remain patient and law-abiding as he will do all within his legislative ambit to ensure that his people’s rights and interests are protected and advanced at all levels: ‘My advice to my people is to remain calm and supportive of government policies l continue to implore them that they cannot achieve anything through violence, rancour or hostility.
There is always an advantage in peace and harmony, Ndokwa people are known to be peace-loving and law abiding and there has been no time that our people have fought with the oil and gas companies.
By the special grace of God, a lot of infrastructural projects have been put in place together with the training and empowerment of our women and youths to enable them become self-sufficient and income-generating.
I have a lot of bills that have passed first and second reading, and much more is in store in the infrastructural, socio-economic and human capital development spheres for my people in addition to the market l recently constructed’.
Indeed Hon Nnamdi Ezechi is ready to go the whole hog in delivering crucial dividends of democracy to his constituents in consonance with the New Democratic ideology not caring whose ox is gored in the process.
As far as the resolute Hon Nnamdi Ezechi is concerned, his people’s welfare and well-being comes first above any other material consideration and having taken the bull decisively by the horns in the political arena leaving scores of his opponents scampering for cover, Hon Nnamdi Ezechi is set to take effective lawmaking, credible representation and efficient oversighting of the nation’s vast MDA bureaucracy to the next level in order to deliver on his sacrosanct mandate to his people. To God be the glory.
BY COMRADE JOSEPH OSSAI, A PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCHER WHO WROTE IN FROM ABII, DELTA STATE.
