I am one of those who believe leaders are made not born. They are made by hard effort, a price we must all pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile. Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of those around them because it is amazing what people can accomplish when they believe in themselves.
Anambra Central Senatorial District under Dr. Uche Lilian Ekwunife has experienced and currently experience developmental projects since 2019. The zone has never had it so good until the election of the outgoing senator representing the district. Like she did in 2007 when she was first elected to represent the people of Anaocha, Njikoka and Dunukofia, Sen. Ekwunife hit the ground running and with the amount of projects attracted in her first term, one would wonder if she were a ranking member of the House at the time.
Sen. Ekwunife who rose through the ranks while working as a banker saw the need to redeem her constituency from ill-representation thus abandoning a glowing banking career and threw her hat in a male-dominated ring, casting away all doubts, she shone like a million stars while outshining many of her colleagues across the country who made it to the House before her.
While her bold and courageous records of achievement in the House are glaring, sadly, no one can lay hands on that of her predecessors. Having served well in the House, she sought to represent Anambra Central at the Senate and at the first instance was voted for in 2015 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Sadly, through the instrumentality of the courts, albeit an infamous ruling, that mandate wholly given to her by the people of Anambra Central was taken away from her and handed over to Aguluzigbo-born politician, Chief Victor Umeh of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who misused the opportunity.
Recall that in her short stay at the Senate in 2015, Sen. Ekwunife was Chairman, Senate Committee on Downstream. She is the first person from the Southern part of Nigeria to head that committee and remains the only female to chair the committee and amongst other things, Anambra Central still rue the many opportunities that position would have attracted to the zone with Sen. Ekwunife as head, but we lost it.
Sen. Umeh who stepped into the big shoes of the ranking senator was relegated to the background and was asked to play second fiddle to chairman, Senate Committee on Labour. What a waste. Needless to say that that position was more of a slap in the face of constituents of Anambra Central. It was a fall from grace to grass. A step forward and ten steps back.
Sen. Ekwunife after the ruling that took away her mandate urged her supporters who cut across every strata of the society not to be bothered while assuring that she will in due time retrieve it and that was exactly what she did in 2019 when she was again elected to represent the zone and evidences available points to the fact that she gave and is giving a good account of herself.
She currently heads the Senate Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation and has used that position to develop institutions across the country including the seven local councils under Anambra Central zone.
Roads are either being constructed, rehabilitated or maintained, schools were equipped with furniture and instructional materials while classroom blocks were built, free medical outreach across the 52 communities within the zone were carried out, boreholes were sunk, solar streetlights were installed, including transformers, there were erosion controls, people were empowered through provision of tricycles, entrepreneurship trainings and provision of capital, empowerment of artisans among others.
She has used her position to grant employment to over 600 persons within and outside her zone between 2007 to 2022 as at the last count and attracted COVID-19 grants of about N700,000 each to over 400 persons.
I am listing these things so in due time, we will be able to look back and ask questions of those who seek to be elected or re-elected into various positions.
I warned severally prior to the elections that if the zone loses Sen. Ekwunife, it would be retrogressive because here we have a Senator – a ranking Senator who has lots of experience in her kitty, and has built bridges and made friends across the divide in the National Assembly which are what every Senator needs to excel and make their zone stand tall.
So many of us threw our weight and support behind the performing senator before the elections and now that we lost, supporters of the Labour Party candidate make jest of us but that is not the issue. Chief Umeh will serve everybody within the zone, indigenes and non-indigenes alike and so we will all hold him accountable for the things he will do and those he fails to do.
The zone is no private property of anyone and so I wish for him to succeed but I do not expect him to equal achievements of our dear Senator let alone surpass it.
I am saddened because if Sen. Ekwunife was returned to the Red Chamber, it would have solidified her efforts and make our voice stronger and louder which will result to more developments for all of us in Anambra Central.
As I close, let me urge all to stop spreading the narrative of our dear senator losing because as they allude, ‘she campaigned against Mr. Peter Obi’. Let me reiterate that Sen. Ekwunife never campaigned against Mr. Obi and I challenge anyone to prove to me that she did, and before you point me to her statement at the PDP Presidential Campaign Flag-off in Akwa-Ibom where she stated that ‘Nigeria does not need a kindergarten president’, let me remind you that 18 persons contested for office of the president and it beats my imagination as to how people ascribed that comment of hers to her referring to the Labour Party candidate.
Was Mr. Obi the youngest among the presidential candidates? No. Was he the least experienced? Not at all. Was he the poorest? Definitely not.
How then did naysayers, supporters of Chief Umeh especially come to the conclusion that she referred to Mr. Obi?
In that same statement, Sen. Ekwunife said the country needs someone who will take us from ‘consumption to production’ which was one of Mr. Obi’s major campaign mantra, nobody said she was referring to the Labour Party Candidate. How wicked can the heart of man be.
Sen. Ekwunife as a true democrat and in the spirit of sportsmanship, has congratulated the Senator-Elect and while his supporters rejoice, they should know that their principal was not ‘tested’ in the last election as he had a free ride like many of his ilk across the country based on their association to the LP and popularity of the presidential candidate.
We look forward to seeing him in future elections where he will contest squarely and where his popularity will be tested truly. Then we would know who the people have at heart.
Senator Uche Lilian Ekwunife performed optimally and let me say that despite outcome of the elections, she has not abandoned any ongoing project. Several roads have been completed after the election while work continue on others.
Asphalting of first phase of Ogbugbankwa-Amikwo Road in Awka South local council completed, Timber Market Road, Iyiagu Road, Amaenyi Road, and Chinwuko Road all in Awka completed.
Asphalting of Agbomi/Gozie Akudolu Road in Nnobi, Idemili South completed. You will agree with me that for some others, work would have stopped long after results were announced in their opponent’s favour but it is not so with Sen. Ekwunife.
Hate or like her, she has performed beyond expectations and even as you criticize her for allegedly jettisoning her primary role of lawmaking for building of projects, I advise you Google her antecedents on the floor of the Senate to see how many Bills she sponsored and number of Motions she moved. She is just an all-rounder and what other zones wish for.
If not for the chauvinistic nature of most ndi Anambra men, her previous attempts at being the governor of Anambra State would have resulted to a landslide victory but most people would rather have an incompetent man govern the state than a woman, not minding her connections to the Centre and capabilities.
I hope we would someday learn to vote on the lines of competence and not sentiment which was what played out in the last senatorial elections.
Whichever way, Sen. Uche Lilian Ekwunife, defied all odds, by thriving in a male-dominated space thus letting women know it is doable if they have the grit and tenacity.
Thank you dear Senator. You are bowing out with your head high and shoulder straight, may God bless all your efforts and future endeavours.
