Benjamin Ikani Okolo: Giving Constituents What Belongs to Them

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By AbdulKareem Adehi.
The desire to serve and bequeath good leadership and people oriented disposition to the people of his area and his constituency at large can not be overlooked in the last three years.
It is unlike of some political office holders and law makers who believed in selfless stewardship demanded of their various offices only when elections are drawing closer or few months away.
In the case of Dekina/Bassa Federal constituency in Kogi state, the man at the driver’s seat, Benjamin Ikani Okolo(BIO), made it a point of duty to give account of his stewardship to the constituents on a yearly basis in conformity with the best practices, transparency, accountability and due diligence capable of moving the people of the area from poverty line to productive entities by providing social interventions.
The first year report card, though under-reported by the media, was manifest everywhere in Dekina federal constituency as beneficiaries have gone ahead of their representative to give testimonies of their self sustenance in micro and macro businesses, small and large scale entities, provision of seed capital to start small businesses, women empowerment through donation of dryers, grinding machines, milling machines, generators of various sizes to stimulate energy needed outfits.
The constituents heave a sigh of relieve even when men of different age group got motorcycles, tricycles and other movable machines to move them from redundancy to productive ventures.
This is in addition to the unofficial gesture of offsetting the negative economic hardship orchestrated by the recession and mis-governance in no measurable quantity on ‎a routine and monthly basis, either in cash or kind or through other surreptitious means meant to improve the living standard of his constituents.
Hon. Benjamin Ikani Okolo, not deterred by series of life touching activities to the constituents, made provision of water and light a priority. as a representative whose offshoot was from the downtrodden, basic necessities of life like water, education, light, hospital and schools development is a corollary that must be attained.
In the last three years, collective bargaining and engagement of stakeholders of ‎various areas in the federal constituency had been the style of operation. Water projects scattered around the constituency include motorised, hand pump, solar powered, model and easily assessed boreholes to all the communities based on their need assessment.
BIO refused to overlook the importance of provision of electricity knowing fully well that it will trigger more economic activities and drive the economy of the area. His efforts at completing the abandoned light projects started during his stint at the local government by providing more transformers, poles and wires to connect virtually all the communities in the hinterland as well commissioned them.
Hospitals were rehabilitated with provision of hospital equipments to address the dearth of rural health care and primary health care neglected by those charged to provide these. He donated laboratory equipments and re-agents to ensure accurate laboratory examination and proper diagnosis, particularly in the rural areas.
The federal lawmaker, three years down the line, on a yearly basis ‎filled his office with lists of secondary school students and pupils due for WAEC/NECO/NABTEB/JAMB/IJMB and other qualifying examination by offsetting the registration fees reneged by the state government to bridge the gap of the well to do and the less privileged ones in the society. In addition to this, he placed some students in institutions of higher learning on direct scholarship on a yearly basis.
The Kogi state government resisted some of Benjamin Ikani Okolo’s developmental efforts with particular reference to his intention to reconstruct Sheria bridge and other social interventions.
It is now a burden on the Dekina Federal constituency, consisting of Dekina/Bassa, to resist the clamour of leftists, by returning BIO in 2019 not minding the political gimmicks that may not enhance the chances of the area.

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