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Our attention has been drawn to a publication from Agbenema community in Omala local government area of Kogi eastern senatorial district purportedly written by a concerned citizen against the distinguished senator representing Kogi east, Senator Atai Aidoko Ali concerning the donation of a motorised borehole to the community as part of his constituency project at the 8th Senate and also accusing him of connivance with one of his aides to divert the funds meant for the project.
In clear terms and for the purpose of setting the record straight, Kogi east senator does not have access to funds meant for constituency projects as applicable to all the senators and members of the house of representatives at the national assembly or execute any projects directly or by his company or cronies. In fact, he don’t even know the contractors.
According to the laid down procedures, members of the national assembly domiciled their constituency jobs in ministries, agencies and parastatals of government of their choice and specified jobs meant for communities of various senators are advertised and bided for by the job seekers for subsequent execution when funds are made available by government. The only role required by the senator help the contractors identify the locations and sites by the focal person appointed by the senator representing the area.
The focal person as direct aide to the senator brought the engagement of Daniel Yusuf who jointly monitored with the officials of the SDGs, contractors where over twenty boreholes provided by Kogi east senator scattered around the constituency are undergoing construction with some completed and others at various stages of construction like that of Agbenema where the writer is hiding under sheer political mischief to run down the senator and his aides.
To buttress his points, aside the supervision from the agencies and from the senators office, distinguished senator Atai Aidoko Ali personally embarked on project supervision two weeks ago and handed down to the contractors a strong warning to complete the jobs or face revocation from his office forthwith.
Kogi east senator, at the end of the projects, will issue a clearance letter to the contractors side by side with certificate of job completion by the SDGs. As at press time, four of the twenty provided boreholes had passed through the clearance along with ten new 500kva transformer successfully completed ready for commissioning.
Although it is in the public domain that some boreholes project had been abandoned in the community by either the state government or donor agencies, that the writer in error will take my benefit of doubt, if not so, the on going borehole project at Agbenema will be completed soon and due for commissioning before the end of September as no contractors gets full payment of job awards without inspection and raising the certificate of job completion as the process is required.
It is however a perpetual mindset designed to continue to malign, misinform and create mischief to the general acceptance and commendation of the community on the senators singular gesture, along with the rising political profile and chances of the senator to attract massive support of the people of the community and the entire Kogi east that prompted this damaging report to destroy the hard earned image of the senators aide and by extension the senator.
As far as the spirit of collective bargaining and the desire of the senator to continue to bridge the gap and dearth of social and basic infrastructure like water, light, health, rural roads, and trigger affordable economic activities to all the areas in Kogi east. He will not be deterred by deliberate and premeditated efforts of new political entrants operating under the guise of community leaders to attract sympathy in their newly found business of politics.
The youths, women, elders and stakeholders of the community have reassured the senator of unwavering support in his desire to return to the Senate next year advising him to discountenance all negative contraption by self seeking politicians who had abandoned their immediate communities for decades but resolved to take the drivers seat for sheer political exigency.
Senator Atai Aidoko Ali has not reneged in his support to the community in terms of troubles and development as he was touched by the last herdsmen attack on the community and other areas which led to the provision of relief materials to ameliorate the plight of the people at that point in time as efforts will be redoubled to consider more developmental programs to the area.
– Yusuf Abubakar,
For: Senator Atai Aidoko Media Office,
NASS, Abuja.
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