Honourable Barrister Edoja Rufus Akpodiete, member representing Ughelli North constituency 11, in the Delta State House of Assembly recently held a special meeting with his constituents and seizing opportunity of the parley Spy News JON Egie cornered him for an interview during which he threw light on his activities in the House assuring his constituents of better days ahead and gives kudos to Governor Uduaghan for responding to the charge of the DTHA.

Excerpts

Honourable, how will you say have justified the mandate given to you by your constituents so far?
I can modestly justify the mandate so far by my activities in the Delta State House of Assembly from the day the House was inaugurated in terms of my contribution by way of motions, arguments, and lobby to attracting one form of programme of empowerment and projects to Ughelli North constituency 11.

How has this translated to pleasing the minds of your constituents?

First, my mandate as a Legislator is to ensure that meaningful projects are appropriated for in the budget of the Delta State government. By so doing, though the budget for 2011 has been completed before the Hose was inaugurated, the only thing left is oversight function to ensure that projects awarded are monitored to completion and to be done to specification.

To your constituency, what is the report card so far?

The report card so far, you will recall recently the House went on forced recess arising from contractors leaving sites; you will recall the Ughelli/Asaba dualization project was in lieu as a result of contractors leaving sites. By a unanimous resolution of the House, the governor was urged to compel contractors to resume at site failure which, the House of Assembly will not resume sitting. Within one week, the governor compelled the contractors to resume and they are working and that was the basis for our action.

Do you feel committed and satisfied by the vote of confidence given to the governor by the House following that action of the House?

Very well, very well. I is simple, it is not an enemy on one camp against an enemy on another camp. The House felt that the projects that were awarded by the governor to contractors and money released, the contractors abandoned their duty posts. The House believed that the governor has the capacity to bring them back to site. The governor was urged to do so and he acted timeously, so such a man should be given kudos. He never failed. He acted accordingly and he compelled the contractors to go to site, now they are on site working day and night. That is the basis for which the vote of confidence…what is a vote of confidence? You confide on a man go and do this which is your within your power, the man did it without complaint———-kudos to him.

Specifically, how will your constituents benefit from the action, I mean, is there any project in your constituency that will be affected by this action?

We named…a project called Ughelli/Asaba road and I represent Ughelli, so the project is Ughelli/Asaba dualization and it is a major project being carried out by the Delta State government, we felt that the contractors abandoned the project and we urged His Excellency, the governor to compel the contractors back to site so that Deltans and indeed Ughelli North constituency 11 people can benefit from the completion and consequent usage of the road. The contractors are back to site working, so it is of benefit. Even people supplying materials with which the road is being done are benefitting, economy is booming there, that is benefit.

How do you feel the pulse of your people now?

Happy! They are happy that I represent them well. The major means of commercial transportation is the use of commercial motor cycle popularly called Okada. You will recall there was illegal collection of fees from these persons and the House took a resolution against such collection to put an end to it. And today, it is a thing of the past and the people are moving. It is not as if Okada riding is a profession but we are saying that in the interim, if that is the means of survival; let us not hurt them further.

How will you summarize the outcome of today’s parley with your constituents?

I have known more about them because it is a learning process and I believe too, they have also seen my own side of the story and democracy has two major pillars; participation by the people and accountability by the person representing them. And you do these by meeting and communication. Now I have told them the little story from the day of my swearing in till today and they have given me what they also want me to do.

For the benefit of the record, how will you reassure them?

I am reassuring them that the projects that we have nominated for budgetary purpose will be there by God’s grace and the contracts will be awarded accordingly and executed and we shall monitor it because, we have a school in Ughell North constituency 11, Iwhreko primary school to be specific, which was relocated from S.S. Peter and Paul premises and required new building, the government approved the relocation and awarded the contract that was abandoned. We have reinstated it and we are pursuing it diligently for government to implement it. The government has also been very willing to accommodate on going projects for completion and my major project is the Ughelli/Otovwodo/Ekiugbo dualization. That I have submitted for budgetary purposes and other road projects in Agbarho, Uwheru. We want to renovate the Udu primary school, the Uwhereu Grammar School and some schools in Agbarho too.

For the purpose of enlightenment, where is the Iwhreko primary school relocated to?

Iwhreko primary school is being relocated close to the Public Field of Ughelli.
And very sensitively, your constituents are still groaning over the very deplorable state of the township road at the Ekiugbo axis, what message of assurance and hope will you give to them?
That is why, whatever the hiccups like insufficient money in the budget, my role as a Legislator, I have also nominated it and I am assuring them that it shall appear in the budget and you know without appropriation of monies government cannot spend money and having done that in the 2012 budget, the completion is assured.
Alright, the people are eager to know how you are relating with your party and party members. What is the relationship between you and your party, the DPP and its members, is it harmonious?
Very, cordial and harmonious. I am in close touch with the LGA executives, ward executives and even at the national. Our national chairman has just been given a national merit award of the Order of the Niger that is the person of General Mogashi.
Rumors mill had it that you are at arms length with the leadership of the party on which platform you contested and won the election and that there is the possibility of your stepping out and pitching tent with the PDP, is it true?

Well, I am not a clairvoyant and I am not a prophet. As we speak, the eleven ward chairmen of DPP, the acting local government chairman of DPP and all the LGA executives of DPP, the immediate past chairman of the party, party leaders and elders are present in this parley. How will relationship be more cordial than that when the people you have business with are always meeting with you? It is cordial. I have told you, even my relationship with the national, if I am not in touch I wouldn’t know, I didn’t read this on the pages of newspaper, I was communicated. I have congratulated the national chairman.
Now, your pledge for ICT material supply to your constituents, when are redeeming it?
The IT man that will carry out the project is on ground and you will recall I promised on or before December, 2011 and we have actually procured but the place to put them we are negotiating with the landlord, and we will meet up before the deadline.

I over heard you say something about the market project, what is your interest there?
Yes, it was my original intendment based on my commitment to charity that I will personally finance the construction of bore holes in markets in Ughelli, Agbarho and Uwheru. But upon further consultations with traders in the market, I was told their immediate pain is the raising of the fallen fence of the Ughelli market which we have gone to verify, estimate made, about N2 million, and we have agreed to reconstruct it. That I will do because it is what they wanted and you give to people what they want.
Thank you very much.

WTF!!! Kudos for embezzlement or for ineptitude?

He deserves ukodo and not kudos.

They are not funny why can't he say all thise nonsence b4 the goat was voted in ? Any way i know that he is still going back to the PDP HE came 4rm but by 2014 we are going to get credible people in urhobo land