Hon. Omosede: On The March To Greater Parliamentary Height

Many people including my humble self will not be knowledgeable about the person of Hon. Barr. Omosede Igbenedion. Other than the fact that she is the daughter of billionaire Bini entrepreneur and Royal Chief, Dr. Gabriel Igbenedion the Esama of Benin who tickled our fancy those days with his airline Okada Air, Hon. Omosede amongst many Niger Delta politicians will hitherto clearly be referred to as an neophyte in the politics of Edo state not to talk of the region.

But that notion is gradually wearing out not with her election into the House of Representatives where she is representing Ovia Federal Constituency. The constituency will not be said to be a very popular constituency as far as the House of Representatives is concerned not due to their own making but because those that have represented the constituency before now have not shown the kind of tenacity and proactive representation which she is showing.

Without attempting to sound too patronizing or sycophantic, Hon. Omosede has through her activities and comportment in the 8^th National Assembly shown that people must look above myopic considerations in electing who represents them in the legislature. At a relatively young age and little or no experience in parliament, Hon. Omosede has blazed the trail in parliamentary representation by raising the stakes even to the envy of ranking members in parliament.

I wish to use two incidents to draw attention to the positive contribution of Hon. Omosede Igbenedion who is the Deputy Chairman Petroleum downstream in the House of Representatives. One of such is the UNIBEN accident that claimed the life of a female undergraduate and the flood that ravaged some communities in her constituency. Greater calamities have occurred in other constituencies outside hers but the patriotic manner and zeal in which she brought the issues to the attention of the House must be commended by all hence this piece by my humble self.

How can a first termer in the House achieve such feat if not for the fact that she has her people at heart? While others may be wont to look the other way and look for possible excuses(s) not to draw the attention of the Parliament to the issue, she on the other hand took the matter up and the result is the positive reaction of those that matter in addressing the issues raised in her motions.

This last festive season will surely be remembered by members of her constituency that were affected by the flooding because the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA quickly addressed the plight of the people affected by the flood by sending relief materials to them. This will surely count as the first of its kind without too much pressure from the House Committee on legislative compliance. The other motion she raised as regards building pedestrian bridges and speed breakers I understand, is receiving quick attention from the office concerned. What better way to end the year for the people of her constituency?

Not done with representing them effectively in Parliament, Hon. Omosede has also shown her soft side as a compassionate woman and grassroots politician by presenting various wards that make up her constituency. Throughout the festive season, this amiable politician never rested. She was always in touch with her people delivering gift items from ward to ward and attempting to find out what their problems are. She was also reported to have shown her compassionate side to Internally Displaced Persons IDP Camps by donating relief materials and identifying with them. What a show of compassion!

The problem of many politicians in the country is that as soon as they are elected into public office, they turn their back on the people that elected them and still hope that during the next round of elections these same abandoned people will rescue them from electoral defeats. This is and will no longer be the case and Hon. Omosede Igbenedion understands this and is not willing to tow such ignoble path.

There will always be challenges in any good efforts if in doubt consult the bible about the challenges against our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why we as patriotic Nigerians must never fail to pray for such kind hearted politicians like Hon. Barr. Omosede Igbenedion. I may not be part of her constituency but as a Niger Delta person and as the National Coordinator of the Niger Delta Renaissance organisation, an organisation involved in promoting positive virtues in the region, I believe we must commend her efforts and continue to support her to do more for her people because in the long run such good works impacts positively on the generality of the Niger Delta people.

As expectant as we are concerning what this year will bring for us, it is our fervent prayer that the Lord Almighty continues to guide and direct her in her endeavours and never allow her to rest in her oars. In the long run her efforts will be replicated in the support which her party the Peoples Democratic Party PDP will get in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

May God bless us all.