PDP lawmaker begs Buhari to fix roads, electricity in constituency
by Rasheed Sobowale
By Tordue Salem – Abuja
A member of the House of Representatives, representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadigbo Federal Constituency of Benue State, Rep. Francis Otta Agbo, has pleaded with the Federal government to address the neglect of his constituency in the area of infrastructure and Federal appointments.
Besides, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) announced a donation of his entire salaries for his first four years in office, to his constituents who are widows and orphans, to help ameliorate their plight.
The legislator spoke in Abuja, during an interactive session with a delegation of Ijigban/Ulayi/Ekile Communities of Ado Local government area of Benue State, led by Hon. Emmanuel Ogaba.
Mr. Agbo regretted that though over one million of Ijigban/Ekile/ Ulayi people were contributing immensely to the economy of the State, they remained the most neglected, in terms of infrastructure and employment in the state and federal civil service.
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“I want to use this medium to tell the world, how marginalised we are. The whole world should know that the Nigerian state has forgotten the Ulayi, Ekile and Ijigban Community.
“This community is the only one in the whole of Nigeria, without electricity, roads, water and development of any kind; there is no single person in this community, employed in the Federal civil service, the Nigerian Police , the Customs, Immigration, Fire Service, and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps”, he decried.
The lawmaker pleaded with the Federal government to “intervene and save my people from backwardness”.
He commended Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, for appointing an Ijigban son, Mr Sunday Agbaji, as Commissioner for Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC).
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The lawmaker also disclosed that he lobbied for inclusion in the 2020 budget the Rijo-Ekile road and a first-class hospital in Ijigban, all in Ado local government, a part of his Constituency and hoped that the government if President Buhari will release adequate funding for the projects to be executed.
He said the visit of the delegation, will “spur him to do more” for his people.
He promised to effectively represent the 3 LGAs that make up his Federal Constituency, as he thanked the Federal Constituency for “freely voting me and for the unflinching support so far given me and promised not to let them down”.
Earlier, Mr Ogaba, the leader of the delegation that paid him a courtesy visit encouraged him to lobby for the mass employment of his Constituents in the state and federal civil service and the security agencies.
Ogaba, regretted that “you cannot find a single officer from this locality, either serving or retired or even dead.
“This is in spite of the numerous graduates that have been produced by these communities through their sweat. We therefore need deliberate urgent action that will produce officers in the forces from this area”.