The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), for Oju/Obi Federal Constituency, Federal House of Representatives, Honourable (Dr) Isaacs Okwori Ochi, has reiterated his commitment to making a difference in Igede Nation if given the opportunity to serve in 2023 general election.
He maintained that his decision to run for the Federal House of Representatives slot for Igede was to salvage the entire Igede Nation from backwardness and underdevelopment in terms of access to education, health and social amenities that could make life meaningful for the people.
Dr Ochi a former lecturer with the University of Abuja (UniAbuja), who spoke at an interactive session with newsmen on Sunday in Abuja, said if elected, he would give priority to the provision of access to education through scholarships as well as women and youth empowerment.
He emphasised the importance of education in nation-building, calling on the Federal Government and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to return to the negotiation table with an open mind to end the over seven months of industrial action.
“We cannot afford to keep our children at home indefinitely. The issues involved are things to settle out of court with the right commitment,” he said.
Ochi stressed that his Divine Mandate to rescue Igede Nation from the jaws of extreme poverty, poor infrastructure and neglect in the national scheme of things, was rock-solid as it is not just one of those political ambitions but borne of our genuine desire to serve the people.
He dispelled innuendoes being peddled in some quarters allegedly by his political opponents that he was stepping down for an unknown candidate, saying that was outright falsehood and handwork of “detractors who are jittery of my wide acceptability by the people”.
“Look, Oju local government was created in 1976, from which Obi local government was curved out on the 1st October 1996. For about 46 years, no Federal presence.
“As we are speaking, there are no access roads to the two local governments that make up the Igede land. The roads are in terrible and deplorable conditions to the extent that a journey of 45 minutes to Makurdi, the Benue State capital, now takes over three hours.
“You talk about education, the fact that our able-bodied young persons are being transported to the west and other parts of the country for indentured labour and other menial jobs in cities, should be a concern to every right-thinking Igede person.
“These are some of the reasons why we are going into this election. We are not going into this election because of primordial sentiment or for personal aggrandisement. We need to restore hope to our people and give them a sense of belonging as Nigerians.
“We are going into this election with optimism that we will emerge victorious and give our people the quality representation they deserve. What we need to address some of these challenges are legislative interventions. We have the intellect, the capacity, and the nuance to influence development for the good people of Igede Nation,” he said.
Ochi used the occasion to appeal to all sons and daughters of Igede Nation both at home and in Diaspora to give him all the needed support to win the 2023 election as a member Federal House of Representatives representing Oju/Obi Federal Constituency.
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