The member representing Onitsha South 1 constituency at the Anambra State house of assembly, Hon Uzoma Innocent Eli said his journey as a legislator has been herculean but also a wonderful experience.
Eli in an interview with ANN maintained that looking back, he has no regrets. He, however, revealed certain things he would do differently if given the opportunity.
“My journey as a lawmaker started with trainings where we were taught ethics of the profession after which the job began which comprised the three core functions of legislation: lawmaking, oversight function and speaking the mind of the people.
“My experience as a lawmaker was a work in progress. Having to balance expectation, finance and availability to do things. It was herculean but also a wonderful experience. When I look back, there are many things that if you give me more opportunities, I will like to continue with them. What it also taught me is for one to do what they can when you have the opportunity and I am happy that I am taking the back stage.
“In the last three-four years, the 7th assembly has made life changing laws both executive and individual sponsored laws and as a trained lawyer, I and my colleagues made sure that most of the laws passed met the contemporary needs of the people”.
On his empowerment program, Eli said “I have tried to use my office to better the lives of many persons as much as my resources can do. We have done electrification program because I come from a community where much load holds sway.
” My constituency ‘Fegge’ started as a low cost housing. At a time, the transformers that were installed in various places were aimed at accommodating low cost houses, most of them bungalows. But towards the end of the 90’s, because of the markets around my constituency, urbanization happened which came with more people who came to seek greener pastures and we started witnessing high rise buildings which increased the loads in electricity. This affected the transformers and the people were living in the dark.
“I engaged the EEDC and they gave me about ten spots where they will be needing transformers and I was able to procure four and had plans to continue to do it but then election happened.
“During Covid, the economy was down and the highest consideration was how people could feed, and I embarked on feeding programs for my constituency.
“When I was running for office, i told them that i came from a humanitarian background and i made a promise to assist petty traders to improve their welfare and capital base. In fulfillment of that promise, i was able to raise three hundred women both widows, the indigent and petty traders and helped in their trade by giving each of them at least twenty thousand naira.
“As for the youths, when i came, i had a plan to do a revolving bus scheme. Meaning, getting a set of buses and giving to some persons and they pay a certain amount. I got six buses, four shuttles for some persons.
“On education, my predecessor stated a very laudable program in my constituency where during the long holidays, he will organise lessons for secondary school students and at the end of the programs, exams will be conducted and the best students are given scholarship. I continued the program.
“I have given about sixty persons scholarship with lots of interventions to people who were unable to pay their rents or medical bills.
On environment, “I wrote several mails to the ministry of public utilities, ministry of environment and to the former Governor Chief Willie Obiano, intimating about the environmental degradation that we are facing in my constituency. Before Covid came, the public utilities wrote me to elect some places which i did, they went on an inspection and okeyed it but unfortunately, it was not done.
“I’m not making excuses for anyone but Covid came and the economy was down and it was no longer a priority for government at that time.
When Governor Chukwuma Soludo came, i had a personal conversation with him and mentioned to him that bulk of the issue in my constituency beyond dilapidated roads would be blocked drainages.
“Fegge is supposed to be the collection point of all the floods coming from Ogbaru, Idemili, and Onitsha. The people who designed Onitsha and Ogbaru had ‘Sacamori gutter’ which ran from Obodo Ukwu road, Housing estate, PH road, Silas Works to River Niger. They got blocked and water was not flowing and it flooded to people homes. At some point, people could not leave at Silas works because flood chased them away.
“I spoke to Governor Soludo, made videos and during his inauguration he promised to visit and he did come and made a commitment that he will do it and he is keeping to his words. They are working vigorously on that roads.
Speaking on bills and motions, Eli maintain that he co-sponsored the youth empowerment law amongst others.
“I was working on a law on indigent people but unfortunately election happened and i won’t be part of the 8th assembly but I am working with someone who would continue to be here and i will follow it up.
“Covid came and took almost one year of our program because we were not sitting which means we did not have a complete four years.
” For the very first time in Anambra State, the state has given my constituency the opportunity to have a general hospital and it was as a result of conversations which started with governor Obiano who told me that he did not have more money as at then because he was handling the International Confrence Center (ICC) and the airport.
“So, when Soludo came i was waiting for his government to settle but an opportunity presented itself on the 28th of November, 2022 the night the drug line was gutted by fire, and i came to condole with my people and while i was there, the commissioner for health as a representative of the Governor, visited to people who sustained injury.
“We visited some persons who were hospitalised around the hood but the severe cases went to FMC Asaba. He asked me to go with him to Asaba to see them and i was happy to go with him and while we were there, i had the opportunity to re-introduce the conversation again.
“Luckily, the commissioner was someone who grow up in Fegge and i now asked him ‘Why do we have to drive almost 20 kilometers to come and seek medical help. The community (Onitsha) has grown and what we need now is a government owned medical facilities where we can have affordable and quality healthcare because what we had had was private owned hospital who do not have consultants that can cater for the community that has grown so much.
“I advised and charged him to sell the idea at their exco meeting because we cannot be talking about a prosperous homeland without adequate medical care and when the budget for 2023 came, it was included with a charge of about five hundred million and i stated engaging them about location and i will follow it up”. Eli said
