OLOROGUN Jaro Movudu Egbo is one of the House of Assembly aspirants running for the Ughelli North State Constituency II seat into the Delta State House of Assembly. He has held several political appointments in the state before now. In this interview with SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, John Dugbe, Egbo said his decision to run was informed by the need to give his constituency adequate representation. He also spoke on the Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration.
The principal business of a legislator is to make laws, so how do you intend to carry on with these projects you have mentioned?
You see, the principal business of a legislator is to make laws but the budget is the biggest law; the budget of the state is a law. And then you can only influence that if you have a strong network with your fellow legislators. The budget is done in the House; all you need to do is to work with the economic planning. You write your projects out in line with the vision of the government. If they are going to do ten roads, make sure your roads are included, if they are going to build schools make sure as a legislator you work with planning so that by the time the draft budget comes to the House your people would have been effectively taken care of. It is a lazy legislator that goes there to say he wants to make law.
The budget is a law and it is when you are able to connect with the people involved; you are able to talk to the Governor, the Governor is your ally because of course the budget is not an island, the budget for the state is for different constituencies. So it depends on how you are connected; it depends on your network, that is how you are able to influence it. Of course government will build roads, government will build drainages, government will provide for agriculture, agricultural loans, government will provide water, government will provide electricity. So where are those things going to be cited? So my own is to make sure my constituents enjoy or profit from the citing of those projects. So that is my own.
No doubt you have been in politics for quite some time now, although you have not held any elective position, how have you affected the lives of your people as a politician?
Well, I have not held any executive position. First I served as the Special Assistant to the Honourable Commissioner for Special Duties for three years; then I was the Special Assistant to the Secretary to the State Government, before my recent appointment as the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on NDDC matters.
First when I started, when we had opportunity to employ people, we were able to influence employment to our people; our people were gainfully employed. When it was also time to cite projects, within our small power, we were able to bring some here and when I got into NDDC, we were able to give out transformers. And there are areas where we ensure that jobs around our areas are properly done by contractors. Then we also influence payments for them so that the contractors can get paid.
For instance, contractors like S. O. Olotu, we were always working with him, we were always seeking his understanding to finish the projects that he has started in our area. For example the Otokutu-Agbarha road is an example of the synergy of the work we did. There are other people too where we got jobs, some we influenced, we got contractors to employ them. I myself in my own small way, because I like education so much, quietly I’m supporting some indigent students in my area and other people. So these are ways I believe I have contributed to the society. But I believe I can do more if I take a higher office. That is why I seek to represent my people in the House of Assembly, and I know if I’m elected, by the grace of God if I’m there I will do more than what I have been doing and my people will feel the impact positively that somebody is representing them.
How will you assess the government of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan?
The new word now is that he is ‘finishing strong’. The evidence of finishing strong is everywhere. You see our airports, you see our health institutions, you see our schools, then recently our roads; you see flyovers, another airport is now springing up in Warri. Those are things that despite the meager resources now allocated to the government he has been able to carry on well. So I will give him an excellent pass mark and I believe before he hands over on May 29th, some of the projects would have been completed for the benefit of all Deltans and someday Deltans will come to say that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan is one of our best Governors and indeed his name will be written in gold.
What are some of the projects he will be remembered for?
Like I just mentioned, there are several roads. The other day I was going to Asaba from here and it took us just an hour twenty minutes between Ughelli and Asaba. That dualisation is a very good thing, and you know people don’t know why that road is being dualised. The vision is when we get our Warri Seaport working; when you are taking goods to Onitsha, you can go with a dual carriageway, and that same road also links to the airport in Warri. So it is really this Delta beyond oil foundation that he is laying now, but people won’t really appreciate it for some time until some years to come. So it is a vision; rather than offload your cargo in Lagos, you can offload in Warri which is shorter; you take your goods from Warri to Onitsha at the instant market. Then there is a cargo airport in Asaba as well, so whichever way, you know that commerce is going on well. Then you talk about our schools, just take a drive round our schools, go to St. Patricks, go to Nana Collage, that is how schools should be run. You see modern facilities there and things are going on. So the children who are learning there, they are going to remember Uduaghan the way they remembered Awolowo that indeed during our time, we had the best in our time and someday when they become professors, governors, they will look back and say our time was a golden era.
He will be remembered for all that. And then you know the peace that existed between us, you know how it was before now, the Itsekiris and Ijaws, the Urhobos, Isokos and others; we have been able to maintain the peace in the state. All these happenings are as a result of well thought out plan. You can sleep now with both eyes closed. For some time the issue of kidnapping was very rampant people were afraid but those are things of the past. Those are things that you cannot place premium on, people cannot place premium on security but if you cannot sleep you cannot rest; your business will not grow; people will be afraid and that will affect the economy and affect us individually. Those are the areas I think he has done very well and has continue to do well and I look forward that the man who will take over from him will continue in that direction so that we will continue to enjoy our peace and let our business grow.
Finally, what will be your message to Deltans in view of the 2015 general elections?
My message to Deltans is that they should continue to vote PDP; they should continue to support Mr. President, particularly my people here in Urhobo, we don’t want to be in opposition, we want to be in mainstream politics. This opposition thing is new to us. In the First Republic, we were in mainstream, we joined hands with NCNC to form the national government, in the Second Republic, we were in NPN, in Third Republic, we were in SDP, now we are in PDP.
Don’t let anybody deceive us that there is something somewhere that will bring something to us as opposition; they will only end up in misery. So my advice to Deltans is that they should support Uduaghan to finish strong and continue to vote PDP and I believe that the dividends of democracy will be for all of us.
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