Eket Federal Constituency: Badan's Representation

Sometime in 2010, I wrote an article in a question form entitled “Can Eseme Eyibo pick a second term ticket?”,published in the Weekly Insight Newspaper. 

The article was a mirror I posted to the Lawmaker in question of how the electorate who gave him a mandate to represent them in the House of Representative rated him. It was a kind-hearted admonition to Mr. Eseme Eyibo that though he was making waves as the Dean of the Initiatives in Abuja's seat of power, all was not well with his popularity back at home. In the said article, I called his attention to his ebbing relationship with the people of Eket Federal Constituency and of what they were saying about him.

My entreaties were taken as the ranting of a hungry soldier ant sponsored to spoil the fun of a rising star. Days after, a friend of mine, a former Vice President of Afigh Iwaad Ekid who was then a personal Assistance to the lawmaker confronted me with a copy of the published article. He threw three questions at me in quick successions in an attempt to find out if I was on a pay roll of a political enemy of his paymaster.

He came in and out of his wits but found out that the mirror I presented to his boss was for a true reflection of how sorry and sad the people felt about a Brain Box who has made their constituency known in the world map through Grandstand Politics of little economic dividends back in Eket, Esit Eket, Onna and Ibeno. My friend went back disappointed but not without an assignment from me. 

The assignment was simple. I asked him to attend one of the plenary sessions of Free Readers Association of Nigeria, Eket Branch at Mobil Filling Station the following Monday, where the People's Court sits to churn out verdict to every politician in Akwa Ibom. I am sure he attended because he never   called again, signifying that he got a verdict that was not pleasant to the mouth. At the end of it all, Eseme Eyibo lost his second term ticket to Barrister Bassey Dan Abia (Jnr) a.k.a Badan on a ruling that he shone in Abuja like a star but lost touch with his constituents. The people gave him a red card and warned others to first look down before looking up.
Eseme Eyibo fought back like a wounded lion and challenged the people's verdict in court. 

The matter went up to the Supreme Court and the Apex Court upheld the ruling of the people. A lesson was learnt. The people's mandate cannot be stolen and the episode threw to the fore the fact that man is the greatest judge of himself because conscience will always whisper to us the mistakes we do. Today Eyibo is attempting a comeback. Today, many politicians are learning from the mighty fall of a once rising star. Today, the electorates are more wiser because politicians have made them so and it gladdens the mind to see dividends of democracy hitherto an exclusive privilege of a few being distributed to majority of the people all over the constituencies in form of cars, motorcycles, tricycles, wealth-making items and even cash. 

Today in Eket Federal Constituency comprising Eket, Onna, Esit Eket and Ibeno Local Government Areas, the people are singing praises of a man of action, a man who believes in communal living, who sees giving as a glorious act of getting, a grassroot politician who dines and wine with the lowest in the society in order to raise them up, a legal luminary with over 25 years of practice and a rare gem in political engineering, the member representing Eket Federal Constituency in the House of Representative, Obong Barrister Bassey Dan Abia (Jnr). They are singing praises of him because in barely one year and eight months in office, having lost over a year to Mr. Eseme Eyibo, he has touched the lives of over a thousand people positively through his empowerment programme, scholarship and other Sundry magnanimity. 

Just two months ago, Badan gave out 12 vehicles, 21 Tricycles, 10 Block moulding machines, 160 sewing machines, 70 generators and clippers, 62 motorcycles, 50 grinding machines and 175 scholarship to deserving people of his constituency. Few days ago, he doled out another set of items including 2 Toyota cars, 5 motorcycles, 10 Grinding machines and a sewing machine to a few who really needed empowerment.

One of the beneficiaries, of a car gift, Hon. Udua Akpe, a ward Chairman in Esit Eket described Hon. Bassey Dan Abia (Jnr) as an embodiment of a patriotic democrat who has proved that “politics is not a dirty game”.  

Another Car beneficiary, Elder Kop Johnny Akpan said if other legislators before Dan Abia had done something positive to their people, poverty would have by now been reduced to the barest minimum. He endorsed Dan Abia for a second term.
Prominent individuals and groups including Christian Association of Nigerian (CAN) Pentecostal Fellowship movement (PFM) Esit Eket Chapter and Akwa Ibom Joint Leadership Forum have all endorsed the Federal Law maker for a second term.
“He has performed well within a year and eight months in office, he has done what others before him could not do. It would amount to wickedness and outright acrimony to compare the achievement of Barrister Bassey Dan Abia with that of Eseme Eyibo, grandstanding is no performance or Lawmaking”, said the Vice Chairman of Esit Eket Local Government Area, Hon. Enobong Asubop. 

On his primary duty, law making, Bassey Dan Abia (Jnr) has sponsored over Six Bills now at various levels of enactment in the House of Representative. The Bills include; 

(1) A Bill of  an act to amend the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control CAP NI Laws of the Federation 2004, a counterfeit and fake Drugs and unwholesome processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Amendment) Bill. 

(2) A Bill for an act to repeal the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation Act 2004 and to re-enact the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation Act 2012.
(3) A Bill for an act to provide for the prevention, treatment and control of cancer in Nigeria. 

(4) A Bill for an act to provide for the development and implementation of a local industry participation policy for Nigeria and a Bill for an act to provide for the reporting and dealing with unclaimed financial Assets, to establish the unclaimed financial Assets Authority and the unclaimed financial Assets Trust Fund among other Bills.  

Hon. Bassey Dan Abia is the Deputy Chairman South South Parliamentary Caucus and member of various House Committees, having been put out of office for over one year as a result of litigation from Eseme Eyibo, has constructed 2 Classroom block in Onna and an ongoing one in Ibeno. He has given the people of Ukat in Onna and Eket Water Project and is sponsoring over 10 students in the Nigerian Law School in addition to his scholarship programme. 

His good works is speaking good of him and the people of his constituency are calling on him to represent them for a second term. He is a silent achiever who believes in consultative representation which is a sure ticket for his second term. Let those who cannot move this country forward encourage those who are gifted to do so, it is better than myopic confrontation spurred by selfishness.