Otuekong Nse Essien: Effective representation and human empowerment personified

Otuekong Nse Essien

BY GODWIN SAM

The adage that a goldfish has no hiding place used to be vague to a lot of people until they come in contact with Hon. (Otuekong) Nse Essien. As a Goldfish he has stood out shining in the 6th Assembly of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. In the Assembly where some members have not yet seconded a motion for the adjournment of plenary (let alone move such motions), the Onna Lawmaker has already presented two motions on the floor of the House. The first motions move by the eloquent Deputy Chief Whip of the House was a motion seeking to stop the establishment of a Nuclear Power Plant in the state. According to the Onna Lawmaker, this motion was informed by his desire for the protection of lives and properties in the State.
The second motion presented by the Lawmakers calling on the state Government and all relevant Federal Government agencies like the NDDC, to come and do something about the deplorable condition of Ikot Akpatek – Ikwe – Odio Road. The road, according to the motion presented at the floor of the House is a very strategic road linking Onna Local Government Area (His Constituency) with Eket Local Government Area.   

The motion presented on Tuesday’s primary entitled ‘’Abandonment of the Ikot Akpatek-Ikwe-Odio Road” reads in part, “whereas the contractor abandoning work on the road has left that critical infrastructure worse than it was before the NDDC’S attempt at rehabilitation, the road has now deteriorated to the extent that large parts of Onna and Eket Local Government Areas are virtually inaccessible, particularly during the rainy seasons, even by Four Wheel Drive Vehicles. These has left these strategic and oil producing communities almost inaccessible, having been cut off by large swathes of collapsed sections, making it very difficult for them to move their goods (sea foods and agricultural produce) to the market while potential buyers can also not access them.
It continues, “whereas this situation has led to many segments of the road, having collapsed, to turn into death traps with the Itoko Bridge claiming dozens of lives and properties including cars, trucks motorcycles, building materials and foodstuff worth Hundreds of Millions of Naira over the years.”
The Deputy Child Whip at that point narrated how a pregnant woman fell off a motorcycle at the Itoko Bridge and died before she could be rushed to a hospital.
These two motions so far moved by Hon. (Otuekong) Nse Essien reveal the love he has for the safety and security of the lives and property of the citizenry in the state. This shows that he has unquenching love for humanity.
As if that is not enough, he had begun his massive empowerment scheme right from the first month of their inauguration into office. What is striking in his empowerment scheme is that it cuts across the whole state, not just Onna Local Government which is his constituency. Having adapted 44 people from the 44 village in Onna Local Government Area, he want  further to incorporate others who are not from Onna and as at the present moment, the list those to empower keeps swelling as he caring people whom he meets and who have genuine needs along.
It would recalled that the Onna Representatives in the Akwa Ibom Assembly once told newsmen in his Uyo residence “I did not come into politics to amass wealth for myself and my family alone as is the norm in this part of the world, but I came into politics to affect as many lives as possible and to demystify governance and make other politicians know that it is possible to be in politics and still connect with the people”. With his performance so far, he has lived out this statement. This is one politician to watch out for as the sky can only be his beginning point.