By Mfonobong UKPONG
The people of Mkpat Enin State Constituency will on Wednesday 18th April, 2018 witness another round of constituency briefing and empowerment programme courtesy of their representative in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Otobong Ndem as all is now set for the exercise which would mark his second phase of constituency briefing and empowerment programme.
In what many have described as uncommon in the history of representation, about 20 members of Mkpat Enin constituency will on Wednesday receive land allocation papers from their lawmaker as beneficiaries of Hon. Otobong Ndem’s housing empowerment scheme. By this gesture, Hon. Ndem has been able to touch the lives of the lucky beneficiaries by making them property owners in the state capital.
The housing estate which situates in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital (Aka Etinan road, opposite Jehovah Witness camp), measures 620 square metres per plot of land. Briefing newsmen at his Uyo residence, the lawmaker disclosed that the mini-housing scheme was his own way of providing one of the basic necessities of Man which is shelter. Throwing more light on the criteria for the selection of beneficiaries, Hon. Ndem, a Civil Engineer by profession hinted that the 14 wards that make up Mkpat Enin has been captured in his empowerment programme.
Under the housing scheme segment of his empowerment, beneficiaries are allocated a plot of land in the estate to build any house of their choice, while the lawmaker would only assist them in the building construction.
“I have a mini-housing scheme in Uyo that is ongoing. Some people are in the construction stage, two people have moved into the Housing Estate.
“Land allocation papers will be given to beneficiaries on Wednesday during the constituency briefing. Each plot of land measures about 620 square metres. The location is opposite Jehovah Witness camp at Aka Etinan Road here in Uyo”.
Before the end of the 6th Assembly, we will have phase 4 of the constituency empowerment”.
Aside the housing scheme, several of his constituents will smile home with buses, cars, starter packs, financial aid, among other empowerment packages.
Now, take a look at the lawmakers achievements in his first term in office as the representative of Mkpat Enin people. ?
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE MEMBER REPRESENTING MKPAT ENIN STATE CONSTITUENCY IN AKWA IBOM STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, HON. OTOBONG NDEM IN BRIEF
As a legislator, Hon. Otobong Ndem has three cardinal functions of legislation, representation, and oversight. So far, the lawmaker has sponsored three bills and no fewer than six important Motions which were duly debated on and acted upon accordingly, such as;
– Motion on Death Fangs from Consumption of Illicit Drinks popularly known as Kaikai (Ethanol and Methanol);
– Motion for the Rehabilitation of Cottage Hospitals in Asong, Ikot Abia and Ikot Ekpaw, all in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area;
– Motion on Community Based Budgeting (Participation of People in Budgeting for Creation of Community Based/People Oriented Budget);
– Motion on Checking Roadside Markets and Trading on Highways in the State to Safeguard Lives;
– Motion on Further Renovation of Public Schools in Akwa Ibom State, and others
On Bills, Hon. Otobong Ndem has the following three Bills to his name already
–Â The Akwa Ibom State Investors/Investments Protection Bill, 2016, and;
– The Akwa Ibom State Economy Strategy Bill, 2016, which have both passed the second reading
– The Akwa Ibom State Urban and Regional Planning Bill 2017.
The first two bills were conceived to further boost and strengthen the current industrialization drive of Governor Udom Emmenuel led administration.
On the second duty which is representation, the facts speak for themselves. On May 22, 2017, Hon. Ndem launched the Mkpat Enin State Constituency Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship/Skill Acquisition Training Programme, where about 62 young persons and women of active age bracket were trained on various trades and given starter packs at the end of the training, while another 91 business owners were given financial assistance to boost their businesses.
Another project very dear to him is the mini-housing scheme for his people. The lawmaker recognizes the fact that shelter is a basic need of man, which is why he embarked on a housing units project of 600sq meters per plot in a total land size of 1hectare. The first phase of the housing scheme, which is located along Ikot Akpan Abia by Mbierebe in Uyo Capital City, is already in progress. The beneficiaries are randomly selected across all the 14wards of Mkpat Enin. His target is to help as many Mkpat Enin people as possible to overcome the accommodation hassles in the city. Two persons have already moved in while the member is always ready to support others at various stages of property development.
Also, the lawmaker has given scholarships to students in different institutions ranging from primary schools to the highest institution of learning. In addition, he is concluding plans to launch a formal scholarship programme which will be mainly for indigent students.
Hon. Otobong Ndem has so far carried out many life-touching interventions across Mkpat Enin, such as solar powered boreholes in Ikot Ekpaw, Ukam and Ikot Akata, facilitate the provision of transformers in Ikot Akata, Nya Odiong and Ikot Abasi-ufon, reactivation of electricity in Ikot Abasi Akpan, Ekpuk, Ikot Ekpaw and Nya Diong, and construction of a befitting Unity Hall in Ukam. It is also on record that Hon. Ndem attended to the unique needs of his constituents who engaged in different trades by assisting them with needed tools. These efforts and many others are directed towards the betterment of his people.
