I’m contesting national assembly seat for quality representation of Onitsha – Ibuzo

By Julie Sylvia

The lawmaker representing Onitsha North II Constituency at the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Edward Ibuzo, says his decision for joining the race for the Federal House of Representatives seat was to deliver quality representation to his constituents.
According to him, expectations of his constituents have not been met in recent times, hence his decision to contest for the position.

Hon.Ibuzo, fondly addressed as ”Liver to deliver” said during an interactive session with newsmen over the weekend: ”We don’t have good representatives at the Green Chamber,just few of them, others are for their selfish interest and could not provide the needed dividends of democracy to the people.

“It is the right of the constituents to have good roads, we should be talking about what to do at 3-3, Ogidi building material Market, what to do to these places we have heavy gridlocks”

”It is these things that inspire me to join the race. When I listen to the cry of my Constituents, Southeast, it touches me. I came on board as a House of Assembly Member in 2015″.

He listed some of his achievements as state lawmaker to include offering free computer training to about 300 constituents since 2015.

”My motive for this, is to tell them that there is more to trading, which this area is known for, that through computer, once you know how to gabbage in and out,you can order goods from outside the country and equally save your money for Hotel room, as well,have your goods.”

”Due to what I have passed through, I found out that most people don’t have the means of checking their health regularly, we use one room in our office for medical check ups. Every Thursdays, medical doctors and nurses come and check people on sugar and blood pressure etc. offer them free medications.

“I found out again that my people lack so many things, so i opened another office at 18 New American Road, a 300 seater space with air conditioned where I collaborated with an NGO- where we teach people a lot of principles.
We started with entrepreneurship, which I told them that entrepreneurship is far better than empowerment, entrepreneurship is teaching how to get fish while empowerment is giving fish.

”We teach principles like Productivity, Act of common sense, Facts, Goal, Effective planning, Hardwork, Responsibilities and so on,after the completion of the course,we will ask you,in yourself,what do you want to do.”

”You cannot empower somebody without these qualities, because you must have target, savings, not spending all you got, this is the best I have done since then,because of the exposure of my Constituents, I give loans after teaching with zero interest, I have given loans to more than one hundred and we are still on that.

”Apart from empowering with 50 Tricycle,4 tricycle truck,70 sewing machines, hair dryers, deep freezers, generators, we are still empowering.”

”I also have a mobile clinic which is being carried along with my Doctors and Nurses to Churches, made announcement for people to come out and check their sugar and blood pressures with free medications.

”In Onitsha Prisons, we organise football matches with first and second positions given television and industrial fan respectively, I have donated more than 1,200 Mattresses, the whole room with my wall clock,this is for them to know that it is that same time,in as much as they are inside,to make use of their time.

”I work with Rev Fr Okpalugo,Father in charge of Onitsha Correctional center to pay their bail bonds,I have taken 5 of them out through bail bonds.”

”I have renovated toilets at New Bethel, Queen of the Niger and Woliwo primary schools, dug boreholes at woliwo Primary School and Oranyere Street while I did a palliative work at Akpaka from the gate.”

”I wrote for Commissioner for Education for the Primary and Secondary at Akpaka which was granted in my second tenure. I built the Trans Nkisi Government Primary and Secondary School and the Health center in my constituency is on going now”.he said.