The member representing Idemili Federal Constituency in the National assembly, Charles Chinwendu Odedo has lined up empowerment tools and scholarship scheme amounting to about N120million for his constituents.
The lawmaker who disclosed this during an interview with journalists at Awka shortly after a Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) meeting yesterday also indicated his desire to seek re-election in 2015.
He disclosed that by the end of May 2015, he would have spent six years and ten months in the House of Representatives which was less than two tenures of eight years.
“So ideally, I am going to contest the 2015 election so that I can convincingly say that I completed two tenures in the National Assembly”, he noted
According to him, “…some people are erroneously calling it the third tenure but I am going in to complete the second tenure because I started in 2008”, Odedo emphasized.
On what he has done so far for his constituents, the lawmaker pointed out that he has concluded plans for the presentation of his annual Report Card. That it would include empowerment tools and continuation of his scholarship scheme that would gulp more than N120million.
He said, “last year I embarked on N60m scholarship scheme, I have done that of 2013. Hopefully the 2014 edition will come up on next week, October 25. On the floor of the House I have already sponsored five bills, and one of them has to do with harmful Widowhood practices. It is seeking to correct some obnoxious acts against widows. The other, the Telecommunications Equity bill, is aimed at enabling Nigerians buy into the giant telecoms industry. There is the National Land Transportation bill; I also have sponsored the Nigeria Safety bill and the Nigeria Career Advice for school children bill. There are also some bills I co-sponsored, there are also some that I proposed amendments.
“It is good and ideal to sponsor bills and co-sponsor some others but the greatest impact on the constituents is the direct empowerment programme. I can say with all sense of responsibility that I have one or two projects in each of the 17 communities in my constituency. I have given scholarship to at least 10-15 students in each community. I have empowered about 8 persons in each community in terms of starting a trade and or expanding the existing ones. The scholarship scheme covers a minimum of 10 students per community; there is also this empowerment scheme where 5-10 youths are empowered with a car or bus also in each community. This is outside motorcycles.
The empowerment for 2014 will feature distribution of keke NAPEP, motorcycles, I want to empower my people more that is why I seek to return to the House of Reps. The scholarship scheme will continue, these are projects that directly benefit our people. In 2011, after three years in the House, I got overwhelming votes from Idemili North and South. That will tell you that the benefit of my being in the National Assembly is evenly distributed. Our people are happy with me and I will like to continue”.
The 2014 edition, according to him, would include scholarship for 500 students, expected to gulp N30m, motorcycles N20m, other empowerment materials will take N30m. On the whole I intend to splash N100m on my constituents on that day.
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