Robust Representation: Senator Albert Excites Itu Youth Leaders
Service delivery is a critical factor used to evaluate how effective an institution or individual is on the backdrop of a given assignment.
This was the focal point when Youth leaders from Itu Local Government Area engaged the Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East, Obong Bassey Albert (OBA), in an interactive session to brief the Youths of his activities at the 9th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The session themed: ‘The Panoply of Effective Representation’ was held Sunday, January 3, 2021, at the Ejagine Event Center, Nelson Mandela Road, Itu, and in attendance were Youth leaders across the ten electoral wards of the local government area.
The discourse traversed different spheres of life from politics, governance, and unemployment of Youths, conflict resolution, the welfare of citizens, the economy, education, the electoral bill, the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), and other critical issues of concern.
On the passage of the PIB and the role he has played in formulating laws that will aid the development of the oil and gas industry. Senator Albert said the legislature agreed to facilitate speedy passage of the PIB for the interest of Nigerians and optimal growth of the oil and gas industry. He said it was a collective responsibility to put robust machinery in place for the oil and gas industry to guarantee global competitiveness.
He also hinted that the deal he negotiated between the Federal Government cum Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and Chevron Nigeria Limited ensured the historic resolution of the disputed NNPC/Chevron Escravos Gas to Liquid. That breakthrough in negotiation, he said led to the historic signing of the NNPC/Chevron EGTL Revised Agreement, which provided an instant leap for Nigeria in her energy sector and led to the reversal of the Joint Venture sharing ratio of 25:75 % to 60:40 % in favour of Nigeria and Chevron Limited respectively with a cost savings of over $6 billion (Six billion Dollars). This, he added, has seen more finances accruing into the Federation Account.
On the high unemployment rate ravaging the country, Senator Albert said Nigeria must invest hugely in human capital development and training of man-power in areas of high demand in the labour market. He lamented the drift from technical and vocational education, which he said could employ young school leavers while seeking academic inclination.
The conversation was further deepened with a look at the electioneering process in the country and the potential impact of amending the electoral act. Albert said the National Assembly carefully considered the position of the country’s election umpire (INEC), before agreeing to include the clause that will allow INEC to transmit results electronically, despite the earlier refusal by some of his colleagues.
Understanding education as the bedrock of societal development, Senator Albert said he is desirous to see the next generation of leaders get the best of education regardless of seeming challenges. He said such a reason propelled him to institute a scholarship programme, which 381 undergraduates from the state have benefitted from since 2016. He said the scholarship is merit-based and has so far produced eleven first-class graduates.
On empowerment of constituents, Senator Albert noted that he has organized several programmes for the training of Youths of Akwa Ibom North-East, and has built and donated an entrepreneurial, recreational, and technology hub in Ifa Ikot Akpan, Uyo that has begun training hundreds of Youths in relevant Information Technology (IT) skills that will make them very competitive in the job market. He said the center is free and open to all Akwa Ibomites, who are eager to upgrade their knowledge based on programmes offered at the center.
Rapporteurs at the event: Dr. Promise Etim; Barr. Bassey Bassey; and Dr. Jane Akpan took turns to highlight critical issues raised during the discourse and also jointly made recommendations.
Related: Expect More Life-Touching Programmes in 2022 – Senator Albert Tells Constituents
The Chairman of the session, Apostle Oscar Ebong, expressed satisfaction with the response offered by the representative, Senator Albert, on core issues of development and charged him to do more for the people. He also urged constituents to engage their representatives at given intervals to get acquainted with issues bothering on development and also get reasonable feedback on the legislative engagements.
The roundtable discourse is the first that Youth leaders at the Local Government level have engaged a representative to brief them on his/her legislative activities and give an account of stewardship.
