By: Inside Cross River News Editorial
Before the advent of the 10th National Assembly, Cross River North has been in the backwaters of misrepresentation, poor representation and underdevelopment. We have had Senators who didn’t understand the business of legislation, out of sheer abandonment wasted their term as Senators and betrayed the People’s trust.
However, there was a ray of hope when Distinguish Sen Jarigbe Agom was elected Senator representing Cross River North. In his thinking you have to build a bridge and see if development won’t connect the people. Isaac Newton was very succinct when he said “we build too many walls without enough bridges”. When you carry out a needs assessment on Nkum communities, the feedback you will get will amaze you. The people had yearned for a Messiah who would give them a voice at the National Assembly and facilitate the development of their communities.
Before Senator Jarigbe Agom embarked on this all important project, the people had voted for a bridge builder who would link their communities and bring about rapid socioeconomic development. From Nkum Irede down to Nkum Iborr, the story is the same. Alas! God has answered their prayers by giving them the People’s Senator, a representative par excellence.
Legislative business is a bit cumbersome, enacting people-oriented bills, engaging in oversight, and lobbying. First of all identifying the needs of your people, you articulate them and then outline them in their order of priority is not really easy going by scarce resources and rigorous procurement processes. The magic wand with which Senator Jarigbe Agom uses to influence projects through lobbying government ministries and agencies is a topic for another day.
The Ukpagada-Ukpe-Alladim-Igodor link bridge will have an unprecedented impact on the lives and livelihood of these communities. Going by the agrarian nature of Nkum people, facilitating this gigantic project will open up and boost food production, reduce rural-urban drift and put money in the pockets of our peasant farmers who can’t assess Abakpa or Okuku Markets to sell their farm produce.
Senator Jarigbe has proven that he understands the business of legislation, as Senate Committee Chairman on Gas he has steered his Committee to aid the Federal Government implement the CNG transition of the Renewed Hope Agenda. Also as part of his oversight functions, Senator Jarigbe has not relented in intervention programmes, health care outreaches, agric inputs to farmers in the planting season, empowerment initiatives, provision of solar powered boreholes, and construction of schools. He has since embarked on rural rehabilitation of electrical works in Nkum Irede, solar powered street lights in Ogoja, Yala, Obudu, Obanliku and Bekwarra local governments.
With this and many more, Senator Jarigbe Agom is the first and last man standing to liberate Cross River North!