DINO MELAYE THRILLS AUDIENCE AT SENATOR AKPABIO'S CONSTITUENCY BRIEFING

Senator Dino Melaye, at the weekend trilled audience who converge at ancient city of Ikot Ekpene to witness Senator Godswill Akpabio Constituency Briefing and Empowerment programme to rib cracking jokes.

The controversial Kogi state born Senator had in his characteristics nature trilled the audience and onlooker into rib cracking jokes when asked to speak on behalf of other Senators present at the ceremony started by his "If you speak the truth you die, if you lie you die, I have chosen to speak the truth and die.

And the truth is that, Senator Akpabio is doing well and it is also a fundamental truth that the Governor of Akwa Ibom is doing well.

This generated a loud ovation and laughter at the fully packed Ikot Ekpene stadium the venue where the Senate Minority presented his score card.

He stated that on behalf of the APC caucus in the Senate, ''we are here to appreciate one single Nigerian with multiple competences, highly intellectually sagacious, politically great, Senator Godswill Akpabio .

Akpabio is good thing, good product, wetin good no get another name, na good them dey call am.

We in the senate are very proud of him, he is a Legislator per Excellence, and coming back to empower his people today testify to his sagaciousness.

We saw yesterday gigantic projects embarked upon by his Government and we can see continuation by the current governor, so I went round yesterday and I asked civil servants all over, una don collect alert for June and all the civil servants said yes we have been paid, and I started crying for my own state Kogi.

I say so your Governor does not owe you salary in fact God bless you round about, we in Kogi we need anointing from you.

We the APC Caucus, we have enjoyed a very robust relationship, development knows no party, hunger has no political party, unemployment has no political party, person wey do g…ood make we talk am, Akpabio you have done well, so please we asking that you continue to support him because we that do not have network failure with God know that God is already supporting him, the only prayer here today, is that because the governor is doing well, because Akpabio has done well and is still doing well"

Akwa Ibom state Governor Udom Emmanuel representative of the Senate President, were among several stalwarts from around the country who stormed the Ikot Ekpene Township Stadium to grace the occasion.

The colourful event witnessed the empowerment of over 2500 people from the constituency with items worth's several millions of naira in fulfilment of the promise of the senator to change the narrative and bring about an uncommon representation in his area.

Speaking on the occasion, tagged mother of all constituency and empowerment, Governor Udom Emmanuel said he was pleased to host the great crop of Nigerians at the occasion and commended Senator Akpabio for bringing succour to his people.

Governor Emmanuel said "the people of Akwa Ibom North West senatorial district are very lucky, a man who as governor of this state for 8 years tackled infrastructural renaissance with messianic zeal and in the process entered a structure for the future Akwa Ibom State as a sky scrapper which my administration is determined to work to see its completion."

The Governor described the crowd that defies the late afternoon rain as a clear manifestation that Senator Akpabio, acceptance as a leader and well loved and treasured by Akwa Ibom people.

He said that while Akpabio was putting smiles on the faces of his people, there were some senators who have never called stakeholders meetings in their constituency.

Mr Emmanuel re-echoed the unity existing among the political class in the state, saying that, "we are all dedicated to walking together to build a greater and more prosperous Akwa Ibom State.

The governor also tasked the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the opportunity the empowerment programme afforded them to better their lot and grow in whatever field of endeavour, and augmented the cash amount for bursary beneficiaries by N50, 000.

On his part, the host Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio said the empowerment programme was his own way of giving back to the society in appreciation of the overwhelming support of his people.

We have not come to mobilize for war, because we don't believe politics is war, we believe that politics is about servitude and service to humanity, Akpabio said.

"We are trying to set a record that this is how it should be. When we send you to Abuja or anywhere, come back and give us a report…and I want to set this as an example that this is the way it should be, when you go out there come back and give report."

He said with the level of support enjoyed by the PDP, Ikot Ekpene senatorial district will produce over 500, 000 votes in 2019 for his re-election as senator and that of Governor Udom Emmanuel's second term in 2019.

"We don't want absentee representatives, we don't want absentee senators; we want senators who come back to the grassroots because the power belongs to you. Nobody will carry ballot paper and run, it is you that will vote for the people," the former governor enthused.

Akpabio who spoke glowingly about his successor said he was impressed that Governor Emmanuel is sustaining the tempo of good governance in the state.

The minority leaders happed on the indivisibility of the country as a nation and urged the people of the south east to join hands with others in order to bring lasting solution to mirage of problems facing it.

He enjoined those agitating for a separate state of Biafra to rather pray for the country instead of planning to break away.

According to him the unity and peace that has characterized the political atmosphere in the country might be fractured or imperfect but it not enough reason for some part to nurse the idea of secession.

"Yes we may be confronted with series of challenges which in my opinion are not insurmountable but we should all join hands in prayers for the country he stated.

The Senate Minority Leader said he has executed over 38 life-touching projects across the district including school blocks, markets, roads, erosion control, solar water, health centers and town halls, as part of his 2016 projects.

He listed empowerment items distributed to constituents to include tractors; 65 block moulding machines and accessories;40 industrial sewing machines; 55 truck tricycles, 674 units of 4.5 KVA generating sets, industrial grinding machines, 100 computer sets and accessories,10 buses as well as 20 cars.

The senate president Bukola Saraki who was represented by Senator Philip Aduda, reiterated that "as selective representatives of our people, it is part of our sole mandate and responsibility to legislate laws that would protect and empower our people to make them resourceful individuals that can add value to our community and the nation as a whole."

He commended Senator Akpabio for his statesmanship and stewardship to his constituent describing his gesture as timely in view of the downwards trend in the economy.

Source; Leadership