By Dapo Akinrefon
DR. Alex Egbona was once a councillor in Abi Local Government of Cross River State and grew from there to become Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Liyel Imoke and resigned lately as Chief of Staff to contest election for the Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives. He spoke on his core area of interests as well as his relationship with the governor, Liyel Imoke. Excerpts:
THE current occupant of the Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency seat is planning to return to the House of Representatives for the third term and you are also planning to contest against him.
Let me start by thanking you for the privilege of this meeting. My brother Bassey Ewah has been there for about eight years now. He has the right to seek a third term. I also have the right to that seat. He has done his best and I think it is time for a change of guard. Let me also say that my relationship with him is very cordial. I can tell you that I was the person who moved the motion that made him to go to the House of Reps.
There was this clamour of who will replace the incumbent as at that time, Hon.Obeten Okorn. There was a tussle on who will come in and we in Abi decided that it has to be the person who indicated interest in Yakurr. We endorsed Bassey and that has been the story till now. Bassey has been winning with Abi votes, all the Abi men and women have been voting for Bassey in all the elections.
I will tap from his knowledge and experience. Incidentally, he has experience in the legislature too; he has been in the House of Assembly as the speaker then, before he moved to the House of Reps. He has done his own bidding and I’m actually going to improve on what he has done. If there is anything he has not done, I will look at them and try to do it and even do better.
What do you intend to achieve, different from what has been happening there?
I want to leave a legacy of proper service. I want to leave a legacy that people can feel and enjoy within the next 48 months, to put a cottage hospital. I want to decongest the General Hospital at Ugep and with the new polytechnic that is actually called school of management technology, students of that school will have the benefit of a nearby health facility that is of standard because my idea is that we will put a resident doctor there to offer 24 hours service. In 48 months, I think I can achieve that and that is my first target for my people.
There is a saying that a healthy man is a wealthy man and because in Nigeria people don’t pay attention to health, that is why you see people going to India. What you just need to do is to provide some facilities here, bring some medical experts even from the same India. With a conducive environment, an Indian doctor can work in Ugep, can work in Mkpani, can work in Ekori, can work even in Ekureku, can work in Itigidi or any part of the local government. An Mkpani person doesn’t need go to Ugep because for now that is the only hospital, very far from Nko, very far from Ekori.
I have already started my consultations and the response is very interesting. I have met a lot of very prominent Yakurr and Abi people, men and women and I am still consulting. I am already moving ahead and as I told you I am not working alone. My people are with me and together we will get there.
One would have thought that as chief of staff to the governor, you would not have the need to seek other political offices
Life, for me, is all about service. I have served as a councillor before. I have served as special assistant to the former governor, Donald Duke. I have been deputy chief of staff and then I moved up to become chief of staff. These were various platforms for service.
And now, duty calls again. The only constant thing in life, as we are told, is change. We must keep moving. The more you move, the more opportunities you have to touch lives and this is my pre-occupation.
I have always derived pleasure in serving our people and I believe that since I have served for almost eight years as the chief of staff and now have the call from my people to serve them in a higher capacity, to represent them in the House of Representatives, it is a constituency we actually share with Yakurr Local Government and by divine design, Yakurr men have stayed there for 16 good years; first Hon.
Okorn Obeten was there from 1999-2007, then Hon.Bassey Ewa took over from him till now, so equity and fairness demands that the position should move to Abi. Like I said, my people believe that I have what it takes to represent them and I had to leave the office which you say is lucrative, to serve my people. All the concern is about service, service to mankind and I believe I have what it takes to offer good service at the national level.
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