‘Why I want to be Speaker’

House of Representatives member Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (Isuikwuato/ Umunneochi Constituency) is contesting for Speaker. She spoke with SUNNY NWANKO on her ambition and other partisan issues.

Congratulations on your victory at the polls.  How were you able to survive the struggle?

I was able to survive the struggle, first, by the grace and mercy of Almighty God, and then by the overwhelming goodwill of my people. One of the greatest things that has ever happened to me is the realization, through this election, that my people are indeed appreciative of my modest contributions to the development and welfare of my constituency. They came out in their numbers and resisted every opposition to affirm their confidence in me. My next line of action is to articulate those concerns of my people that were expressed during the electioneering period. I will then prioritize them, and seek means and ways to actualize each project.

Before your emergence as the candidate of APC for Isuikwuato/ Umunneochi Constituency, some persons had conspired to deny you the ticket. How would you see your victory?

Well, the idea of denying me ticket was the handiwork of a tiny clique of elite threatened by my connection to the poor masses. These rapacious few constitute a terrible minority, so their impact is limited to political party arena. Because I was confident in the electorate, I took my ticket elsewhere and won the election. There was no conspiracy by Isuikwuato indigenes. From the results, you can see that the great people of Isuikwuato voted massively for me. If there’s anything at all, it’s attributable to the parasitic political elites.

Your area has been a stronghold of PDP. What changed the narrative?

What changed the narrative is my philosophy of service to the people. The electorate is a lot wiser than ever before. The concept of political party dominance is gradually giving way. Individual candidates are increasingly being judged on their own merit.  At the floor of the Green Chamber, I sponsored a number of bills to protect and enhance the welfare of the poor, the weak, the vulnerable and the under-privileged persons. Some of these private bills have been passed and assented by Mr. President. For example, the Anti-Torture Act 2017 criminalizes any act of inhumanity against one another in forms of torture, cruelty, dehumanizing or degrading punishments. With this law in place, victims of extrajudicial mistreatment and rough-handling can challenge the abuse of their rights in court. Secondly, the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017 is my brainchild. Hitherto, hospitals were not obligated to attend to victims of gunshots from armed robbers or stray bullets without the Police clearance. Unfortunately, this led to avoidable deaths. But today, the new legislation has sorted out the problem. Another bill that was very dear to my heart, which by the grace of God, had been passed and assented by Mr. President, is the National Senior Citizens Centre Act 2017. The plight of our retirees, which has become a national embarrassment, due to the failings of most state governments to pay their pensions and gratuities, spurred me into sponsoring the new legislation. The Centre will help to cater for their needs and raise awareness for spirited interventions, instead of allowing them to roam the streets like beggars. Also, I sponsored the Local Government Autonomy bill, which is geared towards strengthening the local government councils for enhanced service delivery at the rural areas. The bill has been merged with the Constitutional Amendment Bill, which would require the concurrence of at least two-thirds majority of 36 States Houses of Assembly and presidential assent before it becomes a law. These laws have direct impact on the people. More so, I sponsored and co-sponsored motions on matters of public importance. The constituency represent – Isuikwuato/Umunneochi areas are highly prone to ecological challenges, largely accentuated by gully erosion. My motions have brought succour and interventions of appropriate federal government ministries and agencies, some of which are still on-going. I attracted projects across the 22 political wards in my constituency. The projects include pipe-borne water, electricity transformers, renovation and erection of modern classroom blocks, computer centers, and health care delivery equipment. For over ten years, my Foundation runs an annual week-long free medical outreach in collaboration with Living Hope Ministries, United States of America with a team of over twenty expatriate doctors of different specializations. The medical programme holds every month of June across the two LGAs of Isuikwuato and Umunneochi. Lives had been saved through the humanitarian gesture. For me, the greatest challenge has been to lift many people out of poverty bracket. Many indigent students have benefited from my scholarship endowments; modern bungalows were built for many homeless widows; and through healthy working relationships with colleagues and a number of federal institutions, I attracted hundreds of employments for our young graduates, while those who could not afford tertiary education were trained on special skills and equipped for economic sustenance. Above all, I maintain constant touch with my people through a rotatory monthly interactive meetings within my constituency, organized by the leadership of Nkeiruka Onyejeocha Foundation. More importantly, I am active and regular in plenary and committee sessions at the National Assembly. I am not an absentee lawmaker. I receive calls from serious-minded Nigerians from all walks of life with commendations for my robust engagements and contributions on national issues. As the Chairman of Committee on Aviation, my colleagues and I stepped up matching oversight responsibilities, which are evident in the massive upgrade of our airports to global standards, and reduction in civil air accidents, which hitherto were largely attributed to lackluster and poor regulatory mechanisms. And to the glory of God, my reputation has remained intact. I have never been indicted on account of financial infractions or dereliction of duty. I believe that good name is better that riches, and that it is God who gives power to get wealth. So, I believe that these modest efforts contributed to the groundswell of solidarity, which metamorphosed to my return back to Abuja for the fourth term.

What does your re-election mean it to you?

My re-election is a re-affirmation of my commitment to the general good of the great people of Isuikwuato and Umunneochi Local Government Areas. I shall continue to be a beacon of hope to them at all times. 

 Abia North Senatorial District can now boast of three National Assembly members. What should the people of the zone be expecting?

With a Senator and two APC Representatives from Abia North Senatorial District, we will strive to translate them to dividends to our people vis-à-vis federal presence.

What does the 85,000 votes for the President in Abia during the national assembly and presidential elections mean for the average Abia and southeasterners? What should Abia State expect from the APC government at the centre?

The 85,000 votes for President Buhari from Abia is a manifest evidence of his acceptance by the people of Abia State. It is our way of showing appreciation for his policies and projects that have impacted the people positively. I believe that the APC Government at the Centre will do much more for Abia State and Ndigbo in general, and attend to concerns raised by a section of the community about balance in appointive positions. My people are agitating to be given a greater sense of belonging.  Having a Speaker of the House of Representatives from the South-East will definitely help to assuage the feelings of exclusion.  For the 9th Assembly, I believe that my experience would count. It is not a fluke that I am privileged to be the highest ranking APC House of Reps Member from the south-east, the homestead of PDP. It gives me a vantage position to play strategic roles in the 9th Assembly. I am upbeat that I would enjoy the confidence of my colleagues and our political party when the new leadership would be constituted. We need to support and collaborate with Mr. President in his ‘next level’ agenda. We need to forge a healthy synergy with the executive so that we won’t have repeated cases of turned down bills from the presidency. We need maturity and less politicking to move our nation out of doldrums. Nigeria is a great country and all hands must be on deck to make it work.

Many are calling on the governorship candidate of your party to allow the sleeping dog lie by allowing the governor-elect concentrate and work for the next four years. Your take?

The decision to go to the Tribunal or not by the gubernatorial candidate of APC belongs to the Party and the candidate. I believe that they will consider the inherent factors, and take the best decision for Abians and the Party.