‘About twenty-six billion Naira has been allocated to Uyo Federal Constituency for Constituency Projects, yet, nothing to show’ – NASS hopeful
By Ime Silas
A Frontline aspirant for the Uyo/Uruan/Nsit Atai/Ibesikpo Asutan Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives in next year’s election, Mr. Ikakke Bassey has decried what he termed ‘perpetual backwardness’ of the constituency.
Ikakke, a development expert, who stated this yesterday during a chat with newsmen in Uyo, maintained that the destinies of the people can not be allowed in the hands of a few politicians who cared not about people’s welfare and well-being.
“There wouldn’t be a need to want to contest if the representation we have in Uyo Federal Constituency was good”, the national assembly hopeful noted in his response to questions on why he’s in the race.
Backing his assertion with facts, the Ibesikpo Asutan-born youthful leader alleged that if even half of the money released by the federal government to the federal constituency was properly channeled for development purposes, the impact would have been felt and seen.
He explained: “From 1999 to 2025, about twenty to twenty-six billion naira has been released to our representatives for constituency projects, but we have not seen the projects, at least I cannot point to any. The situation would have improved if we had even half of that amount properly channeled towards development projects in the federal constituency. So, it is glaring that our federal constituency is in dire need of a deliverer”.
Ikakke further bemoaned joblessness amongst the youths of the federal constituency people, saying that if given the opportunity, he would develop the youths to compete their counterparts elsewhere.
“In a time where young people elsewhere are earning in seven figures because of digital skills, over 85 percent of our youths are not computer literate. As we speak, 71.3 percent of people in Akwa Ibom are multi-dimensionally poor. No jobs, no skills, no opportunities, no enabling environment.
I am running to offer my people a New Blueprint. We will move beyond ‘stomach infrastructure.’ I will use my background in Business Development to create a hub for SMEs here in Uyo, connecting our local entrepreneurs to federal grants and global markets.
We will use data to identify exactly where our schools need roofs, where our health centers need medicine, and where our farmers in Uruan and Nsit Atai need access roads to get their goods to the market”.
He stated further “The wheelbarrow and beans crater empowerment will only create more poverty for our people. You cannot receive over a billion naira annually for constituency project, then come back to buy 25kg bags of rice to distribute to 100 people across four local government and people clap for you.That’s an insult!
How about our youths learning and getting global certification on Product Management, Data Analytics, Product Design, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics etc – skills that earns young people these days up to 2 million naira monthly.
“So, I am asking for the partnership of stakeholders in Uyo Federal Constituency, to build a constituency that works for everyone.
It’s time for a representative who understands the numbers and cares about the people.
I wish that our status as the federal constituency hosting the state capital should be greater than this. That’s why in our team, we have as our slogan ‘Yak ndaha nnyin okpon ke Uyo Federal Constituency’. Let our status be great!”
