Delta Senator empowers, distributes grinding machines, others to consituents

The senator representing Delta South senatorial district at the National Assembly, Senator Thomas Joel-Onowakpo has empowered his constituents with different items in a bid to put food on their table.

Joel-Onowakpo, while presenting the empowerment items to the beneficiaries on Monday at the Oleh township stadium in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, said the exercise was the fifth empowerment he had have since he assumed office 18 months ago.

He said, “Today’s empowerment makes it the fifth empowerment I have had since I assumed office as your senator 18 months ago.

“It is an ongoing exercise and I want to appeal that for those who have not received now and those who have complained, we have noted them down and we will make sure those who did not have now will get theirs.

“For those who had received, please make judicious use of this opportunity to make a difference in your life, this empowerment idea is geared towards improving food security in our senatorial district and I want to say we cannot meet or provide empowerment for everybody at the same time.”

Items presented to beneficiaries during the exercise included 150 cassava grating machines, 230 grinding machines, 170 deep freezers, 50 sewing machines, 200 cutlasses, 200 safety boots, 200 hand gloves, 200 insecticides, 200 herbicides, and 200 knapsacks.

Other items were 250 safety live jackets, 250 fishing nets, 500 fishing hooks, 10 Yamaha outboard engine, 50 sewing machines, 60 starter packs on those trained on various endeavors, and 7,750 bags of rice.

Joel-Onowakpo disclosed that he had so far appointed 280 persons ranging from Senior Special Advisers, Senior Advisers, Special Assistants and Technical Assistants, cutting across all the wards of the senatorial district.

He added, “The main reason for this is to open up governance to as many people as possible in the senatorial district and they have my mandate to interface with ministries, departments and agencies of government on my behalf to perform my constitutional oversight functions.

“And I urge those who have been appointed to take advantage of it and do that oversight functions because it is mandatory and constitutional.

“Within the same period, we have influenced over 23 projects, some have been completed while others are at various stages of implementation.

“These included the construction of ICT center in Emede, electrification of Aviara-Irri, construction of internal roads in Ozoro, rural roads in Emede, supply and installation of 500kva transformers to selected towns, construction of Ayakoromo road, internal roads in Bomadi and Esama among many others.

“Others are emergency repairs of internal roads in Ellu, Olomoro and Koko, rehabilitation and equipment of Emede health center, construction of skill acquisition center in Oleh, supply and installation of all in one solar lights in Gbaramatu, Bibopere, Oporoza and Patani.

“I want to remind us that I am not occupying an executive office but a legislator and all these have been possible because our President understands your plight and made constituency projects available to the National Assembly.”

The senator stressed that he aligns himself with the President of the Senate, who emphasized the importance of constituency projects to Mr President in his budget speech, saying that constituency projects were not new to Nigerians because “it is the only way legislators can compliment the effort of the executive in meeting the yearnings and aspirations of our constituents.”