By Odi Okojie Media Team
“Virtue is choked with foul ambition and charity chased hence by rancour’s hand; foul subornation is predominant, and equity exiled your highness’ land” – Williams Shakespeare.
The above quote by the famous literary giant and poet, William Shakespeare has summed up the need for Esan people, including the high and lowly, those with political interests and those who are apolitical to take a forensic look and be unbiased in determining where the Senatorial seat for Edo Central should reside now that another opportunity is beckoning with the impending inauguration of the incumbent, Senator Monday Okpebholo as Governor of Edo State come 12, November.
Esan people by arrangement that is referred to as “Ebakota”, has agreed that the Senatorial seat in Edo Central Senatorial District should be rotating between the Okpebho federal constituency and Agbazilo federal constituency.
Okpebho federal constituency took the first shot to the Senate on this Ebakota agreement and micro-zoned it to Esan West Local Government which produced Senator Oserheimen Osunbor who occupied the position from 1999 to 2007.
The seat then moved to Agbazilo federal constituency and the slot was again micro-zoned to Esan South – East with Senator Odion Ugbesia taking the slot from 2007 to 2015. The slot again reverted to Okpebho federal constituency and was this time micro-zoned to Esan Central Local Government Area which Senator Clifford Ordia occupied between 2015 and 2023.
However, in 2023, there was a slight modification to that arrangement as the incumbent, Senator Monday Okpebholo pleaded with the APC leaders to allow him use the Senatorial slot to lunch himself into the governorship race as Esan was in dire need of a governor of Edo State of Esan extraction. He promised to relinquish the position once he wins the governorship election.
That has now been done and dusted and he will be leaving the Senate by the 12 November to assume duty as Governor of Edo State. He has fulfilled his promise.
Equity demands it goes to its proper place now in Agbazilo federal constituency, which is Esan North-East Local Government Area, just as it will be against the grain for those outside Esan North-East to be angling to pick the slot.
Now that a serving member of House of Representatives, Hon. Henry Odianosen Okojie has signified interest, it would be most appropriate to interrogate his person and put him alongside with anyone else who may have shown interest, or will show interest eventually.
Hon. Odi Okojie in the past sixteen months of his inauguration as a member of the House of Representatives has given a good account of himself. While other members of the green chamber are complaining of inability to influence projects to their constituencies, he has influenced the construction of the 1km Uromi General Hospital Road; installation of 4000 high powered solar street lights in over 22 communities across his federal constituency, construction of motorized borehole with overhead tank in Emu-community, free JAMB enrolment for 1000 constituents, free medical outreach and eye care diagnosis for over 300 men, women and youths from his federal constituency; free registration of 150 youths to study nursing at the St. Camillus College of Nursing and Midwifery, Uromi, capacity training programme for 120 participants (including women and youths) in the area of fish and piggery farming; training of 50 women and youths in organic farming, training of 50 women and youths on improved agro farming in cassava production in Esan North-East and Esan South-East Local Government Areas.
He has also renovated schools, supplied medical equipment to some primary healthcare centres, facilitated short term empowerment grants for 3,500 constituents and federal job placements for constituents in the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Police among others.
Beyond these, he has sponsored 5 bills, with 3 already at the stage of third reading, sponsored motions which have passed into resolutions at the green chamber and undergoing implementation by the relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Esan people are known for fairness , equity and the enthronement of competence. Hon. Odi Okojie has shown that he has what it takes to give voice to Esan people in the Senate of the Federal Republic. The odds favour him and the experiences he has garnered these past months in the House of Representatives put him ahead of others as he will hit the ground running immediately he’s elected given that he will not be learning the ropes.