John Nwaigwe
HON OBI AGUOCHA, ARE YOU NOT ASHAMED? BEN KALU IS DISTRIBUTING 26 TRANSFORMERS TO NDI BENDE, GIVE NDI IKWUANO/UMUAHIA ONLY FIVE!
By MANDATE 27 GROUP
THE SHAME IN UMUAHIA – LIGHTS OUT WHILE BENDE SHINES
Hon Obi Aguocha, are you not ashamed? While your colleague, Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, is distributing 26 transformers to communities in Bende Federal Constituency, your own constituency Ikwuano/Umuahia is in darkness. In Ubakala, in Ohuhu, in Ikwuano, small businesses are dying because of no light. Welders, barbers, cold room owners are crying. And you are in Abuja doing Facebook videos. Where is your own transformer project?
THE NUMBERS DO NOT LIE – 26 VS ZERO
26 transformers is not beans. At an average of N8m to N12m per 500KVA transformer today, that is over N250 million worth of Federal constituency project attracted by one Rep for his people. It means Ben Kalu sat down, lobbied MDAs like Rural Electrification Agency (REA), put it in 2024/2025 budget, followed up, and delivered. For three years and some months, what have you delivered in power sector? Publish your list. If you have given 5, show us the 5 communities. If you have given 1, show us. If you have given zero, admit it.
SAME HOUSE, SAME BUDGET, DIFFERENT CAPACITY
Both of you are in the same Green Chamber. Both of you have same opportunity to nominate projects under REA, NDDC, and Federal Ministry of Power. The difference is capacity and lobbying power. Ben Kalu is Deputy Speaker, yes, but even first-time Reps from Abia and South East are distributing transformers, solar street lights, and mini-grids. Why is Ikwuano/Umuahia always the last? Is it that you do not know how to write to REA? Or you wrote and they ignored you because you have no legislative weight?
WHAT IS A TRANSFORMER? IT IS NOT STAIRCASE VS FIVE-A-SIDE
Let us educate your boys who compare staircase stadium with five-a-side stadium. Transformer is not bought with State Governor’s money. It is Federal Government money through REA. It is your constitutional duty under Section 88 to oversight its delivery. A transformer changes lives immediately. One transformer in Afugiri will power 100 homes and 20 shops. One five-a-side stadium, while good, does not give light to grind pepper. Leadership is about priority, and light is priority.
IKWUANO/UMUAHIA IS TIRED OF EXCUSES
Your supporters will say “Ben Kalu is Deputy Speaker, he has more allocation.” That is a lie. Allocation for constituency projects is per constituency, not per office. Every Rep gets almost same ceiling. The difference is what you lobby outside budget – special intervention from NDDC, REA, SDG. Did you lobby? Did you even visit REA Managing Director with a letter for Ikwuano/Umuahia? Or your only lobbying is to defend the Governor on Facebook? Indeed, you should be ashamed.
DECORUM AND FOCUS – STOP INSULTING ELDERS, START INSTALLING TRANSFORMERS
Instead of calling His Excellency Distinguished Senator Theodore Ahamefula Orji a thief and his son offspring of a thief on Facebook Live, use that energy to beg REA for transformers. An elder who is 75 years old deserves respect, Ala is watching. If you channelled the time you use to abuse elders into oversight of Afugiri Health Centre and lobbying for light, Ikwuano/Umuahia would have seen light by now. Be honourable, not disgusting.
FINAL WORD – GIVE US FIVE AND WE WILL MANAGE, THEN LEAVE IN 2027
We are not even asking for 26. We know you cannot match Ben Kalu. Give Ndi Ikwuano/Umuahia only five transformers – one in Ikwuano, one in Ohuhu, one in Ibeku, one in Olokoro, one in Afugiri. Just five, and we will manage and thank you. But if you cannot give five after three years and some months, then you have failed. That is why Ndi Ikwuano/Umuahia have resolved to send a packaged and capable personality in the person of Rt Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji to speak for them in the Green Chamber come 2027. Because Ikuku will not leave us in darkness.
