I WILL ACHIEVE MORE: SAYS SENATOR BARRY MPIGI, THE SENATOR REPRESENTING RIVERS SOUTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT ON HIS SPEECH OF HIS ONE YEAR IN OFFICE.

365 DAYS OF QUALITY AND EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATION BY DISTINGUISHED SENATOR BARINADA MPIGI IN THE 9TH SENATE.

accordance to our campaign promises to our senatorial district, these are what we have done, doing and we hope to do more. Better days are ahead of us and together we will achieve more.


On Tuesday June11, 2019 Distinguished Senator Barinada Mpigi took his oath of office as a Senator to represent Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, after what has been described as a tensed, intriguing but interesting political manoeuvre that characterised the inaugural session of the 9th Senate.

Immediately after the inauguration of the 9th Senate, Distinguished Senator Barinada Mpigi settled down for full legislative business ,putting his legislative experience and prowess to bear on the day to day workings of the upper legislative Assembly.

As a seasoned democrat and invaluable team player, Senator Mpigi has also been active in the various Senate Committees to which he belongs. The Committees include the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service  where he is Vice-Chairman. Others are:

  • Committee on Army - Member
                                                             •Committee on Aviation - Member                                                     

▪Committee on Ecology and Climate Change -Member               

▪Committee on Federal Character & Inter-govtal Affairs - Member

▪Committee on Foreign Affairs - Member                                         

▪Committee on Niger Delta - Member
                                             
 ▪Committee on Police Affairs - Member                                               

▪Committee on Petroleum Upstream- Member                                   

 ▪Committee on Customs - Member                                                         

  ▪Committee on Power - Member 

 ▪He also sits on the Senate Adhoc Committee on the Investigation of alleged N40b fraud by the NDDC Interim Management Committee.

Armed with the understanding that these Committees are the power houses of a legislative Assembly as an experienced legislator, he has therefore been very committed to his oversight functions with the Committees so he could render legislative input that would help in achieving qualitative governance and create opportunities for the advancement of the interest of his Senatorial District.

Distinguished Senator Barinada Mpigi, consumed by a desire to provide effective representation that will usher in the most needed rapid development of the people of the Rivers South-East Senatorial District in particular and the nation generally,  has in his first 365 days in the red chamber, sponsored and  co-sponsored four(4) Bills, three(3) motions.

SPONSORED BILLS:
▪ SB 200, Federal University of Environmental Technology Saakpenwa, Tai Ogoni (Est.etc) Bill, 2020 – Passed Second reading and committed to the Committee on Tertiary education for further legislative work.

▪ SB 52, Private Security and Forensic Investigation Bureau of Nigeria (Est, etc) Bill 2019 – Passed First reading;

▪ SB 57, Federal Character Commission Act (Amendment, etc) Bill, 2019 – Passed first reading;

▪ SB 56, NDDC Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019 – Passed First Reading;

MOTIONS:
▪ The Deteriorating state of the Police College located at Tai LGA of Rivers State – Implication on Rising Insecurity in the State 

▪ Reviving the Nigerian Palm Oil Industry, An Imperative for the national economic growth of Nigeria –  co-sponsored with Senator Onyewuchi Ezenwa Francis (Imo East);

▪ Need to Intervene in the mysterious  deaths in Bonny Island, Rivers State (Co-sponsored with Distinguished  Senators Betty Apiaffi and George Sekibo).

These Bills and motions will no doubt lead to massive benefits for the development of not only his Constituency but the development  of the State and Nation at large.

The ebullient people oriented Senator has also listed some Bills and motions pending presentation when the senate resumes from the Salah break. The pending Bills are:

▪ Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (Amendment, etc) Bill;

▪ The Ecological Fund Management Board (Amendment, etc) Bill;

▪ The Chinese-Nigeria Language Village (Est, etc).
WHILE the pending motions include the following:
▪ Motion on the need to address the repairs of the collapsed and dilapidated portion of the East-West Road in Port Harcourt which is paralyzing economic activities in the Niger Delta Region

▪ Motion on Improving the Health and Environmental Safety of Nigerian Citizens through the elimination of Lead-based ingredients

▪ Motion on the growing terror in Nigerian highways and hot-spots in the six geopolitical regions, need for a coordinated security intervention, and

▪ Motion on open public defecation, a threat to environmental and public health of Nigerians.

SPONSORED AND BUDGETED PROJECTS/PROGRAMMES FOR THE SENATORIAL DISTRICT

 Within the last 365 days in the upper Chamber, Distinguished Senator Barinada Mpigi has pursued and achieved the implementation of some programmes and projects which were part of his inputs into the 2019 Federal budget. They include but not limited to the following:

▪ Training of Science teachers and kits distribution to schools in Rivers South East (Executed in collaboration with Scientific Equip Development Institute,  Enugu) with 5 teachers selected from the District trained and kitted

▪ Capacity building for Rivers South East youths in metal/wood work, etc (Executed in collaboration with Scientific Equip Development Institute, Enugu) with 25 youths selected from the District, transported to Enugu, trained and kitted.

▪Reconstruction of Korokoro -Ueken Road, Rivers South East

There are other 2019 budgeted programmes and projects which are awaiting the release of funds for imminent take off in the Senatorial District. They include:

▪ Training of Rivers South East Youths and Women in footwear production
 Empowerment of physically challenged/youths of Rivers South East with motorcycles

▪ Agro allied training for farmers in Rivers South East
▪ Electrification of Khana, Rivers South East
▪ Electrification of Eleme, Rivers South East
▪ Upgrade of 15km Port Harcourt/Eleme Junction to Onne
▪ Deracination, pest and vector control in Rivers South East
▪ Rehabilitation of road from Eleme to Port Harcourt Refinery
▪ Rehabilitation of 33KVA from Horo-Koroma, Rivers South East
▪ General Maintenance of Eleme & Onne Junction Carriage way.
▪ Motorized borehole with plastic tanks and generator in 2Bodo City, Rivers South East
▪ Rehabilitation of Ledum Road Biara, Spur off East-West Road, Gokana
▪ Construction of Bodo-Bonny Road with bridge across Opobo channel.

2020 BUDGETS/CONSTITUENCY PROJECTS AWAITING RELEASE OF FUNDS FOR IMMINENT TAKE-OFF

▪ Promotion and development of animal production and husbandry in Lewanngbe Cooperative, Tai LGA, Rivers South East
▪ Promotion of Agricultural Equipment for farmers in Rivers South East
▪ Filling/drainage in Koroma, Tai including football pitch, Rivers South East
▪ Rehabilitation of Youth Corpers’ Quarters and provision of Viewing Centre in Rivers South East
▪ Extension of High Tension line from Bunu  to Koroma, with high tension poles and 500KVA     Transformer installation, Rivers South East
▪ Re-activation of existing solar lights and extensions, Rivers/S.E
▪ Procurement of 30 nos of 33KVA transformers for communities in, Rivers/S.E
▪ Training and capacity building for women empowerment in soap making, cosmetology and beauty therapy in Rivers/S.E
▪ Sensitization/Employment programme for unemployed youths in selected Areas in Rivers/S.E
▪ Provision and supply of Laptop computers for youths in educational training and enterprise development in Rivers/S.E
▪ Supply of Tricycles and motorcycles for Rivers S.E

SUPPORTS OF THE SENATOR TO COMMUNITIES IN  THE SENATORIAL DISTRICT.

Distinguished  Senator Barinada Mpigi is a politician who feels the pains of his people. This explains  why he desperately hunts for development projects and programmes that would improve their quality of life from both the public and private interventionist agencies. During the period under review, Senator Mpigi has successfully fought for the Construction of internal roads in BoroBara Tai, with asphalt, and providing drainages and culverts to check erosion. This project is almost 90 percent completed.

He also attracted the Construction of roads to Bara Alue- Kira ,a Tai community that has never seen modern roads before – but now witnessed asphalt roads with culverts and drainages everywhere as contribution to development of the area.

From the abundance of his heart, Distinguished  Senator Mpigi also financed the Restoration of destroyed high tension poles and wires which as a result of heavy winds had disconnected Bunu community from the National Grid with the sum of Two million naira(N2,000,000.00). Today, as a result of his intervention, Bunu Tai Community has been reconnected to the national grid and electricity light restored.

EMPOWERMENT, TRAININGS, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR RIVERS SOUTH-EAST CONSTITUENTS.
▪ Training of youths in various skill programmes to empower them for a better life
▪ He has secured placement of over 50 constituents (from the pool that submitted CVs to his office) on pensionable jobs in Federal establishments. Some of them have been deployed while others are awaiting deployment.
▪ Offering assistance to and defending his constituents against intimidations and harassments.

A MAN WITH A GENEROUS HEART
▪ Always concerned with the welfare of Rivers South East constituency, the Senator last festive period (2019 Christmas) freely donated 1000 bags of Rice,10000 tubers of yam, 215 Cows and Cash gifts to his constituents inthe political, religious circles and youth bodies, etc.
▪ Purchase of cars for some youths in the district towards raising their living standard.
* Donation of 50kvA generator to Anglican Church Opobo
* Award of individual educational scholarships and supports for youths

 COVID 19- COVID PALLIATIVES
 ▪ N500,000 cash donation to each of the 7 Local Government Areas of Rivers South East Senatorial District, - totalling N3.5 million;
 ▪ N5,000,000 cash donation to Rivers State Government to provide support for the fight against COVID 19 in Rivers State
 ▪ Plans are underway to provide  palliatives for 500 households, 500 persons for cash transfers and 150 N-power candidates .

FIGHT AGAINST INSECURITY IN THE SENATORIAL DISTRICT.

Distinguished Senator Barinada Mpigi is commonly known as a grassroots politician who is always passionate about the security of lives and property of his people. And in keeping with his covenant with the people of the area, he has consistently been at the forefront of the fight against cultists, kidnapping and criminality in the district through the provision of logistics support to security agencies, especially in the Ogoni axis and the coastal lines of Andoni etc.

Furthermore, Senator Mpigi has within the last 365 days been painstakingly involved in efforts aimed at resolving the leadership challenges within and among the various social cultural organisations in Ogoniland with the hope of reinventing a peaceful and prosperous Ogoni.

With the passion, zeal, commitment, brilliance and accomplishments so far demonstrated by Distinguished Senator  Barinada Mpigi in the Senate , we can conclude without any fear of contradiction that he is indeed on track for the fulfilment of his electoral promises to the people of Rivers South-East Senatorial District.

Convinced that the Senator is a brave, talented, dogged and courageous politician, there is palpable optimism amongst his people in the  Rivers South-East Senatorial District that he would not only deliver more in terms of people-centred legislation and development driven projects and programmes but that he is capable to defend their interests in the coming legislative year.

CONGRATULATIONS DISTINGUISHED SENATOR BARINADA MPIGI, PH.D

Joe Gwezia,
Media Aide to Senator Barinada Mpigi
11/06/2020