By Ekanem Iniko
UYO — A leading candidate for the Uyo/Ibesikpo Asutan/Nsit Atai/Uruan Federal Constituency seat, Mr. Ikakke Bassey, has said effective lawmaking and strong oversight of government projects will be his major focus if elected into the National Assembly in 2027.
Bassey, who is from Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area and is contesting on the platform of the Labour Party (LP), made this known while speaking with journalists in Uyo on Saturday on the sidelines of his ongoing grassroots consultations across the four local government areas that make up the constituency.
According to the National Assembly hopeful, his decision to embark on direct engagements with the people, without convoys and fanfare, has given him first-hand knowledge of the real challenges confronting the constituents.
He said the problems facing the people are not insurmountable but require sincere, people-oriented representation and the right legislative actions at the centre.
“My direct interactions with the people of the constituency have enabled me to identify the problems my people are facing. I have carried out grassroots engagements, not in convoy, but to sit with market women, youths, farmers and elders. I have listened to them,” Ikakke said.
The development expert explained that many of the challenges in the federal constituency could be addressed through quality legislation that creates an enabling environment for economic growth and social development, rather than over-dependence on constituency funds and projects alone.
“With the right kind of legislation, a lot of issues facing the people would have taken care of themselves. We need laws that support our farmers with access to credit, laws that protect our small businesses, laws that make our educational and health institutions functional. That is the core work of a lawmaker,” he stated.
Ikakke lamented that despite the huge funds appropriated annually for constituency interventions, many communities in Uyo, Ibesikpo Asutan, Nsit Atai and Uruan still suffer from deplorable roads, lack of potable water, poor electricity supply, unemployment and absence of meaningful empowerment schemes.
“With the huge funds allocated yearly for constituency projects, anyone representing Uyo Federal Constituency has no reason not to meet the yearnings of the people. The money is there. What is lacking is the will to use it for the people. We have had representatives who see Abuja as personal business, not public service,” the national assembly hopeful lamented.
He disclosed that some of the most impactful empowerment and development programmes executed by proactive lawmakers across the country are not funded solely from constituency allocations or the federation account, but are attracted from international development partners and donor agencies.
“Most empowerment programmes and projects are not always from the federation accounts, but from international donors,” the Labour Party standard bearer revealed.
“These international organizations have resources readily available for life-touching programmes and projects in areas of health, education, agriculture, youth development and women empowerment. You only need a representative who knows how to network, write proposals and attract them,” Ikakke explained.
The LP candidate attributed the underdevelopment in parts of the federal constituency to poor representation, arguing that the quality of persons elected to represent the people determines the level of development attracted to the area.
“Underdevelopment is not caused by lack of availability of resources, but the quality of persons sent to represent the people in Abuja. When you send the wrong people, you get wrong results. When you send those who are only after their stomachs, the people will continue to suffer,” he stressed.
He assured that if given the mandate in 2027, he will not rely only on statutory constituency funds but will deploy his experience and network as a development expert to attract grants, projects and partnerships from international donors, NGOs and private sector organizations.
“If elected, I will not only depend on constituency funds to cater for the needs of the people, but will also reach out to international donors, whom have resources readily available for life-touching programmes and projects. We will create a template where our youths and women can access grants, training and start-up support beyond the usual sharing of wrappers, clippers, cups of rice and motorcycles,” he assured.
Ikakke further outlined his legislative agenda to include youth employment, support for small and medium enterprises, rural road infrastructure, revitalization of primary healthcare and public schools, as well as rigorous oversight to ensure that federal projects allocated to the constituency are executed according to specification.
“My priorities will be legislation and oversight. I will make legislation and oversight functions my priorities, if given the mandate. We will make laws that touch the people directly and we will oversight Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure that what is due to Uyo Federal Constituency actually gets to the people. Representation must have impact,” Ikakke concluded.
His grassroots tour is expected to continue next week across the remaining wards in the four local government areas of the constituency.
