The Deputy Speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Comfort Ojoma Nwuchiola Egwaba has expressed gratitude to Ibaji her constituency for the support, recognition and honours reciprocated to her for the service she rendered to the community.
Hon. Egwaba who is the first woman from Ibaji state constituency to be elected into the House and the first female Deputy Speaker in the history of the state, said that service to humanity is her primary priority, saying the journey so far has been impactful and fulfilling.
The Deputy Speaker stated this while receiving a Chieftaincy title bestowed on her by Ibaji community as part of her numerous outstanding achievements she has recorded as lawmaker for the community.
Hon. Egwaba who was full of gratitude, said the gesture was particularly meaningful because it came directly from the people she serves, noting that the recognition was a sign that her modest efforts were being noticed and appreciated by her constituents.
Recalling how her political journey began, Hon. Egwaba said it was driven by a sincere desire to bring development to her people, particularly in areas such as education and infrastructure.
According to her , shortly after the election that brought her into the House of Assembly, she convened a town hall meeting, the first of its kind in her constituency to listen directly to the people’s plights and needs.
She said that through the meeting, it became obviously clear that Ibaji’s most pressing challenges were poor road infrastructure and the collapse of the education sector in the local government area.
Lamenting the challenges her people faced during raining season, the Deputy Speaker stated that many schools had either been destroyed or submerged by floods, forcing children of school age to travel to neighbouring states to access education.
To address the plights of her people, Hon. Egwaba set up a committee to revitalize education in Ibaji.
The committee which consists of traditional rulers, youth representatives, women leaders, and members of the development association, visited all the 10 wards in the local government with a view to asses the ugly trend.
She revealed that the committee’s findings led to the establishment and revival of several schools against the past where there was one governments approved secondary school in Ibaji but now has seven.
Obviously, aside education, Hon. Egwaba has also focused on political empowerment within her constituency as she appointed 26 Special Assistants, two from each ward, whom she personally pays a monthly stipend.
According to her, the move helps bring governance closer to the grassroots, as the aides serve as her direct link to the communities.
She emphasized the importance of accessibility and feedback, saying she stays informed about local developments through constant communication with her aides.
To support women and youth, she recently distributed fertilizers to widows and women groups across Ibaji, offering them some relief during the planting season. While the gesture may seem small, she believes such interventions provide a sense of hope and support to vulnerable groups.
On the legislative front, Hon. Egwaba has co-sponsored several significant bills, including one that led to the establishment of the Kogi State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission.
She explained that since Ibaji is home to the oil that qualified Kogi as an oil-producing state, it was vital to push for a law that would ensure the development of oil-producing communities.
“After studying similar commissions in other states like Delta, Imo, and Bayelsa I drafted a proposal and worked closely with the former governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello to see it passed into law. And today to the glory of God and the support of my people, the commission exists and is awaiting full implementation.
“I am also working on a Gender bill that has past through second reading and there are some clauses that needed to be removed and amended that was why the bill is still in embryonic stage and yet to come out. I am sure that by our next legislative session the bill will come out and when the bill sail through and pass into law it will be another plus to me, my people and Kogi state”
Speaking on the local government Secretariat that was burnt twelve years ago, the Deputy Speaker said the situation of the local government Secretariat gave her source of worries, reason she took facilities to reconstruct the Secretariat to enable staff of the local government commence the usage of the offices.
“If you visit the Secretariat at any time of the week you can not see workers there because the Secretariat after twelve years still remains a show of itself.
“Each time I move there even though I am yet to finish the reconstruction, but I hold the project in high esteem because it is a project that is dear to my heart because it poses a lot of challenges to my people.
“It baffled me when people complained that the local government workers are not going work and they stayed at home. The Secretariat is not yet conducive for any body to occupy and they can not stay under the tree to do their job.
“This has really posed a lot of challenges to my constituency. A lot of memo have been written in the past for the reconstruction of the Secretariat but to no avail and I can not fold my arms seeing the structures in a sorry state so I decided to take the bull by the horn and took a facility to repair the secretariat.
“Every month my salaries are being deducted but I am not bothered because my decision is part of my service to the people of Ibaji constituency which is very key to me.
Addressing the ongoing issue of electricity in Ibaji, Hon. Egwaba acknowledged the challenge, noting that previous efforts to connect the area to the national grid were hindered by the difficult terrain.
“Many poles that were installed were eventually destroyed by flooding. Despite these setbacks, plans are still in place to restore electricity to the area and improve the overall standard of living” she said.
Recounting on her journey so far, the Deputy Speaker attributed all her achievements to the grace of God, reaffirming her commitment to continue serving her people.