House Of Reps Member, Alex Egbona, who represents Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency, CRS, in Nigeria’s House of Representatives, has disclosed that he did not pay former Speaker of the CRS House of Assembly, John Gaul Lebo, any amount of money, as widely speculated, to concede defeat in the re-run election between him and Lebo. “What happened was that John Gaul and I met as brothers and agreed that the legal battles must stop. He is a younger brother and we both know that we belong to the same family and further too that the if we work together, the interest of our common constituency will be better served. It is important to inform us all so that this kind of speculation will be discontinued.”
Egbona who made this disclosure in Igbo Ekureku, at a ceremony where he empowered 2000 constituents drawn from Abi and Yakurr local government areas, assured the large crowd of people who gathered for the event that this particular empowerment programme is the first of several empowerment programmes he is committed to embarking upon. “I am in the House of Reps to fill a void. As a first timer, I promised my people that within one year, I will commence my empowerment programme; I am keeping to that promise. I have before now empowered 500 women in our constituency with cash. I have also facilitated the employment of about 20 constituents in federal agencies out of the over 100 people I gave recommendation letters and a few other things I will not immediately mention. Please there is more to come my people. But be rest assured that in a matter of days from now, 50 persons will be empowered with skills in programmes carefully designed to improve on the skills they already have” While he advised beneficiaries to accept what they may have received with a joyful heart, he appealed to constituents who have so far received nothing to be patient as subsequent exercises will capture them.
Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, led by Walson Brandon, National Co-ordinator, NEMA South – South Zonal Office, Port Harcourt, were also on hand to carry out the direct distribution of relief materials approved for persons in the area affected by natural disasters. In all, 100 motorcycles, tricycles, sewing and grinding machines, school bags, exercise books, bags of rice and several other items were distributed to constituents.
