How I Got Ugbodu-Ohordua Ecological Project Out Of Nine Others – Elumelu

The Minority leader of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, has spoken of how he facilitated the Ugbodu-Ohordua Road, Flood and Erosion Control project out of nine others that were proposed to the federal government.

Elumelu spoke on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at the official handing over ceremony of the Ecological Project to the contractor, held at Ugbodu in Aniocha North Local Government area of Delta State.

The occasion which was organized by the Ecological Project Office in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, in the Presidency, Abuja was attended by the Permanent Secretary, Ecological Project Office, Dr. Habiba Lawal.

Elumelu who represents Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, revealed that the Ugbodu-Ohoadua Road Flood and Erosion Control project was among over nine Ecological Projects within the Federal Constituency that he proposed and submitted for the consideration and approval by the President through the office of the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF).

“Today being Thursday, naturally I should be on the floor of the House being the leader of opposition in the House of Representatives, but I choose to be with my people (constituents) who sent me to Abuja, because without you people, I won’t be there. I am not the most dedicated, neither am I the most intelligent, neither am I the most endowed, but God used you people to choose me.

The Minority leader explained that for limited funds, only one project out of the nine he proposed, was considered and approved by the Federal Government and said that the challenge became the one to be picked among the over nine ecological projects.

“I had submitted, like every other principal officer over nine projects and when they took the memo to Mr. President, he told the SGF that they have limited fund for the ecological projects, so they should go and do random picking and of course my Sister, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Habiba Lawal turned out to be the one that was divinely asked to do that and Ugbodu entered her hand.

‘Otherwise, you can see from the projects I enumerated, we have over nine ecological projects in my Federal Constituency proposal, but Ugbodu was the one her hand touched. So it is a thing of joy for you in Ugbodu.

“So, it now means that as lucky as you are, to have been so divinely chosen for this laudable project, You must do everything possible to support the Ecological Project Office and the contractors as regards to this project, even if, it means some of us opening our houses for them to keep some of their equipment at no cost,” Elumelu said.

Earlier in her address, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Habiba Lawal, represented by a Director in the Ecological Project Office, Dr. Joel Oruche, said the handing over ceremony was necessary and aimed at building bridges of understanding between Ecological Project Office (EPO), Contractors, Consultants and benefiting communities.