SENATOR NED NWOKO AND HIS UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO NDOKWA NATION

By Chidi Chukwutem

One of the most striking qualities of Senator Ned Nwoko’s representation in the 10th Senate is his special interest in the Ndokwa nation. It is not accidental. It is deliberate, intentional, and rooted in what he personally witnessed while traversing the entire nine local government areas of Delta North Senatorial District during his campaign.

For those who were part of that campaign train, his deep concern for Ndokwa would come as no surprise. His visits to Ndokwa communities were not routine political stopovers, they were moments filled with raw emotions. At each turn, he encountered poverty amidst plenty, neglect amidst abundance. Oil and gas installations dotted the land, yet the people lived far below the poverty line.

One encounter stood out vividly: a young, sick girl sharing living space with livestock. The image of that moment which later went viral showed Senator Ned with tears in his eyes. For him, it was not just a sad story, it was a symbol of decades of neglect. That moment ignited a personal vow: “Ndokwa must not remain in the shadows of Nigeria’s development”. From then, it became clear that the senator’s representation would carry a unique Ndokwa-centric intentionality.

True to his word, the very first motion Senator Ned Nwoko moved in the Senate was the need to investigate the incessant and nefarious acts of crude oil theft in the Niger Delta and its actors. This was no coincidence. It was a direct response to the Ndokwa condition. A land rich in hydrocarbons yet deprived of the wealth it generates. That motion gave birth to a Senate Ad-hoc Committee, which he now chairs. His leadership there has brought the plight of Ndokwa and the wider Niger Delta into sharper national focus.

While the process was already underway, Senator Ned Nwoko took it further by visiting all International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Ndokwa/Ukwuani, where he boldly confronted the glaring abnormalities and impunities. Building on this, he sponsored another critical motion titled: Urgent Need to Stop Gas Flaring and Enforce Anti-Gas Flaring Regulations in Ndokwa Land and the Niger Delta Region.

No conversation about Ndokwa’s development can be complete without addressing the Okpai Independent Power Plant (IPP). Approved over twenty years ago with a promise to step down 100 megawatts for Ndokwa, the project became a symbol of betrayal. While the plant feeds the national grid, Ndokwa people continue to live in darkness.

Senator Ned Nwoko placed this matter squarely before the Senate in his motion titled: Need to Address the Unexplained Delay of Electricity Supply in Ndokwa Land and Step-down of Okpai Independent Power Plant. His advocacy has already secured Senate backing. He has since held engagements with the Ministers of Power and Petroleum Resources, both of whom acknowledged the urgency.

Senator Ned Nwoko has shown remarkable responsiveness to emergencies in Ndokwa nation. A recent case in point is his motion, Urgent Call for Emergency Provisions for Victims of Flooding in Ndokwa Communities, which brought national attention to the devastating floods in the area. Acting swiftly, the Senate directed NEMA to provide immediate relief materials, while broader, long-term interventions are being considered to mitigate future occurrences. Beyond emergency relief, Senator Nwoko has also pushed for lasting infrastructural solutions. Notably, he successfully lobbied the inclusion of a major Coastal Road project into the NDDC budget—an ambitious N27 billion intervention traversing Asaba – Oko – Abala – Utchi – Okpai – Abalagada – Aboh – Akarai – Umoru – Adaja – Oworubia – Onyah – Asaba-Ase – Abari – Patani. This massive infrastructure is designed not only to ease transportation but also to serve as a permanent flood-control mechanism, giving Ndokwa communities both relief and resilience.

When the issue of illegal crude transportation through Ndokwa East became alarming, community leaders reached out through Ambrose Abel. Senator Nwoko immediately intervened, directing them to choose any vehicle of their preference to strengthen the 20-man vigilante team earlier approved by the DPO of Ashaka. In the end, he went further by providing three vehicles, one for Ndokwa East and two others for Ndokwa West and Ukwuani LGAs, along with other essential logistics. In addition, he approved salaries for the vigilante members, to ensure their sustainability. Today, the Zero Tolerance for Crime, Oil Theft, and Pipeline Vandalism Initiative stands as a reliable local security structure, complementing the Nigerian Police in Ndokwa.

To ensure Ndokwa has a fair share of federal opportunities, Senator Ned has strategically placed Ndokwa indigenes in his team. Through a three-man committee comprising Chief Obielum, Larry Ezechi, and Ambrose Abel, over 100 Ndokwa youths have benefited from his empowerment and entrepreneurship programs, as well as his free medical outreach and provision of medical equipment to health centres in Ndokwa communities. In the area of agriculture, Ndokwa farmers have not been left out. Aside from direct cash support, they have also benefited immensely from the fertilizer distribution initiative championed by the Senator.

His employment facilitation through his aides has also opened doors for Ndokwa sons and daughters in the police, army, and other federal agencies.

Perhaps one of the most far reaching contributions is his bill for the establishment of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kwale, a move that has already gained considerable traction and, if actualized, will position Ndokwa as a strategic hub for military training, and national security development.

Senator Ned Nwoko’s record in Ndokwa/Ukwuani is therefore not a matter of promises or wishful thinking. It is a matter of evidence, actions, and results.