Why Waive Should Return Unopposed (Part 2)

…As The Reverend Gentleman ‘Bags First Class Degree’ From NASS

By Annabel Ogheneganre

A fortnight ago, when I wrote on why Rt Hon Francis Ejiroghene Waive deserved to be returned unopposed as member representing Ughelli/Udu Federal constituency in the House of Representatives for the coming elections, I never knew a verdict on his superlative performance was been brewed by the National Assembly, backed by some international organizations.

A report on the score card of the House members released by a non-governmental organization, Order Paper Advocacy Initiative, in an independent appraisal of legislators in the House of Representatives has confirmed the first class status of our own Hon Waive. That Hon Francis Waive took first among more than 180 first term members of the House from all over Nigeria and 7th position among all 360 members of the House of Representatives including those who have spent between 4 and 23 years in the House is enough to simply ask every candidate to step down and let him continue with his outstanding, exceptional and superlative performance in just three and half years.

If the National Assembly were to be an academic institution, Hon Waive would have been conferred with a First Class honours degree. How a first termer was able to churn out 38 Bills, duly passed by the House and some of which have been signed into law is something that is a marvel and deserves all the accolades. It would be primitive or height of primordial witchcraft for Ughelli/Udu people to even consider electing another person to replace this cerebral discovery which the National Assembly, by the result released a fortnight ago, recognized as irreplaceable gold and astute performer.

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Hon Waive has been able to convince his 359 colleagues in the House of Representatives to buy into his argument to locate a Federal Medical Centre in Ovwian, Udu Local Government Area. He too pushed through the Bill for establishment of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Otu-ghievwen. These two institutions, when established will provide thousands of jobs for our people beside the economic and social benefits to the area they would be located. It would be the very height of witchcraft and malevolent politicking for anybody in Udu and Ughievwen, to be so blinded by party loyalty to vote against this man in 2023. That is why the best thing to do is simply to ask the other political parties to honourably withdraw from the race and return Waive unopposed.

That our very own Revd Francis Waive, voted less than four years ago, could defeat representatives from Calabar, Kano, Lagos, Sokoto, Ibadan, Benin-City, Yola, Port-Harcourt, Kaduna, FCT, Kano, Minna, Abeokuta, Maiduguri, Jos and other major cities across Nigeria should be a source of pride to us all. That he could sponsor and get 38 Bills passed by the House of Representatives whereas, all his predecessors since 1999 from Ughelli/Udu federal constituency cannot boast of 20 Bills in all their years in the House put together should be enough impetus to take this all important decision to return this man unopposed without facing the rigors of another election. That is almost passing a Bill into law every month. As I stated in the first part of this piece, the man has been returned unopposed in the spiritual realm. I hear the erstwhile candidate, returned to have won the PDP primary election by the High Court has been sacked by the Court of Appeal to further aggravate the situation with the PDP. That candidate, who has been making noise to have ‘taken over’ has ‘taken cover’. ‘Take over’ has turned ‘Take cover’. That is the confusion PDP will continue to suffer until they learn to let go and let the anointed one be.

The primary duty of a lawmaker is to make laws. This he has done with a first class degree rating. 38 Bills in less than 4 years is a no mean feat. Any attempt to replace him with the agents of retrogression, academic infants, spiritual nilliputians, gazetted failures, unproductive irritants and undocumented illiterates (apology to Evans Iwurhie) should be resisted by all well meaning members of the society irrespective of political party affiliation. Politics should not rob our people of this gold for straw.

One major reason why Ughelli South and Udu, for instance must vote this man is that in the event that the Bills for the FMC Ovwian and School of Nursing and Midwifery, Otu-ghievwen are not assented to before the end of this administration, it would be easier to get the Bills reintroduced and passed on time by Hon Waive during the 10th House so there could be enough time for concurrence by the senate and Presidential assent for the institutions to take off. Udu people cannot trade off the FMC Ovwian for anything. Waive’s return to the House should be a matter of National interest for the people of Udu and Ughievwen. If the people of these two Kingdoms for instance cannot contribute money to support his re-election, the minimum thing that they could do is to ensure they vote massively to return him to the House at all cost.

Hon Revd Francis Waive is calm, humble, intelligent, very well read, hardworking, diligent in service, result oriented, Godly and God-fearing. He has discharged the mandate handed him in 2019 with a resounding success. What cannot be denied is the fact that he has discharged his responsibilities to the people with a human face. He is humane, responsible and responsive to the yearnings of the down-trodden, he has affected many lives, giving to the needs of the needy, supporting the work of God with unpretentious commitment, making appearances at the social events of fans, well wishers and loved ones. This writer insists that Hon Waive deserves another term in the House. One good turn they say, deserves another one. The motion is hereby moved and carried that the Hon Rt Revd Francis Ejiroghene Waive be returned unopposed to the House of Representatives for the Ughelli/Udu Federal Constituency! Congratulations!!

Annabel Ogheneganre writes from Garki, Abuja. (Send responses and feedbacks to [email protected])