Battle For Okrika/Ogu-Bolo Reps Seat

In every election year, individuals’ ambitions run riot with political aspirants  chronicling real or imagined woes of preceding years and attempt to make promises to better whatever existed, didn’t or should. Often, the line between self-seeking aspirations and those with actual desires to serve selflessly is so blurred that in the end, the electorates are more confused than convinced that things could indeed get better. This is because every aspirant says the same thing. My people have called me to serve. Which people?

This is another year preceding the next general elections that would see the election of President, state Governors, and in some areas chairmen of Local Government Area Councils. But it is not all about the executive arm of government.

In fact, the areas with the largest number of people seeking elective positions, are into the Legislative Houses of the Federal, State and local government areas, where Senators, members of the House of Representatives, of State Assembles and Councillors, in some states would be elected.

Against familiar misconception that membership of the legislature meant making laws alone and nothing else, recent experiences have indeed shown that such representatives can also identify and indeed attract to their various constituencies development plans, programmes and projects, in addition to their primary responsibilities of enacting laws.

Today, countless projects litter various communities, thanks to the ingenuity of some patriotic politicians in the legislative arms, while in others there is very little to cheer, a reason that engineers many contenders to aspire to such offices. At other times, even if such flashes of development do exist, other ambitious politicians still put up challenge with pledges to do things better.

In this series therefore, The Tide will hear directly from the aspirant what the driving force behind his or her ambition is, what he or she hopes to achieve or plans to do differently and most importantly, what such, aspirant’s antecedents are to justify the mandate of the people. More importantly, the aspirant is expected to state how such pre-election promises can be actualised.

The Tide hopes to hold such aspirants to account over such promises where, they are in the breach after electoral victory in the near future.

Today, we feature two gentlemen seeking the same seat, on the same party platform, from the same constituency and even from the same Ward.

Welcome to the maiden edition of MANDATE SEARCH, keep a date every mid-week. Happy reading!

Why I Want To Be A Rep – Mr. Bright Gogo

A lot can and has gone wrong, when the people on whose mandate one secures membership of the House of Representatives fails to establish regular contact with one’s constituents, not just by erecting constituency structure, but by periodic inter-face with stakeholders. The biggest hazard in that kind of representation is the likelihood of embarking on projects that have little or no direct relevance to the people. The other, is the tendency to undertake selective development endeavours that are often unevenly spread, if indeed such projects do not exist merely on paper.

It is to correct this form of representation, create strong empathy with the people, always identify their most pressing of needs and create a think tank that would regularly articulate priority areas for quick intervention that have, among others, pushed Mr. Bright Tamuno Gogo, to collect nomination form of his party, the People Democratic party (PDP) to contest next year’s elections into the House of Representatives, from the Okrika/Ogu-Bolo federal Constituency. But an incumbent stands in his way.

If elected Mr. Gogo promises to give true meaning to the word REPRESENTATION, by putting in place enduring structures for regular dialogue with stake-holders and through such consultations become better – informed of their hopes and fears which in turn will both tailor and guide his law – making pursuits in the National Assembly.

Mr. Gogo who identified job creation, small – scale entrepreneurial development, incentives for fishing and farming, commitment to peace and cohesiveness in pursuit of common goals, aggressive campaign for improved school enrolment and educational development said there are many more needs which only regular interface with the people can identify and address.

Being a grassroot person, a youth motivator, unrepentant believers in the enterprise of the average Okrika national, a Tailor, Educationist, Industrial Sociologist, Accountant, Philanthropist and Justice of The Peace, Bright Gogo believes that he parades the right credentials to make visible changes in the fortunes of his people, if elected.

Born Tamuno Bright Gogo in the mid- 60’s, the youngman attended Boys’ State School Okrika from 1973 to 1979, Baptist High School Port Harcourt, 1979 – 1984, Rivers State College of Education, 1987 to 1990, Rivers State University of Science and Technology 1992 – 1997 and the University of Port Harcourt, 2004 – 2006. Today, apart from the first school leaving certificate and that of the West African school certificate, Mr. Bright Gogo holds the National Certificate Examination. (NCE) Second Class Upper Honours Degree in Accountancy and a Masters in Industrial Sociology.

Employed as a classroom Teacher in 1991, Gogo rose to the position of Schools Supervisor with the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board, (RSUBEB) before being appointed Okrika Local Government Area Education Secretary in 2004, a position he held until 2009. Gogo says, it is common knowledge, that it was under his watch that a sizeable number of qualified Okrika nationals was employed into the RSUBEB, a gesture that he believes endears him to many families to which those employees are today bread winners.

Bright Gogo also served on the Okrika/Ogu Bolo Assets Sharing Committee as member, Care-Taker Committee Okrika LGA and today member of the State Executive Committee of the PDP.

If granted the mandate, Mr. Bright Gogo, hopes to pursue enactment of laws that would help address the fluctuating fortunes of his people and attract relief for their two primary occupations fishing and farming.

I have Done A Lot To Continue – Kalipa

The learned man representing Okrika/Ogu-Bolo Federal Constituency, in the House of Representatives on the platform of the People Democratic party (PDP) Hon. (Barr.) John Kalipa believes that he has not merely justified his mandate freely earned in 2007, but done enough to merit a renewal next year.

Convinced about this, Hon. Kalipa last month picked, completed and submitted his party’s nomination form to seek re-election into the House. What is the source of his confidence that his constituents are happy with the quality of his representation?

In a pictorial flier titled, Photo No Day Lie (Series No. 1) the Reps member listed projects and programmes which his representation attracted to his people within less than four years. The works include two motorise Bore-hole projects, one completed and the other under construction at Okochiri, in Okrika, three- classroom block at Bolo, two public conveniences at Adedemebiri and Awolomebiri also in Okrika, Provision of School furniture for St. Martins State School 11, Ogu, Community Secondary School, Okochiri, Okrika and same for the community primary School Bolo.

Others include Town-hall for Gream-Ama, Okrika, Solar Street lights at Okochiri, Gream-ama electrification scheme, donation of chairs and tables to Chiefs of ogu-Bolo local government area and another set of furniture to the Okrika Divisional Council of Chiefs (ODCC) which is almost completed.

So, why do other communites in Constituency feel that they are left out in the scheme of things? In a telephone discussion, Kalipa said there are some projects still pending, in the 2010 Federal Budget which he hopes will cover some others, like Oga-ama Town Hall.

Also listed among impending projects, according to him include, Solar Street lights for Okrika island and distribution of electric transformers to Wakama-ama, Igbiri-ama, Isaka Town, Ogoloma, Ibaka, ogbogbo, Gream-ama, Agbabiri, Oba-Ama, Bolo, Ogu-Town, Anyungu-biri, Awolomebiri and Adedeme Biri, among many other plausible projects.

In addition to these hopes, Kalipa says he has made his mark in legislative matters and contributed to nation-building through creditable representation as member of various national Assembly committees, particularly those on Constitutional Amendment and Electoral Act Review.

Kalipa represented Rivers State on the 1999 Constitution Review Committee, was one of 14 wise men (seven Senators and seven Reps members) named by the two chambers to harmonise the two versions of the Electoral Act 2010, passed by the two chambers and now one of four wise men (two Senators and Two Reps Members) appointed to amend the 2010 Constitution and also review the Electoral Act to accommodate the worries expressed by the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC) towards the 2011 elections.

Added to these, Kalipa believes that no single Okrika local government leadership, in many years has achieved the magnitude of development projects he has succeeded in attracting to his people. One which he said many continue to relish was the regular free eye clinics in various towns to meet the yearnings that require the very delicate demand.

A seasoned advocate and legal counsel, Honourable John Kalipa is a practicing lawyer, a quality which he thinks is indispensable for quality representation at the national Assembly.