Sen. Orji ended political servitude, idolatry in Abia'
The immediate past governor of Abia State, currently representing Abia Central Senatorial District, Sen. Theodore Orji, ended politi­cal servitude and idolatry in the state. The senior media advisor to the senator, Mr. Don Norman Obinna, expressed this emphatic position in this encounter with Correspondent STEVE OKO. While highlighting key positives of his principal at the national parlia­ment, he also dismisses as the antics of ‘mischief makers’ those who petitioned the EFCC to investigate Sen Orji over alleged financial misconducts while in office as governor
Though a debutant at the national parliament, Senator Theodore Orji already has eight bills to his credit, a development which has sparked controversy in some quarters as some allege that the bills were plagiarised. His Media Adviser, Dorn Nor­man Obinna, did not only at­tribute the controversy to the antics of Orji’s detractors but also provided explanations on the evolution and gains of some of the bills currently at various stages of legislative considerations.
His words: “These bills we are talking about are not just mere bills rather, they are bills that when enacted, will have positive impact on the people of Nigeria. We have the Food Security Bill, 2015 (2nd Reading), which objec­tive is to compel government to provide quality food as part of its primary responsibilities. The establishment of a ‘Food Security Agency’ will enable vulnerable and marginalized groups like children, preg­nant women and lactating mothers have access to quality food. Also of paramount im­portance is a provision in the Bill which seeks to establish a Food Security Agency that will implement the blueprint on food security mapping system.
The bill when enacted seeks to empower the proposed ‘Food Security Agency’ to col­laborate with the Ministries of Finance, Disaster Manage­ment, Planning and National Security to actualize its man­date and strengthen their ca­pacity in food emergencies. So when enacted, the Food Secu­rity Bill will ensure a healthy society, and a robust popula­tion because it will certainly reduce drastically and/or eliminate completely the men­ace of malnourishment, mor­bidity, neo-natal mortality, high rate of child and mater­nal mortality which Nigeria is the second largest contributor with the loss of about 2, 300 under-five-year-olds and 145 women of childbearing age ev­ery single day according to the current UNICEF record. In other words, about 8.395 mil­lion and 52, 925 annual infants and maternal mortality will be prevented.
“We have the Nigerian In­vestment Promotion Council Act Cap N 117 2004 Repeal and Reenactment Bill (1st Reading), with the objective to further encourage, promote and co-ordinate investment in the Nigerian economy; Na­tional Planning Process Bill 2015, SB.73 (1st Reading); and Deep Offshore and Inland Ba­sin Production Sharing Con­tracts Act CAP PD3 LFN 2004 (Amendment), Bill 2015 (SB – 11 9) (2nd Reading). Others are the Nigerian Biodiversity Bill 2015 (SB 79), (1st Read­ing); Constitution of the Fed­eral Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Alteration), Portfolio Des­ignation Bill 2015 (1st Read­ing), Deoxy-ribonucleic Acid (DNA), Bill 2015 (SB 78), (1st Reading); and a bill for an Act to Establish a Centre for Dis­eases Control and other Re­lated Matters (1st Reading)”.
The media adviser equally highlighted some of the leg­endary achievements of Orji as Abia State governor which ac­cording to him endeared him to the people and ultimately resulted to his election as a senator. These include - the abolition of idolatry and fetish oath taking as condition for political appointment in the state; his insistence that power must shift to Abia South which had never, until the emergence of the incumbent Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu in 2015, produced a governor since the state was created; elimination of kid­napping and violent crimes which almost crippled Abia economy between 2010 and 2011; restoration of peace to