12 June 2019
The Member representating Obubra II at the 9th Cross River State House of Assembly, CRSHA Hon Francis Ovat has highlighted what his priority will be as a legislator at the 9th Assembly. For him, the productive engagement of the teeming youth of his Constituency will be addressed headlong between 2019 and 2023 NEGROIDHAVEN has garnered.
The first timer state legislator while admitting to newsmen in Calabar sequel to his inauguration into the 9th Assembly that education is central in affecting the fortunes of the constituency, however stressed that within the tenure of his tenure he will place emphasis on jobs provision and entrepreneurship as a panacea for undoing unemployment and by implication restiveness amongst the already educated.
His words, 'Yes, education is key which we will certainly look into but, we have a lot of young graduates fallowing already. As much as we try to see how we can encourage education, we also need to see how we can give the people who have already graduated an enabling environment to thrive. So, education is also key but first on my priority is how to see how I can engage the teeming youths. Because if they are also empowered there will be a multiplying effect which will affect some other persons', he said.
Speaking earlier, Ovat made reference to the belligerence that has characterised his Constituency —Obubra II, disclosing that without peace development cannot thrive. He traced the origin of this eyesore to youth restiveness. For him, capacity building in entrepreneurship and provision of grants will undo this warring trend. Again, he added that he will engage traditional stools as another strategy to ensure peace withing his Constituency. He promised to articulate bills and raise motions in collaboration with his colleague at Obubra I State Constituency that will touch on peace.
'What plagues us in Obubra II State Constituency is the issue of war, communal clashes. Without peace development cannot thrive, we will put all machineries on ground to see that there is an existing peace, peace that is beyond human comprehension. So that all the needed development can come.'
In respect of the narrative of Obubra being marginalised, Ovat admitted that Obubra as a nation has been marginalised but observed that every empire has its reign. He however believed that Obubra will regain its statewide influence from the quality of the set of young leaders the Mbembe nation is featuring in the current political dispensation.
Speakers at the venue of the reception in Calabar dwelt heavily on unity as a sine qua non for development and glory of the Mbembe nation.