Why I couldn’t execute my campaign promises, Rep tells constituents
•Political factors mired insertion of dilapidated Calabar- Ikom-Ogoja highway in 2016 budget
By EMMANUEL UNA
OGOJA – A member of the House of Representatives representing Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency, Cross River State, Hon Jarigbe Agom, has blamed his inability to keep his campaign promises to the people on economic recession that struck the country.
His words: “We made promises to our people and have been able to attract some projects to our constituencies, but the 2016 budget has not been implemented because of the recession, so we have really not kept our campaign promises to our people.”
Agom stated this at Ogoja at an open new yam celebration he hosted for thousands of his constituents and visitors to make sure that everyone, despite his or her economic standing, had something to eat during the just concluded Bakor New Yam festival.
He said: “I am a Bakkor man and we believe that on a day like this, everyone should have something to feast with, but everybody is affected by the economic situation and they were fears that some people might not have something to feast on and also visitors have to be fed, so we decided with the Chairman of Ogoja Council, Rita Ayim, to host this open celebration”.
The lawmaker stated that projects that would have made meaningful impact on the lives of the people were being held up, and as legislators, there was little they could do to fast track the execution of the projects than to wait until the executive releases money.
“We have been able to attract some projects to our constituencies but the executive has not started the implementation of the 2016 budget such that even when these jobs have been advertised, there is no cash back up for them to be executed.
“So we are waiting for funds to be released for those projects to be executed in order that our campaign promises can be kept,” he said.
Hon Agom said members of the National Assembly from Cross River state made efforts to ensure that the dilapidated Calabar- Ikom-Ogoja highway was captured in the 2016 budget, but interplay of political factors by the executive stalled the effort.
He, however, assured that more efforts would be made during the 2017 budget proposal to include the construction of the road.
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