I HAVE ONE AGENDA TO BUILD THE NATION, NO MATTER THE PARTY OR THE PERSONS.

I HAVE ONE AGENDA TO BUILD THE NATION, NO MATTER THE PARTY OR THE PERSONS.

By:Lucky kenedy ose

HON. STAINLESS
Nwodo Chijioke is a Nigerian politician at the House of Representatives level. Nwodo Chijioke currently serves as the Federal Representative representing Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani constituency in the 9th National Assembly. Hon. Stainless Nwodo is a graduate of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, where he studied Political Science. He has over two-decade career which cuts across Education, Training and Management. As a director of a renowned private school in Enugu, he enrolled many indigent pupils on scholarship. He had a short interactive moment with Monica and Adeboye, Nassnews correspondent in the green chamber.
Nassnews: Can we meet officially, Sir?
Hon. Stainless: I am Hon. Chijoke Nwodo representing Igbo – Etiti/Uzo Uwani Federal constituency in Enugu sate. I was born in Kaduna in 1978 and I left Kaduna in 1986 because of the crisis which started in 1985. I repeated my primary education because my right hand cannot touch my ear. I finished my primary school 1993. I finished my secondary school 1998 and I joined higher institution 2006. I finished my first degree 2011 in Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, where i studied Political Science. In 2011 I was appointed as SPA to the former speaker, later the SSA to the Governor of Enugu State and I later became a Chairman in 2022. I found my wife in 1988.
Nassnews: Let’s talk about the exercise that brought you here.
Hon. Stainless: I was part of the End-Sars demonstration by the youths that almost divided the country. So based on the way I took part in the project, I decided to run for office into Labour Party because of my principal Dr. Peter Obi. I joined Labour Party in 2018. Dr. Peter Obi has credibility, haven examined his antecedent when he was the governor of Anambra State. He may not be the best, but among equal he is the best of the best among his mates as a governor because of the huge amount of money he left behind and his input to the educational sector and healthcare.
So we have this pedigree to lead the youth, I joined him in the Labour Party and God will have it, I emerge to represent the people of my federal constituency and that is why I am here today.

Nassnews: With the stand of your party, how will if you score the concluded election?
Hon. Stainless: I only give it ½%. Not up to 1%
Nassnews: What are your expectations from the tribunal going on?
Hon. Stainless: Even in my own case we are about four that contested in my State, in my constituency and I won with a lot of amounts of votes, imagine, for three people to go to court claiming the amounts of votes they demanded belongs to them. As I am talking to you, I have the litigation going on and I won’t discuss any other person that have the same litigation. I have to discuss myself first, I am more important in this in this game. Do you understand? But my prayer is that whoever emerge as president of Nigeria should listen to the people and build the nation.
Nassnews: With the policy that is going on now Sir, as an opposition how will you score the federal government policy on subsidy so far?
Hon. Stainless: Do you understand? But I strongly believe that I am also learning. Telling you I know in detail about subsidy is maybe trying to claim what I am not. Do you understand? But I strongly believe that the removal of subsidy may cause hardship for now, but maybe in future it will strengthen a lot of things.
I remember when MTN was introduced by Baba Obasanjo, one the network GSM in Nigeria in 1992 and two the MTN line was so high that a poor man cannot buy it. It was 30,000 up to 60,000. Do you understand? But a lot of people there were criticizing the president then that Ghana is selling cheaper than Nigerian standard but after that criticism finally a Pa Obasanjo gave a lot of companies’ license and you know by venture of that, when the seller is increased, the demand will reduce. So now I believe if refineries are build and more marketers are given the license to operate the high cost of the product will come down.
Nassnews: Your agenda for your people.
Hon. Stainless: I have one agenda to build the nation, no matter the party or the persons. Do you understand? So I believe that whoever that emerge, whoever is the president of Nigeria today should continue to unite Nigeria and to build the nation.
Nassnews: can you tell us one or two things that is going to be different from your predecessors.

Hon. Stainless: It will be my pleasures to do all my best to fulfil all promises I made to my people according to their needs which is water, Electricity, Quality Education, empowerment and Health Center. So by grace of God, the reason why i am here today is to do their needs and I know that this 2024 budgets I will input all the things I have explained now into the budget.

Nassnews: concerning palliative sharing, do you think the federal government should go through the lawmakers or the governor should be given the palliative?

Hon. Stainless: The issue is that when they talk of palliative, people will start criticizing that 70 billion have been given to National Assembly. Do you understand the issue of how to share the money have not been discussed in plenary. The issue whether you give the governor or you give the member to share is not discussed. But I believe any palliative that is coming from federal government to the people who will present should not go to the governor, we are representing the people here? The governor is the governor of the state, do you understand? Because anything they give me to give my people and I fail to do so, the people would hold me responsible. But if you give to the governor to give to the people nobody will hold them accountable. In any state we have about 8 members of House of representatives, they did federal House race in every state and I know any message that you need to help people will be delivered, everybody will make sure they deliver at least 40% because Mr. A will not be like Mr. B. At a time they said they gave excess crude oil money to some governors and we didn’t hear about it until when they got exposed by party crisis. so money was given to them and nobody heard the budget until this Liberal Party crisis that now warned a lot of them. We don’t have the database number of people in Nigeria in Nigeria. If I set my machinery around and say give me the number of families in this community, I know if I want to get the number of families in those axis, I ask my coordinators to go to various wards, before 24 hours I will provide you with a number of families.

The 10th assembly is the first assembly to unite, the assembly that gave the speaker highest support almost 97% of votes. The speaker scored 353 votes against seven. He lost seven votes. So based on that, Mr Speaker is a kind man. We have about 120 committee chairman and their deputies. But he introduced another 22 chairmen of committees and their deputies. So now I think the man knows what he’s doing. He will carry everybody along. Even if they will carry everybody along, all of us must not be chairman or deputy, the important thing is the agenda of the Nigerian people and the agenda of the assembly to support the executive. If I am not the chairman and my friend is the chairman, everything I need from him, I will go to him, everybody will go to the chairman or the deputy chairman. The important thing is that all of us are able to represent our different constituency. The different between I and Mr. Speaker is that and Mr. Speaker is the presiding officer but he is still my colleague including other principal officers. The difference is that they are our leaders but we are still the same. The burden before the presidency is not an easy thing because the one is that if a good leader is there without good followers, he cannot achieve more. The president of a country cannot be in the state. At the same time, the president of a country can also implement some policies for national assembly to make into law but the people to interpret the law are different people. So presidents have tried to bring a policy, you understand, but the implementation is the problem. The layman doesn’t know that security is everybody’s business, that they shoot here and there, the president is not there, you are there. If you know the people that are shooting, you are the police, don’t hide them, you understand.

Nassnews: what do you think can be done to elevate people’s poverty?

Hon. Stainless: The problem of Nigeria did not start today. You understand and to rebuild it cannot be one day or one month. If you check the government just started, this is a new government, so let Nigerians be patient and support the government to grow. The resident doctors went on strike for me, they are not supposed to bring up the issue of strike now, Mr. President is just about some months in office trying to fix some things. So bringing the headache of going for strike is not the best way to go now. We, Nigerians don’t tackle issues with wisdom, we tackle issue with sentiments. We have to give this government time and know what they can do.

For example, I will use myself as a case study, I am just few days in office, some people are calling me, why are you not doing the project? Some will say, I need this. I need that. I am telling you I am sending 3000 to each person. Imagine the money I spend every minute, at 12,000 every person’s call. They don’t believe that no money. I sent 50,000 to somebody that called me that they want to operate his wife just now. So this type of challenges now I am getting within a short time talk more of the president. I have seen the difference between us and President is the name Mr. President, we have the same experience. Thank you.