By Archibong Jeremiah, House Of Assembly Correspondent
The Deputy Speaker, Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon. Joseph Bassey, representing Calabar South State constituency 2 has supported two hundred and thirty-six (236) of his constituents financially.
The support which was given in a ceremony recently in his constituency in Calabar South was in six categories:
Thirty-six (36) market women were to share five hundred thousand naira (N500, 000), another half a million to be shared by thirty (30) waterleaf farmers and one million naira (N1, 000, 000) as financial assistance to another group of thirty (30).
Others are twenty (20) under graduates who got five hundred thousand naira (N500, 000) as project assistance, one million, five hundred thousand naira (N1.5 million) for fifty (50) persons as skill acquisition support and one million naira (N1,000, 000) for seventy (70) students in his constituency as WAEC and Junior Secondary School examination fees.
Summing the money to five million naira (N5, 000, 000) for 236 constituents. The Deputy Speaker while speaking said the support was a fulfilment of the promise he made during electioneering period.
His words: “When I finished my first term and aspiring for a second term I vowed to them to send me this time without tribunal cases and I will do something vital for them which they did.
“Today I’m here to say thank you to them for their trust, if they did not keep to their promise by now I will be running around borrowing money to settle lawyers and others but now instead of me going to borrow money for tribunal, I’m happy borrowing to say thank you for showing me I’m your son and I have your support”, he said.
He went on to reveal that the beneficiaries are not just indigenes of his constituency but residents as well.
Some of his colleagues who were present at the event include, Hon. Steven Ukpukpen of Obudu State constituency, Hon. Charles Ekpe of Akamkpa 2 State constituency and Hon. Peter Odey of Ogoja State constituency.
They all solicited for support for their Deputy Speaker and told his constituents that he is representing them well as a legislator.
Also two Commissioners designate, Mr. Timi Tom and Hon. Savior Nyong, who were also at the event, while speaking, also solicited for support for the Deputy Speaker maintaining that the only way Hon. Joseph will not perform is if he’s not supported from the constituency which he is representing.
As part of the event, ten constituents were given the opportunity to share the grave challenges of the area and they identified bad roads, security and street lights as the major challenges facing the area with one laying emphasis that for about four years now there has been street lights mounted in the area with none working till date.
Cheques were presented to leaders of the various groups while that of the school children was given to their teachers who led them to the event.
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