Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (II)… BY AGBA JALINGO

Opportunity Statement

In February 2017, the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and Cross River State launched a waste-to-wealth program in Calabar. The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, laid the foundation for a plant to process waste-to-wealth at the Idundu Industrial Layout in Calabar. The project was also targeted at the production of biogas, organic waste, and feeds for aquaculture in the State as well as creating thousands of jobs and livelihoods.

Since the groundbreaking was done, the project has remained stalled. This writer reliably gathered that funds that were released for the project never made it out of Abuja and the answers to where the funds ended can best be obtained by our 10th Assembly NASS Members as part of their duties.

Propositions

1. As part of their oversight functions, the NASS committees both in the Red and Green chambers, that have individual or overlapping oversight roles over the Ministry of Science and Technology, need to be engaged immediately.

2. Direct consultation and fact-finding meetings with the Ministry of Science and Technology, should also be prioritized.

3. If funding for the project wasn’t adequate, what can be done and done on time too, to ensure that the next NASS appropriation makes adequate supplement for the project?

4. Was there anything that was supposed to be done by our own State government; the failure of which is stalling the project and how can that be resolved?

5. Having been grounded since 2017, a fresh vigorous effort is required to bring it back to the front burner. Who needs to be lobbied or impressed or reminded of what they failed to do?

This effort should be championed by Senator-Elect, Asuquo Ekpenyong Jr. at the Senate and Hon. Bassey Akiba at the House of Representatives, supported by all NASS Members from Cross River State to the 10th NASS.

….To be continued tomorrow…

Citizen Agba Jalingo is the Publisher of CrossRiverWatch and a rights activist, a Cross Riverian, and writes from Lagos.

NB: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Agba Jalingo, and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.