By joshua NCDC Summit: When Legislative Representation Becomes a Legacy
By Emmanuel Eche’Ofun John
On Monday, the who-is-who of North Central Nigeria converged on the Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, for a two-day Development Summit organised by the North Central Development Commission (NCDC).
The summit, themed “The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic, Infrastructural and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region,” brought together an array of political, traditional, religious and civil-society leaders, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, state governors, deputy governors, federal lawmakers, traditional and religious leaders, youth organisations, diplomats and representatives of various interest groups.
As dignitaries arrived, and the hall filled with conversations about the future of North Central, one man stood out.
The man stood out not merely because of the office he occupies, but because of the significance of the institution around which the summit was convened.
He is the man whose legislative activities helped bring the North Central Development Commission to life.
He is a politician who understands the demands of his office and has consistently demonstrated the capacity to deliver.
He is a respected personality, a voice that resonates across North Central Nigeria and beyond, a politician of repute, and an illustrious and cherished son of Benue State and Idoma land. He’s the Senator representing Benue South Senatorial District and Senate Minority Leader, Comrade Abba Moro, PhD.
Senator Moro conceived and championed the establishment of the North Central Development Commission through his legislative action.
Today, the vision has evolved into an institution with the potential to reshape the developmental trajectory of North Central.
That is no small achievement.
For every road the commission will construct in Benue, every intervention it will deliver in Nasarawa, Plateau, Kogi, Niger and Kwara, and every developmental opportunity it will create across the Federal Capital Territory, history will be kind to Senator Abba Moro.
This is what effective legislative representation is all about; identifying the challenges confronting the people, understanding the institutional and legislative mechanisms required to address those challenges, and deploying the power of legislation to create lasting solutions to those challenges.
It’s not about noise, but capacity, intelligence, knowledge, experience, vision and the ability to build networks that translate ideas into tangible institutions and opportunities for the people. On that score, Senator Moro has distinguished himself.
While some of his political opponents appear more interested in mobilising unsuspecting members of the public for abuse, insults and defamation instead of marketing themselves, the record of the senator’s legislative achievement speaks for itself.
The NCDC summit is a reminder that serious leadership is not always loud but found in the legislation conceived, the institutions created, the policies influenced and the opportunities that future generations will inherit.
When the developmental impact of the North Central Development Commission is eventually measured across the region, the legislative footprints of Senator Moro that made the commission’s emergence possible will not be erased.
That is effective representation!
Emmanuel Eche’Ofun John, is the media adviser to Senator Abba Moro