By Norbert Chiazor
Marvel Senator, Prince Ned Nwoko stands today as the toast of Anioma, nay Nigeria.
Barely eight months since inauguration, he stunned Anioma people attracting a whopping N3.5billion Naira projects to Delta North under the 2024 budget.
The mood in Anioma is eclectic as excitement of Ned Nwoko’s windfall rains across Aniocha, Oshimili, Ika and Ndokwa, the composite cultural quadrants of Delta North.
Its day light in Delta North.
But one man seems to be lonely in one corner, begrudging Ned Nwoko’s excellent goal.
Peter Nwaoboshi embattled ex-senator from Delta North has been leading an embittered cohort to attack Ned Nwoko in frequent envy.
He got the Delta North senate seat in 2015 by political subterfuge.
Common place in the marketplace, this is no secret. British newspaper, Berkshire Chronicle had a funny name for such guile- pickery – pokery.
Trapped by self -inflicted graft, he went to jail in 2023 only to come out as prison- returnee to blame his misfortune on fantasy.
He falsely accused Prince Ned Nwoko and then Attorney General/Justice minister, Abubakar Malami of masterminding his prison misadventure.
How did Nwoko, a PDP politician combine with Malami, Nwaoboshi’s fellow APC member to push him to prison?
How come a man who boasts so much weight in his ruling party and Aso Rock seat of power ended in jail?
But the world knows. Never in history had the Trojan horse embodied truth. As gargantuan as it appears, it is encased in the hollowness of mould.
Nonetheless, the Uthman sage once admonished that conscience is an open wound, only truth can heal it.
You cannot burn your fingers and blame a non-existent fireman.
Prince Ned Nwoko even made a widely publicized appeal for Nwoboshi’s release while in prison, a sportsmanship rare in Nigeria’s cloak and dagger politics.
Rather than chill in sombre supplication, Nwaobosi’s post-confinement mood, had remained bashful in bellicosity.
His latest antics surreptitiously came through one of his loquacious lackeys- Philip Elueme. Goaded by Nwaoboboshi, he just hurriedly conjured a fake and feeble media publication with the caption “2024 BUDGET: “You can’t take credit for Tinubu’s work, APC stalwart, Elueme tells Sen Nwoko”.
A man of grandiose sense of self-importance,
Elueme, a self appointed “stalwart” of All Progressives Congress, APC is pained obviously to the bones that Senator Ned Nwoko rightfully and expressly garnered a handsome N3.5bn projects to Delta North. A class act only clout and charisma of a man with social capital and national relevance like Ned Nwoko can guarantee.
It must be echoed for the umpteenth time, that the impressive budget attention to Anioma land was made possible through strong advocacy lobby by Senator Ned at the senate, not the nebulous fable concocted by dream chasers of Nwaoboshi.
Except for the golden era of Senator Nosike Ikpo of blessed memory and stint of iconic Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, no tenure by an Anioma at the senate had been as admirable as the good showing of Senator Nwoko.
To the critically liberated, it is not curious that Nwaoboboshi feels unease over the exploits of his fellow Anioma. Two reasons suffice: One, he kept Anioma people in the dark at the senate, with his opaque representation, never ever declaring a dime from the commonwealth. Again, as a senator, he sought personal gift, not prime glory.
Senator Ned Nwoko is standing differently, glowing on the red chambers. His credo so distinguished : transparency, accountability, integrity and service.
A pride to PDP in Delta and Nigeria.
Even with his acknowledged salutary duties at NASS, Nwoko is not gloating, yet Nwaoboboshi is gnawing on someone’s lot.
Why pine over the power to excel, after squandering your chance in the most scandalous bungle in Anioma timeline of legislative outing.
An unperturbed Senator Ned Nwoko is however busy at Abuja, with harvest of bills, motions and strategic action, all impacting Anioma people and Nigerians at large.
Ned is unstoppable, no matter the senseless propaganda and meaningless muckraking.
Chiazor is a media leader/analyst
