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Climbing higher heights on grounds of achievements

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Rt Hon Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru

Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly the Rt.  Hon. Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru is one of the few people on the corridors of power who knows too well that everything that we do today is a seed sown in the garden of our lives.  The Rt.  Hon. Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru also knows that change comes from constructive thought and sound action; not just by complaining or thinking that someone else should do something else.

There is no gain saying that the milestone achievements recorded thus far in Ebonyi State is as the result of the harmonious working relationship which exists  between the executive and the legislative arms of government in that state.  No wonder that the people of Ebonyi State have come to identify the Speaker of the State House of Assembly with the tag of Team Player. His presiding over the Ebonyi State 6th assembly has positioned him as a man on a special mission, a man who has a date with destiny.

First elected Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly  in 2015 when he emerged as the 5th Speaker of the Assembly,  Nwifuru  had depended heavily on his rich and enviable track record of achievements to secure a re-election as Speaker in the second tenure of Governor  David Umahi’s administration.

Nwifuru is at home with politics in Ebonyi State and has acquainted himself very well to the extent that he is now a rallying point for all those who wish the state well. For him, by spending every single moment at a high level of consciousness, life becomes a celebration of joy, happiness and strength.

Speaker Nwifuru may not have had everything on a platter of gold but he has managed to transform every of his turning point into a learning curve hence the bitter encounters in his bid to accomplish his political and leadership dreams have become ‘practical success’ turning into testimonies and praises by his well wishers and even those who had predicted woes upon him. Those who predicted that he would not be able to carry out the speakership functions at the early stage of assuming office as the Speaker of the state 5th Assembly have all turned to be his cheer leaders.

The breakthroughs and goodwill messages for Rt. Honourable Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru as the Speaker of Ebonyi 5th Assembly have not been different but have turned to be the an adoration ground for his excellent performance by the undivided voice of his people.

The Speaker’s sprouting out from the building industry to answer a call of the good people of Izzi West State Constituency to step forward to represent them in Ebonyi State House of Assembly in 2011 was as magical as it was divine for it was hardly noticed by any person in the state that Nwifuru is such a talented and people oriented person.

His successful election then in 2011 was too hard to bear, as many in the state saw his  victory during the primary election as a lost hope for his constituents particularly the supporters of his closest rival and of course, the entire Izzi clan. But despite the pains it caused his closest rival, former Speaker Augustine Nwankwegu and his measurable supported constituents.

As an embattled child of destiny with a promising leadership qualities, the war of his successful testimony could not end up then in his first tenure even though the Ebonyi  4th Assembly was hijacked by external forces who flooded the House with chaos, confusion, and in-house-fight; characterised by suspensions and counter suspensions and several impeachment saga being recorded.

The political games and the challenges continued in that way to bring into fulfillment the Divine Mandate Call by God for Nwifuru, whom it became too hard and hot for him when he in 2015 had already bought form in his party, PDP, to re-contest his position as a member representing Izzi West in the state Assembly.

By then, it was too difficult for any Ebonyi man or woman to believe that Hon. Nwifuru would make it again  to Ebonyi State House of Assembly owning to the fact that he became an ardent supporter of the current Governor of Ebonyi state, Engr. David Nweze Umahi just because of his strong faith rested on the joyous songs and spirit of fairness, equity and justice to the obvious discredit of the massive movement and support for his former Political Boss and his father in marriage, Sir Edward Okereke Nkwegu, EDON, who was pushed to contest the state governorship position by the then sitting Governor, Chief Martin Elechi and his teeming defected members and supporters of Labour Party, LP, for having lost his attempt to install his PDP candidate, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu from the Southern part of the state when he was clamouring for equity reign on the seat of the state governor.

Yet, the whole battle ended up in the favour of Honourable Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru and all the candidates of PDP as they won all the elective posts starting from the National Assembly, governorship and state Assembly seats except the two members in the state Assembly that were produced by PPA and LP, who could not delay in defecting into PDP after witnessing the resounding leadership qualities displayed by PDP elected leaders in the state particularly in the House, when Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru has been on the steering of the state Assembly Speakership.

Indeed, it was a testimony amidst fear and confusion following several speculative reports coming from all angles in the state to put Nwifuru’s speakership into crisis like that of the 4th State Assembly, but low and behold, it has been established that the gallant Izzi West lawmaker has made the highest success records  in the history of the state assembly.

His tremendous leadership qualities and outings have dumb-folded his overwhelmed opponents including the political cabals who claimed to have worked for his emergence in the 4th Assembly as the Honourable member representing Izzi West state constituency as they employed all kinds of destructive elements and used diverse techniques to distablize the 5th Assembly which was under his watch.

In no doubt, the testimonies on the performance of the Speaker have become numerous to mention even as his body language has shown that he is of God, destined and unstoppable believer with an exemplary leadership trait, for having exhausted many of his marshalled outlines on his employment/empowerment programmes and awards of scholarship outreaches in his 5th Assembly, befitted by people cutting across the state particularly in Izzi Nation, more of his feats are yet unfolding.

Apart from his avalanche of employment and empowerment outreaches benefitted by not only his constituents but across people in the state, Speaker Nwifuru has attracted high recommendations by Ebonyi People for his ability to keep the state Assembly peacefully, calm and conducive since assumed office as the Speaker, Ebonyi Assembly.

His numerous success stories during his Speakership in the state 5th Assembly have also been largely effected changes positively in the House, as his leadership was able to make initiation that led to the rebuilding of the obsolete chamber being approved by the state Governor which has continued giving the Honourable House members an outstanding record in carrying out their duties.

Notwithstanding, the 5th Assembly under his leadership was the regime that passed the highest bills into laws, 49 of them have been already assented by the state governor and made over 285 resolutions for the wellbeing of Ebonyi state.

These included Nwifuru’s  determination to ensure the welfare of the staff working in the House and also for an administrative convenience of the Honourable lawmakers in his first regime, through their amicable and joint influence which made the state governor to constitute the Ebonyi State House of Assembly Service Commission within six months in office; and this feat presently has boosted the working relationship of the Assembly staff attracting more laudable felicitations for the state government.

The unending felicitations by Ebonyi people to the state  lawmakers on their executed development projects carried to their respective constituencies through his leadership qualities which pleased the state Governor to give out his full support, have remained an immemorial as an eloquent testimony in the state.

These were achieved through nothing but their understanding themselves, and the speaker’s genuine conduct of the House which have made them to equally handle effectively letters emanating from the office of the state governor seeking approval and authentications, including their successful screening and confirming of the governor’s nominees for appointments and other issues of legislative concerns brought before the Honourable House and even the valedictory sessions for the departure of the former Honourable members of the state 5th Assembly.

Yet, the Speaker has never relented till when the battle line was drawn during the 2019 elections in order to return back for the third tenure in the House, an attempt to respond to his people who have continued praying and wishing for his political and leadership success, having known that most political warlords in his constituency were not in support of his re-election but after all said and done, God perfected his third term victory as usual.

Though, devil remained restless by using many tactics to pull down the progressive gentle Speaker from completing his Divine Mandate mission as this became visible during his re-election into office as the Speaker of Ebonyi 6th Assembly.

Yet, his re-election and victory as the Speaker of Ebonyi State 6th Assembly became a success by the true intervention of God considering the rumours and counter rumours made against him.

To begin now in reviewing the breakthroughs of Speaker Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru as he focuses on liberating the state from shackles of backwardness through the law making processes as his concern is to make boldly all his undertakings accruable to the Divine Mandate mission and the people-oriented government under the watch of Governor David Nweze Umahi and as quested by the yawning of the good people of Ebonyi State for a practical and evidence leadership representations in every political position in the country particularly those occupied by Ebonyians; the Speaker has in consonance invested much legacies to reap more from many opportunities awaiting him but it is only time will unfound them.

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