Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, immediate past representative of the Rivers South-East Senatorial District at the National Assembly has said that without knowledge, there is no future.
He made the disclosure while commissioning a three classroom block donated to Teenama, an Ogoni Community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State over the weekend in order to change the narrative of education in the area.
The newly constructed and well-furnished three classrooms block for the community Primary School building was one of the projects sponsored by Abe, during his tenure as Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District at the National Assembly.
Teenama was one of the communities in Ogoniland affected by communal crisis, which destroyed the only primary school in the area.
On one of his visits to the community during his tenure in 2017 to inaugurate a water project, he personally donated to the community, the senator noticed that the community had no functional primary school and was located several kilometers away from any other community.
The Senator stated that the project is part of the Sustainable Development Goals programme of the federal government and emphasized on the need to equip Nigerian children with knowledge for future development.
He said: “We thank God for the completion of this project. This is a three classrooms block for Teenama Community. As you can see the only school building here was totally destroyed and children have been under the rain and sun for over twenty years. It is now 2019 this kind of sights should not be seen in the Niger Delta.
This project is from the Sustainable Development Goals programme (SDG’s) of the federal government. We thank President Buhari that we were able to get them to come here to build these classrooms block for the use of this Community.
Without knowledge there is no future because the world of the future is going to be a world for those with the most knowledge, if we do not equip our children with the opportunity to learn, we have already discarded their future.
Therefore, this project is very important to the future of this Community”.
Earlier in his welcome address Chairman, Teenama Council of Chiefs and Elders, Chief Barinua Maxwell said, “Our complaint about political marginalization, oppression, and discrimination in the comity of Ogoni to our beloved Senator on October 21, 2017, when he came here for the commissioning of the Free Portable Water donated to Teenama community was not in vain, the school was destroyed in 1993 in the communal clashes between the Ogonis and Andonis. For twenty-six years we could not get help, because we are a small community.
Today, we are witnessing the end of that bitter memory by the positive action of Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, a listening and grassroots politician of our time.
We appealed to him to consider the school for renovation but he gave us a new set of classrooms block equipped with modern facilities”.
While appreciating the senator for the gesture, the community also appealed to the Rivers State Government to come to their aid by completing the other phase of the project.
Meanwhile, Senator Abe has reiterated the need to make constituency projects visible and impactful across the nation by Legislative officers in order to end the rising agitations against constituency projects by citizens across the country.
He stated this over the weekend at Ayama Community in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, during the commissioning of a multipurpose hall sponsored by him during his tenure as a senator representing the area.
He said if funds released for constituency projects were utilized all over the country, in a manner that was visible and impactful on the life’s of the citizens, there would be a reduction in the outcry of the people against the concept of constituency projects by legislators.
The senator said: “If the people of this country will be seeing the benefit of these projects in their communities, the whole animosity and anger of the Nigerian people towards the issue of constituency projects will not arise. Because if you want to talk about it, you will not be negative if you know that your people are benefiting from it.
What fuels the anger of the people over constituency projects is the fact that a lot of times people claim they don’t see, and they don’t feel the impact or benefit of constituency projects in their communities.
I say this because for the years I was in the National Assembly, every year physically, people could see what we did with the funds that were provided for Constituency Projects within this district, it is all over the Senatorial District.
I came here because I was representing these people. If I didn’t come there is no way I would have known their needs”.
Senator Abe thanked the community for the warm reception accorded him even as he is no longer in office.
“In my first year at the Senate, one of the constituency projects we did was building of a primary school here in Oyigbo. Throughout my tenure at the senate, I made sure my constituent benefited from the government.
I am particularly happy with the quality of the project. Today, Ayama Community has made me proud even when I am no longer a sitting senator.
I pray that this community hall will be a contact point for the growth, well-being, and development of this community”.
Earlier, in his address HRH Eze (Dr.) Elijah E. Adiele, Paramount Ruler of Ayama Community, appreciated Senator Magnus Abe for giving listening ears to their demands.
He assured him that the edifice will be maintained and judiciously used for its purpose.
“The history of this community will not be complete without your name as far as this multipurpose hall is concerned, that is to say your name has been written and engraved on the surface of the hard object.
We promise and assure you that we will do everything humanly possible to maintain, protect and make judicious use of this multipurpose hall so that the aim and objectives of this venture will not be defeated by enemies of progress”, Eze Adiele assured.
