WHO IS AFRAID OF HON. BETHEL AMADI

The recent visit of South East Progressive Forum led by its Chairman and immediate past President of the Pan African Parliament Rt. Hon Bethel Amadi to the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on 27^th August, 2015 has continued to generate a lot of interest in the South East resulting in a lot of lies, blackmail and misinformation targeted at the person of Hon Amadi, in an attempt to vilify him and gain cheap political mileage.

Hon Amadi led a delegation of eminent South East personalities such as Senator Anthony Agbo from Ebonyi, Senator Fidelis Okoro from Enugu, Hon Jerrry Igbokwe from Anambra, Ambassador Okey Emuchay from Abia and Hon Dr. Geff Ojinika from Imo amongst many other leaders.

The delegation went to highlight key issues concerning the South East such as dilapidated infrastructure in all the socio-economic sectors, high youth unemployment, incessant insecurity, kidnapping, poor and deficient educational standards, gully erosion and issues of many abandoned federal highways such as the Owerrri-Port Harcourt Highway are not being given the necessary attention they deserve.

In Nigeria today, when you speak of insecurity, the government’s attention is focused on Boko Haram and not enough attention is paid to the issue of kidnapping which is slowly crippling many economic and social life in the South East as many sons and daughters are now afraid to come home because of kidnapping.

When you speak of environmental challenges, the government’s attention is focused mainly on the Ogoni land problem and oil spillage and not much attention is being paid to the gully erosion menace that is ravaging the South East.

When you talk of the problems concerning education in Nigeria, government is talking about increasing school enrolment in other parts of Nigeria and no attention is paid to the falling standard of education in the South East.

Hon Amadi’s credentials as a true son of Ibo land have never been in doubt since this lawyer turned politician came into the public space. A silent achiever who has over the years demonstrated leadership and capacity especially on the issues concerning his people.

As Chairman of Imo Caucus in the House of Representatives and Secretary of South East Caucus between 2003 – 2007, it was Hon Amadi who led his colleagues to push for the Federal Government take-over of Alvan Ikoku College of Education and mobilized legislative support for the initial one billion naira take-off grant to the institution. Today this federal college of education that was recently converted to a federal university is now being threatened with reversal and yet again Hon Amadi in his characteristic quiet nature has gone to intervene. It was Hon Amadi working closely with Hon Dr. Geff Ojinika and late Senator Amah Iwuagwu that succeeded in ensuring the speedy completion of the Onitsha – Owerri expressway by dividing the road into two sections and awarding the contract for the Owerri – Ihiala half to Julius Berger and using the presence of Julius Berger in the South East to also rehabilitate the then impassable Owerri – Orlu road.

Between 2008 – 2011 Hon Amadi was made Chairman House Committee on Aviation and he began the process of rehabilitating the Nigerian Aviation sector especially on the safety side. Realizing that the Igboland was landlocked and seeing there was no viable Airport in the South East and the dream of South East having an international airport cannot be achieved with the poor state of Owerri - Enugu, Hon Amadi as Chairman of Aviation Committee oversaw the complete rebuilding and extension of Enugu Airport runway to enable it accommodate big aircrafts used for international flights. His personal interest in actualizing this project saw him visiting the site on a regular basis. He ensured the provision of new fire trucks, water supply, new control tower and communication equipments, and weather monitoring facilities all of which made it possible for the first international flights to land in Enugu in August 2013.

At the Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport Owerri, he completed the fencing of the airport, ensured the provision of new fire trucks, new control tower and radio communication system equipments, borehole and initiated the provision of airfield lighting and the rebuilding of the terminal building all in an effort to provide the required infrastructure that can make Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport ready to be an international cargo airport.

From 2009 – 2015, Hon Amadi was elected 1^st Vice President and later President of the Pan African Parliament – an organ of the African Union. Using this platform, he immediately engaged in bringing about peace and security to many African nations. He initiated and led fact finding missions to Mali, Central African Republic, Saharawi Arab Republic, Sudan and South Sudan to mention a few. During these parliamentary diplomatic shuttles to meet various leaders in African countries, he found time to visit with the Nigerian community in those countries where he discovered that the majority of traders there are Igbos. Based on this, he initiated the campaign of improving Intra African trade and ensuring free movement of people, goods and services across the continent. This was important for him because most of the Igbo traders were being maltreated as illegal immigrants. To give legal backing to the campaign for Intra African trade, he initiated a campaign to transform the Pan African Parliament from an advisory and consultative body to a legislative body. After two years of campaign and diplomatic shuttles, in June 2014, Hon Amadi succeeded in convincing 54 African Heads of States to approve and amend the protocol for the Pan African Parliament thereby designating it as the legislative organ of the African Union to develop and draft model laws. His tenure as President of the Pan African Parliament was so successful that in May 2015 at his colleagues by resolution of parliament appointed him Ambassador of the Pan African Parliament for promoting African Union legal instruments.

So the visit of Hon Amadi and delegation to Buhari is in continuation of his campaign for better governance and highlighting the issues concerning his people. There is no need for his

fellow politicians to be jittery as there is no election in sight. He has risen to the occasion where everyone else has fallen silent.This true son of Igboland should be commended for his commitment and dedication to the issues affecting his people and as he continues to use his rich continental network and contact for the betterment of the ndi Igbo and Nigerians.