Peoples Democratic Party Senator, Clifford Ordia, has blamed the current economic hardship in the country on the alleged failure of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government to fully implement the 2016 budget.
Ordia alleged that the performance of the federal budget for 2016 was not more than 50 percent.
The lawmaker regretted that the poor performance of the 2016 budget, which was the first to be implemented by the APC-led Federal Government, was responsible for the economic hardship being experienced by all Nigerians, including his constituents.
Ordia, who represents Edo Central Senatorial District in the Senate, said this in Irrua while giving his mid-term report to his constituents.
The senator, who also used the occasion to distribute some empowerment materials to some members of his constituency, lamented that the change mantra of the APC had become synonymous with hard times and suffering.
This, according to him, propelled him to embark on people-oriented projects in the Edo Central Senatorial District and regular empowerment of his people as part of his commitments towards fulfilling his campaign promises.
Ordia said, “As part of the commitment to fulfil my campaign promises, I have undermined the recent cliche of “change” denoting bad economic times, to embark on people-oriented projects in some areas in my senatorial district.
“Projects ranging from health facilities, youth and women empowerment, education, road construction, water projects, and rural electrification were executed within the space of two years.
“My office facilitated jobs placement for a number of youths into Federal Government parastatals and helped to secure admissions for prospective students into several higher institutions across the country.”
In his remarks, the Chairman at the occasion, Senator Odion Ugbesia, commended Senator Ordia for his extra efforts in networking to attract the projects he had executed in the past two years.
Senator Ugbesia appealed to the people to bear with Senator Ordia and other representatives, pointing out that as law makers they lacked the powers to award contracts.
“Please bear with Senator Ordia and others, because Ordia has no power to award contracts. These are his extra efforts in networking at the National Assembly. We urge him to do more,” he said.
Also speaking, former South- South Secretary of the PDP, Mrs. Philomena Ihenyen, thanked Senator Ordia for including women in his empowerment programme.
She urged politicians to ensure women were not marginalised in the distribution of political offices to encourage their husbands for permitting them to join politics, pointing out that it was not in their place to say women’s place should be in the kitchen.
Empowerment items ranging from motor bikes, grinding machines for processing agricultural products, sewing machines and cash for start-up micro enterprises were distributed to some members of the senatorial district.
Keys to the blocks of classrooms constructed by Senator Ordia were also given
out to principals and headmasters of the benefiting schools.
