Distinguished Senator Victor Umeh, a chieftain of the Labour Celebration (LP), is the Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District within the Pink Chamber of the Nationwide Meeting. Umeh, a longtime property surveyor and valuer, chairs the Senate Committee on Diaspora issues and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). A member of Pan African Parliament (PAP) and erstwhile Nationwide Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Umeh has acquired quite a few awards and honours on account of his acts of philanthropy, huge contributions to nation constructing and societal development. On this interview, he threw gentle on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Tax Reform Payments earlier than the Nationwide Meeting in addition to different nationwide points. Excerpt:
On June 13, 2023, you had been a kind of inaugurated as senators within the tenth Senate. How would you say the journey has been to this point in your representation of the individuals of Anambra Central Senatorial District within the tenth Nationwide Meeting within the final 18 months or thereabout?
Nicely, it’s been an fascinating interval. The reality about it’s that our tenure began with loads of challenges. When the President took over, he launched so many reforms that introduced extreme laboriousship to Nigerians. And in a situation like this, the primary set of folks that will likely be approached by the suffering plenty are the lawmakers. It is because we’re accessible and extra open and nearer to the individuals than the Govt. The period has been like an plane that bumped into the storm and the pilot is struggling to stabilize the plane. You already know that can include panic and loads of nervousness. Inside the previous 18 months or so, we’ve been making an attempt to navigate by the challenges Nigerians face each day – insecurity, meals disaster brought on by individuals operating away from their farms, excessive costs of products and commodities, restructuring of the economic system by oil subsidy elimination by the President. Then, the floating of the naira for its worth to be decided by market forces. All of those mixed to plunge the nation into turbulent instances. Once we arrived right here as a parliament, we had been confronted with all these challenges immediately. So, by our law-making efforts we’ve been making an attempt our greatest to see the legal guidelines and motions to move and payments to enact into regulation, to have the ability to help the federal government to regular the course and supply respiration house to the residents. However it’s herculean due to the leap of the greenback from about N400 to N1700. That’s one thing no person can control simply by mere pronouncement. The President and his crew are attempting all that they’ll to have the ability to arrelaxation the state of affairs. However you may see that it has been defying options. The financial state of affairs is affecting supply on all fronts.
How have your constituents felt your influence as their consultant within the Pink Chamber of the Nationwide Assembly?
On the constituency stage, since we had been inaugurated within the tenth NASS, I’ve continued to enhance on my efforts once I was right here within the eighth Senate for about 18 months. Lots has been executed to positively have an effect on the lives of my constituents. I’ve reintroduced once more and rejigged my scholarship programme as a result of I consider the youths should be empowered by education. There is no such thing as a empowerment you may give to a baby that will likely be higher than empowering the kid educationally. An informed little one has turn into a nationwide asset. The kid will, one, be absolutely developed in his senses or her senses. Grow to be extra patriotic to the nation. After which, be a supply of hope to his or her speedy household. So, I’ve all the time positioned worth on schooling. Even on a non-public capability stage, since 2007 I’ve been providing scholarships to people who find themselves sensible however much less privileged.
What’s the nature of the scholarships you latterly awarded to 223 college students of tertiary establishments out of your constituency?
It’s full tuition and a few support for the wants of the scholars. It’s full tuition, 100%. Then, there are marginal provisions for different issues that they want. And the influence is heavy. 223 individuals benefited and so they bought 37 million naira whole on the identical spot as fee for the 2023/2024 tutorial session which was made on the fifth of September, 2024. The scholarship is for the whole period of the course for anyone who is chosen. However we pay the charges yearly. I’m pleased with it and the scholars are fairly blissful. They’re making progress of their research. As quickly as we get into the 2025 price range once more, we are going to present for them and pay their payment for the 2024/2025 session. What we paid is for 2023/2024. In case you add it to the individuals I’ve had in my scholarship over time, it’s somefactor that offers me a lot pleasure, that as we speak we’ve got so many doctors, so many engineers, courtesy of my scholarship programme.
Why this focus and dedication in the direction of schooling particularly within the space of awarding scholarships to indigent students? What’s the motivating issue?
One, it’s as a result of I connect a lot premium to schooling. I do know the significance of education. Like I informed you, an informed thoughts is a civilised thoughts. While you educate younger individuals, they may know the worth of life. They know what to do and what to not do. You can not come and brainwash somephysique and inform him that should you carry a bomb tied to your physique and hug any person and blow up a spot, you go to heaven. Any little one that’s educated will know that it’s a fallacy. That such factor can’t be true. So, schooling is a weapon to liberate the thoughts. Schooling is a weapon to arrange a baby even for management, as a result of any person who’s educated may be something. You may be governor. You generally is a senator. You generally is a Home of Reps member. You generally is a Home of Meeting member. You generally is a native authorities chairman. You may even contest for the Presidency of the nation as God permits you rising up. So, I do know that the inspiration to life is correct schooling. On my motivation for floating the scholarship, I’m from a household of seven siblings. In different phrases, we’re eight. And my dad and mom weren’t rich people in that respect. I took to education very early and brilliantly too. My father was struggling to see me by college to let me have this schooling. However he had a lot hope in my efficiency. I gained admission into secondary college from main 5. In secondary college, I completed first in my class in 1980 and bought admission into the College of Nigeria Nsukka with awaiting end result. I hadn’t acquired my WAEC end result once I gained admission to the college. My father was struggling to see me by and for me to accumulate that college schooling within the midst of different siblings all rising up on the similar time. So, I knew that funds could make any person to not get educated. Good individuals ended up not going to larger institutions. Some even dropped out from main college. My friends on the main college, a lot of them, those that had been very sound academically that couldn’t proceed to secondary college and the university, they’re all over. However with that chance my father struggled to provide me, we had been capable of make it. That point it was small cash however very tough to search out. For me to be within the boarding college then, my father was paying N20 a month as a result of he wished me to have the very best regardless of the difficulties. N20 a month and you can be wonderful. At the moment to have a baby within the boarding college, you realize the sum of money they may ask you to pay.
I noticed that schooling could be very important in human growth. And recalling how a few of my friends dropped out of college and couldn’t additional their schooling as a result of they didn’t have any person to sponsor them, I discovered the necessity to rescue youngsters in that category. So, I began choosing youngsters who’re sensible however have no person to sponsor their secondary college schooling. So, with my scholarship from secondary college to university, I used to be constructing them up and the outcomes have been excellent. Folks bought to know that I used to be interested in serving to individuals to go to highschool, and so they got here to me from varied locations. They convey somephysique, oh, this little one is within the first yr within the college, the sponsor died in an accident and she will’t go forward. I’ll take the particular person. There was a case of a younger lady. That’s the first medical physician that I educated. She was in second yr at college. Her sponsor died and one Reverend Father introduced her to me and stated the sponsor of this lady is gone, and he or she dropped out of medical college. And I stated no, Chioma you can’t drop off. And I took her and continued full tuition and every part, full scholarship for her. She completed and have become a medical physician. There was one other one which got here and located her approach to see me by guided steps that she took. She got here to me to inform me that she wish to have a job from me. She needs me to assist her get a job. And I stated what are you doing with job. She stated that she was in medical college on the College of Port Harcourt and that her father died in an accident so she couldn’t proceed. That she needs to get a job so she will lower your expenses and return to highschool. And I stated no! I noticed that she could be very sensible. And I stated return, you will proceed. You don’t want a job. It’s distraction. I took her. She completed and graduated as the very best scholar in drugs on the College of Port Harcourt, having distinction in inner medicine and surgical procedure. She comes right here in my workplace. She is in Abuja now.
One of many 76 college students I gave scholarship in 2018 once I spent solely 18 months within the eighth Senate. He completed and made firstclass in chemical engineering. He’s now in Canada. I see that once you give help to sensible however financially challenged college students, they may surprise you with their outcomes. Most of my college students made firstclass as a result of earlier than I take you, I’ll know that you’re prepared to check. I’m generally known as somebody who doesn’t play with constituency funds. My tasks are all over. After I was right here for 18 months, the tasks I did in Anambra Central Senatorial District had been so numerous that individuals stated so this stuff are attainable. I used to be constructing school rooms, well being centres, boreholes, all manners of issues acquired my consideration. And I used to be doing them and delivering them in that 18 months. And now that I got here again, I’ve began the identical factor. I don’t make noise about them.
How are your constituents taking these efforts of yours?
They’re very pleased with my sincere illustration. When there was this provision for rice palliative, I used to be one of many first 5 senators in Nigeria that delivered to their constituents. It was introduced out in an open subject and distributed – over 13 thousand baggage of rice. I shared it. Many individuals had been nonetheless struggling however I did it as a result of I knew that individuals had been hungry. So, they know that if I’ve something, I’ll give them. I received’t even speak concerning the each day cellphone calls from individuals asking for help, for one factor or the opposite.
