Leadership comes with responsibility to meet the needs of the masses. With over 8,000 constituents empowered economically and over 100 projects executed, Rt. Hon. Unyime Josiah Idem is blazing high in performance.
In a democracy, the role of the legislator is crucial to the growth and development of any nation; legislators are elected by the citizens in their districts or states and are expected to represent the interests and concerns of their constituents.
The legislative arm is to make laws and perform oversight functions; the need to solve the mirage of socio-economic challenges in society has put a burden on representatives of the people in parliament to provide relief or long time solutions to their problems.
The people of Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State elected Rt. Hon. Unyime Josiah Idem, to the House of Representatives in 2019 to push their common interests and concerns as it affects their overall growth and development.
With a clear task at hand, Hon. Idem hit the ground running knowing well the long-time challenges facing his constituency.
Rt. Hon. Unyime Josiah Idem, currently serves as Chairman, House Committee on Public Procurement in the 10th Assembly, as well as the Leader, Akwa Ibom State Caucus in the 10th House of Representatives.
Record from the Green Chamber shows that, as of September 2024, Idem has sponsored 22 establishment and amendment bills and 28 motions of “urgent national importance.”
Aside his legislative duties, Idem has shown great capacity in improving the lives of his constituents by initiating a strategic program of actions to improve the Human Development Index (HDI) of his constituency.
Hon. Idem’s development initiatives are in two prongs: human capital development and physical projects. This stems from his conviction that leadership is a platform to serve humanity and promote the wellbeing of the people.
The innate desire and passion to impact lives, render services, and create employment and wealth, prompted him to venture into business and later politics.
On human capital development, Idem has sponsored over 8,000 members of his constituency on capacity and empowerment trainings within and outside the shores of Nigeria.
Notably, 100 youths were sent on capacity training in the United Kingdom, China, and Rwanda. Another 8,000 constituents were given the opportunity to be trained on empowerment, while others were trained on Digital Job Creation in Uyo in 2023.
Other empowerment programs initiated by the Akwa Ibom lawmaker includes Digital Job Creation Training for Youths in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in 2022;
Digital Job Creation Training in Calabar, Cross River in 2021; Digital Job Creation Training in Warri, Delta State in 2020; and Digital Job Creation Training in Benin, Edo State in 2019.
Idem also in a bid to ensure his constituents benefited from job opportunities at the federal level facilitated the recruitment of 24 constituents into the Nigerian Police Force and also facilitated employments into Federal Government Ministries, Departments, Agencies/Parastatals, and other blue chip companies across the country.
The lawmaker sponsored Akwa Ibom State Youths in Capacity building on the public procurement Law for effective Legislative oversight and compliance monitoring in Kigali Rwanda last year.
He also sponsored the state Youths in the program/training Course on Marine culture and processing and Circulation Technology of Aquatic Product for Developing Countries in Xiamen Gaoqi China.
Almost all the schools in Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency have been touched in one way or another through the donation of text books, writing and teaching materials in the last few years.
On physical projects, Rt. Hon. Unyime Idem’s footprints are not hard to find in his constituency. Some of the executed, ongoing or new projects from inception till date by the lawmaker include:
the construction of Classroom blocks and ICT Centres in 11 educational institutions across Akwa Ibom State;
the construction of a one-storey building for administrative block and a classroom block at Western
Annang Secondary Commercial School (WASCO) Ukanafun Local Government Area; construction of 1.2km Akpan Assiek Market Road with Streetlight and Drainage Facilities in Ukanafun LGA;
construction of phase one of 2.8km Ikot Akpa Nkuk –Nyak Ibah –Usun Atiat –Ikot Akpa Idem-Ikot Udo
Mbang Road, Ukanafun LGA; and the construction of 4km Ikot Akpan Essien/Ikot Obong/ikot Ukpongeren Road, Oruk Anam LGA.
Others are the construction of Ikot Ukpongeren Bridge at Oruk Anam LGA; ongoing construction of 1.4km Barracks Road at Ikot Udo Obobo, Ukanafun LGA;
construction and furnishing of 300 Seater Capacity six (6) Classroom Lecture Hall donated to Akwa Ibom State University, Obio Akpa Campus, Oruk Anam LGA;
construction of six classroom Block with Furnishing and VIP Toilet at Government Primary School, Usung Atiat Ukanafun LGA; and the construction of six Classroom Block with Furnishing at Methodist Primary School, Ikot Akpan Udo, Oruk Anam LGA.
Idem also facilitated the construction of six Classroom Block with VIP
Toilet at Government Primary School, Ikot Otoiwuo, Ukanafun LGA;
construction of six Classroom Block with VIP Toilet at Community High School, Usung Atiat, Ukanafun LGA (Block A); construction of Six Classroom Block with VIP Toilet at Community High School, Usung Atiat, Ukanafun LGA (Block B); construction of Six Classroom Block with VIP Toilet at Government Secondary School, Ikot Oku Usung, Ukanafun LGA;
donation of Lecture seats to Akwa Ibom State University, Obio Akpa Campus, Oruk Anam LGA; construction of Six Classroom Block with VIP Toilet at Model Secondary School, Obio Akpa, Oruk Anam LGA; and the construction of six Classroom Block with VIP Toilet at Migrant Farmers Primary School, Ikot Akpan Nsek, Oruk Anam LGA.
Other notable projects executed by Idem are:
- Construction of two Classroom Block with school Desks at Urban High School, Ikot Akpan Essien, Oruk Anam LGA.
- Construction of Six classroom Block with VIP Toilet at Skill Acquisition centre Ikot Udo Obobo, Ukanafun LGA.
- Construction of Entrepreneurial Skills Centre, Ukanafun LGA.
- Construction of 1000-seater Capacity Vocational Skills Centre, Ikot Udo Obobo, Ukanafun LGA.
- Construction of 1000-seater State Vocational Skills Centre and Empowerment Centre, Ikot Okoro, Oruk Anam LGA.
- Construction of 1000-seater Capacity State of the Art Agricultural Skills Centre, Ikot Udo Obobo, Ukanafun LGA.
- Establishment of E-Learning Centre with 40 computer sets, a solar panel, and a 20KVA Generator at Community Secondary School, Urua Ekpaenang, Ukanafun LGA.
- Construction of Community Civic Centre, Usung Atiat, Ukanafun LGA.
- Establishment of E-Learning Centre with 40 Computer Sets, Solar Panel and 20KVA at Afaha High School, Ikot Udombang, Ukanafun LGA.
- Establishment of E-Learning Centre with 40 computer sets, a solar panel, and a 20KVA Generator at Community High School, Usung Atiat, Ukanafun LGA.
- Establishment of E-Learning Centre with 40 Computer Sets, Solar Panel and 20KVA Generator at Community Secondary School, Mbiakot Oruk Anam LGA.
- Establishment of E-Learning Centre with 50 Computer Sets at Akwa Ibom State University Obio Akpa Campus, Oruk Anam LGA.
- Establishment of E-Learning Centre with 40 Computer Sets and Solar panel at Comprehensive Secondary school, Ikot Esenam, Oruk Anam LGA.
- Establishment of E-Learning Centre with 40 Computer Sets and Solar Panel at Western Annang Secondary Commercial School, (WASCO) Ikot Akpa Nkuk, Ukanafun LGA.
- Donation of Medical Equipment to Hospitals in the Federal Constituency.
- Construction and Furnishig of Administrative Block at Nigerian Institute for Palm Oil Research (NIFOR Substation), Oruk Anam LGA.
- Installation of Solar Powered Borehole, Usung Atiat, Ukanafun LGA.
- Installation of Solar Powered Borehole at Obio Akpa, Oruk Anam LGA
- Installation of Solar Powered Borehole at Community High School Usung Atiat, Ukanafun LGA.
- Installation of Solar Powered Borehole at Ikot Oku Usung, Ukanafun LGA.
- Installation of Solar Powered Borehole at Ikot Udo Obobo, Ukanafun LGA.
- Installation of Solar Powered Borehole at Urua Ekpaenang, Ukanafun LGA
- Installation of Solar Powered Borehole at Ikot Inyang Abia, Ukanafun LGA.
- Installation of Solar Street Lighting at Barracks Road, Ukanafun LGA
- Construction of Digital Learning Centre for Person with Disabilities (PWDs), Ukanafun LGA.
- Digital Entrepreneurship Training and Empowerment Program for Youths in Ukanafun/Oruk Anam
- Entered into partnership with Government of Finland to establish an ICT hub and an institute.
- Installation of Solar street lights in over 200 communities in Ukanafun/Oruk-Anam Federal Constituency, and
- Construction of Two Bedroom Bungalow Building for a blind Widow at Ikot Udo Obobo, Ukanafun LGA.
Rt. Hon. Rt. Hon. Unyime Idem is not resting on his ores, his scorecard of stewardship continues with more of his constituents benefiting from his inclusive governance and leadership.
The projects executed are verifiable and deliberately put forward for facts findings on the capacity of the Akwa Ibom born lawmaker as he continue to represent the people of Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.
