… Senators Utazi sponsored 16 bills, Ike Ekweremmadu 10 bills
Between 2019 and 2023, three senators has represented Enugu State at the National Assembly, as is required by the constitution.
In these three years, a total of 27 bills were sponsored by these senators for the benefit of Enugu people whom they represent in particular, and Nigerians in general.
Sen Chimaroke Nnamani
The three Enugu State senators include Senator Chukwuka Godfrey Utazi who represent Enugu North Senatorial Zone, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, representing Enugu West Senatorial Zone and Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, who represents Enugu East Senatorial Zone.
Let’s look at how each of them has fared.
1. Chukwuka Godfrey Utazi
Representing Enugu North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Utazi has sixteen bills to his credit in the period of review. Some of these bills which are at different stages of legislative consideration, include:
Bill for an Act to establish a Rural Areas Development Agency,
Chukwuka Godfrey Utazi
Bill for an Act to amend the University Teaching Hospitals (Reconstitution of Boards, etc.) Act of 1985,
Bill for an Act to establish the Dietetics Council of Nigeria,
Bill for an Act to establish the Chartered Polymer Institute of Nigeria and Cattle Movement (Control) Bill. amongst others.
The lawmaker was first elected to parliament in 2015, and was recently appointed the Senate Minority Whip by his party in 2022.
Unfortunately he would not be returning to the Red Chamber in the 10th Assembly and is likely going be replaced by the outgoing governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi if he wins the February 25, 2023, National Assembly Election.
2. Ike Ekweremadu
The Senator representing Enugu West in the National Assembly has ten bills to his credit in the last three years. The bills include;
Private Detective and Investigators Bill 2019.
Ike Ekweremadu
Bill for the Establishment of State Police,
River Basins Development Authorities Act (Amendment) Bill,
Federal High Court Act (Amendment) Bill,
Federal Co-operative Colleges (Amendment) Bill,
Private Detectives and Investigators Licensing and Regulation Bill,
Institute of Mediators and Conciliators Establishment Bill, and
the Federal University of Agriculture Mpu, Enugu State Establishment Bill.
These Bills are considered of strategic import. For instance, many Nigerians, including the Nigeria Governors Forum, see state police as the way to go in arresting the worsening security situation in the country.
Deputy President of the Senate in the 6th, 7th and 8th Assemblies, he currently chairs the Senate Committee on Environment. Upon the inauguration of the Ninth Senate, he contested the position of the Deputy President of the Senate again but lost to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.
He also ran for his party’s gubernatorial ticket but was unsuccessful and is currently being held by the United Kingdom authorities over an allegation of organ harvesting levelled against him and his wife, Beatrice since 23 June 2022.
1. Chimaroke Nnamani
A representative of Enugu East Senatorial District at the Red Chamber, Nnanani ranks lowest among Senators from the state in terms of bill sponsorship. So far, he has sponsored just one bill, which is the Social Assistance Bill of 2019.
He is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and is reputed as the first democratically elected governor of the state in 1999.
Despite the fact that he has sponsored only one bill since the last three years, Nnamani is again running under the PDP in coming 2023 elections to return to the Senate.
