Deputy Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr. Pius Okoye, has said that the purpose of politics is to improve the standard of living of the majority.
Okoye, who represents Awka South Constituency 2 on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), made this assertion at his country home in Amawbia, Awka South Local Government Area, on Saturday – yesterday, March 15 – when the State Working Committee of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Anambra State Council, led by its Chairman, Dr. Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, paid him a courtesy visit.
Explaining that he joined politics to uplift the downtrodden within his reach, he told the visiting journalists: “I have organised empowerment programmes for children, youth, women, and the less privileged since 2014 to create a society of industrious and self-sufficient people.”
He spends millions of naira annually on school fees, housing for the elderly and disadvantaged, free vehicles, soft loans, and other empowerment initiatives, he further disclosed, adding: “I give out of passion. Politics has given me the opportunity to reach more vulnerable people in society.
“My goal is to make people happy, support them in their careers, and give back to the society that has done so much for me.”
He also said he provides shelters and security for schools, children and the elderly, seeing it as service to God and humanity.
“Politics enables people to access funds to serve the public, which they may not be able to do (as private individuals) due to financial constraints,” he stressed.
In his remarks, NUJ State Chairman, Dr. Odogwu commended the lawmaker for delivering the dividends of democracy to his constituents, assuring Hon. Okoye that the union would support his charity and political efforts for the benefit of the people.
According to Odogwu, the council’s visits aim to remind public office holders to be accountable and leave lasting legacies for posterity.
In her own remarks, Mrs. Tochukwu Ifejirika, Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Anambra chapter, praised Okoye’s efforts to improve public welfare, urging him to show more interest in issues affecting women and the girl child in his legislative duties.
Ifejirika stressed that violence against women and girls should be taken seriously through effective law-making and enforcement.
