By Our Correspondent
The Anambra State chapter of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), a human rights group, has commended Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, for championing the cause of the Igbo and advocating justice, equity and inclusive development in Nigeria.
The organisation also praised Umeh for his legislative interventions, educational empowerment programmes, constituency projects and humanitarian services, describing him as a leader whose commitment to public service transcends partisan and religious considerations.
The commendation was contained in a statement issued in Awka on Monday and jointly signed by the CLO chairman, Evangelist Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme; secretary, Comrade Chidi Mbah; and member, Comrade Peter Oke.
Titled “Future Generations Will Not Ask You Which Political Party You Belonged To, But What Did You Do When the Glaciers Were Melting,” the statement described Umeh as God-send, adding that his legislative and humanitarian interventions since assuming office had earned him commendation.
“We wish to place on record our profound gratitude and appreciation to Senator Victor Umeh for championing the cause of socio-economic justice, equity, equality and egalitarianism in a country where injustice and inequality have become endemic.
“He has proven beyond reasonable doubt that politics should be about service to the people and not self-aggrandisement. He is a fanatic when it comes to the welfare, security and prosperity of the people he represents and Nigerians at large,” the CLO stated.
The organisation said history would remember Umeh for his role in the prolonged struggle and legislative advocacy that culminated in the establishment of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC).
According to the CLO, Umeh was among those who consistently advocated the commission at a time when the South-East was seeking greater federal attention to address the region’s developmental challenges.
“At a time when many were silent, Senator Umeh spoke loudly, clearly and courageously. He moved motions, sponsored bills, organised stakeholders and mobilised his colleagues to understand why SEDC was not a favour but a necessity and a matter of justice for a zone ravaged by civil war, abandoned after the war and devastated by erosion.
Today, SEDC is a reality. Future generations of Ndi Igbo will remember his role,” the organisation stated.
The CLO also commended Umeh for intervening against the indiscriminate demolition of shops and business premises belonging to Igbo traders in parts of the country, particularly Lagos State.
It said the senator stood with affected traders, visited them, raised the matter on the floor of the Senate and demanded justice and compensation.
“He refused to be silent in the face of oppression. He stood with the traders, visited them, raised the matter on the floor of the Senate and demanded justice and compensation. That is what true representation means,” the statement said.
The organisation also recalled Umeh’s opposition to the prolonged closure of the Onitsha Bridge Head Drug Market, describing the market as one of Africa’s largest pharmaceutical trading centres.
It said the closure subjected traders, patients and the wider health sector to considerable hardship, adding that Umeh called for a more humane, dialogue-driven and regulatory approach rather than collective punishment.
On national resource allocation, the CLO said Umeh had consistently spoken against what it described as attempts to marginalise or exclude the South-East from federal budgetary provisions, infrastructure allocation, political appointments and the national security architecture.
“His eagle eyes and courageous voice have ensured that many items that would have been omitted or under-allocated to the South-East were restored. His interventions have helped tremendously in ensuring that what is legitimately and constitutionally due to the South-East is not denied. He has made the South-East to be seen, heard and counted,” the organisation added.
The CLO further recalled that Umeh and Senator Osita Izunaso jointly sponsored a motion on the devastating erosion menace in the South-East, which the organisation described as a major ecological threat to the region.
It said the motion had attracted attention from the Federal Government and development partners.
The organisation also said Umeh opposed the initial exclusion of the South-East from the National Railway Modernisation Programme, arguing that such exclusion was unjust and economically unwise.
According to the statement, his protest and legislative lobbying contributed to the subsequent inclusion of the region in the railway master plan.
On education, the CLO said Umeh’s empowerment initiatives reflected his belief that education was a powerful instrument for social change and poverty reduction.
Quoting the late South African leader Nelson Mandela on the transformative power of education, the organisation said Umeh had supported thousands of students in Anambra Central through scholarships, bursary awards, free JAMB and WAEC registration, educational materials, school uniforms and desks.
It also credited him with facilitating classroom blocks and information and communication technology centres, describing the initiatives as investments in the future of young people.
Beyond legislation and education, the organisation highlighted Umeh’s constituency projects and humanitarian interventions across the seven local government areas in Anambra Central.
“His road construction and rehabilitation projects across the seven local government areas of Anambra Central speak for themselves. Communities that were hitherto inaccessible are now connected,” the statement said.
It described his housing programme for indigent widows as particularly significant, noting that he had built and donated fully furnished bungalows to widows who previously lacked decent accommodation.
According to the CLO, the initiative had helped restore the beneficiaries’ dignity and hope.
The organisation added that Umeh had continued to support religious organisations, including Catholic, Anglican and Pentecostal churches, as well as schools, hospitals, youth organisations and disadvantaged members of society, irrespective of religious affiliation.
The CLO said Umeh had exceeded expectations and offered an example of legislative representation centred on public service and accountability.
“He has shown that a legislator should be a legislator of the people, by the people and for the people. He has shown that courage is not the absence of fear, but the determination to speak truth to power despite fear,” the statement said.
It called on senators, members of the House of Representatives and state assemblies, local government chairmen and political appointees to emulate what it described as Umeh’s selfless, courageous, people-oriented and God-fearing leadership.
“Posterity will not ask us which political party we belonged to. Posterity will ask us what we did when our people were suffering, when our region was marginalised and when our democracy was threatened,” the CLO maintained.
