For those asking what Barr. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha achieved during her spells as representative of Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency, the projects on ground are answering.
Onyejeocha, APC candidate for the constituency in 2027, represented the area for four terms from 2007 to 2023, making her one of the longest-serving federal lawmakers from Abia State. It was not just longevity, it was impact.
During her time, she attracted federal institutions that no one has matched till date. She secured the Federal Polytechnic, Ngodo Isuochi, and the Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering College, Amuda Isuochi, facilitated while serving as Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation. These are institutions that create jobs, bring federal presence and secure the future, not keke and okada politics.
Her infrastructural interventions remain verifiable across the constituency. They include the Oguduasa Gully Erosion Control Project that saved farmlands and communities, the Obulo Eziama Bridge, the High Court Complex in Nkwoagu and Customary Courts, rural electrification, road rehabilitation, classroom blocks and solar-powered boreholes, as well as a skill acquisition centre for youth entrepreneurship.
Perhaps her biggest footprint is in people. For 16 years, Onyejeocha secured hundreds of federal jobs for indigenes across agencies, paid WAEC and JAMB fees for all final year students in public schools, awarded scholarships to over 70 university students, and empowered over 1000 women and youths with sewing machines, vehicles, motorcycles and business start-up funds. Her free annual medical outreach through the Nkeiruka Onyejeocha Foundation has also benefited thousands of indigent residents.
At the National Assembly, she was not a bench warmer. She sponsored landmark national laws including the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017, the Anti-Torture Act 2017, and the National Senior Citizens Centre Act 2018. As Minister of State for Labour and Employment, President Tinubu commended her for bringing stability and administrative calm.
That is why traditional rulers in Umunneochi conferred on her the title of Anyanwu Na Enye Ihie 1 of Umunneochi and communities across Ovim and Isuikwuato have passed votes of confidence ahead of 2027.
In Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency today, the vacuum is felt. The question is no longer what did she achieve, but can the constituency afford inexperience again?
Onyejeocha’s Legacies Speak: What Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Gained From Experience
