By Florence Amagiya

The Senate Leader, SEN VICTOR NDOMA EGBA (San), is no doubt a man with a heart of gold, who is indeed grateful for all that he has been given.

The Honourable Senator has gotten to the stage of contentment in life where his needs are few and his service is more.

A true leader, to him, is one who is ever ready to serve, and that is what he has been doing for over a decade. Senator Victor cannot forget in a hurry an experience he had while growing up.

He needed only 3 pounds to stay in secondary school during the war and his father was caught up in the war and was out of job; he was going to leave school, but for the timely intervention of a benefactor, he was given the money. Today, his story is different because someone paid his school fees.

Through his office as Senate leader and his scholarship scheme he commenced since 2003, he has spent several millions of naira sponsoring over 600 Youths to different Schools and different field of endeavours.

Some of the youths were sponsored throughout their undergraduate programs, some others for Masters’ programs at prestigious Universities and others for doctorate programs. Through his computer training projects, he has succeeded in training and empowering more than 80 persons in his constituency and even non- indigenes were not left out.

The Senate leader doesn’t believe that true wealth is about buying expensive cars, having a battalion of escorts as entourage, and living in opulent mansions. He believes that one is blessed to be a blessing to others.

This, he has showed in the projects he is handling, both in the past and in the present. The Senate leader hasn’t invested in real estate as he has just one property in Ikom and one in his village, but he has invested in lives. He believes so much in education and the future of the Nigerian child, which to him, is the ultimate gain. 

  He may not have appealed to so many, especially to those who do not know him and to those who do not have godly intent, but one thing is certain: he has put smiles on faces of so many people in Ikom LGA, Boki LGA, Oburra LGA, Abi LGA and some other places in Cross Rivers State.

Documented evidence shows that the Senate Leader has single-handedly sponsored 39 Bills into law.

He has built schools, rebuild hospitals and health centres in Ikom and its neighbouring towns. In this edition, we present to you an icon who became who he is today because somebody gave him a helping hand, someone who has nothing to live for but to give helping hand to people who are in need of it.

Read on…

Early life

Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (San) was born in Ikom, Cross River State on 8th March 1956. His primary education was at a Catholic primary school called St Martin’s Primary school, Ikom.

He started his secondary education at Government Boys Secondary School in Ikom and finished at Mary knoll College Okuku in Ogoja, Cross Rivers State. He refers to himself as a transition child because his parents were one of the first set of people from his part of the world to receive western education.

They were both traditional and western at the same time. He grew up in very local evironment, did the same thing every child does, fetched water from the stream, went to the farm, but had the benefit of having parents who were educated. His mother was the first woman to become chairman of a local government area in Ikom, while his father was the first lawyer and judge from his part of the world which was like eleven Local Government Areas in one.

He had the privilege of not missing a day of school despite the Nigerian civil war, right from his primary education through Law school. He was probably the first person to have graduated before the age of 21 at time in his area. He graduated from the University of Lagos as a lawyer in 1977 and was called to bar in 1978.

He is a member of the famous 1978 set. The 1978 set is the set with highest number of Supreme Court Justices and Senior Advocates of Nigeria. The Senate leader subsequently obtained his LLM from the University of Calabar and various certificates from the Irish Development Institute, Shannon Ireland, Stanford and Havard Universities in the United States of America.

Job transition

The Senate leader extensively practiced law in all the Superior Courts of record. He holds two National honours: Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) and Commander of the Order of Niger (CON).

He had extensively practiced law in all the Superior Courts for several years. Senator Victor was appointed Commissioner for Works and Transport in Old Cross River State, the then Cross River, and Akwa Ibom state at the age of 27 and concurrently acted as Commissioner of Justice.

The Senate leader pioneered the Chief Executive of the States Directorate of Foods Roads and Rural Infrastructure, he also served as Director of Cross River Basin Development Authority in the 3rd Republic and as chairman of Boards of Companies in the private sector with interest ranging from banking, construction, and manufacturing.

In 2003, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba was elected into the Senate to represent Cross River Central Senatorial District; he was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2004. Senator Victor Ndoma was the only one so far from the National Assembly who has outside legal practice and academics.

He was re-elected to the Senate in 2007 and 2011. He had served as the first Chairman of Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Deputy Senate Leader (6th Senate) and is currently Senate Leader of the Nigerian Senate who is credited with 39 bills including the Freedom of Information bill which is now an Act and much more.

Investments

The Honourable Senator believes in investing in lives as his needs were met early in life. He has a very elaborate scholarship scheme with over 600 students who have benefited from the scheme. People often think that it started when he became a senator. “My scholarship scheme started in 1981 and since then it has grown. Today, some of the beneficiaries are even medical doctors.”

When society has been that gracious to you, the least you can do in return is put back.” For him, he is a product of somebody’s spontaneous generosity, inspite of his background, he had difficulty going to secondary school, which was during the civil war.

His parents could not raise the 3 pounds that was needed for him to go to secondary school. His father was caught up in it and his mother was out of work. For months they were trekking. His Uncle gave him the money he needed to pay his tuition fee. The impact of that has never been lost on him.

It wasn’t about the amount but that was exactly what he needed at that point in his life. “When you intervene in people’s life, it is not necessarily about what you do but because of what you did.” Senator Victor Ndoma Egba is well travelled and experienced.

He is of the school of thought which believes that real estates should be erected in lives of people because they produce better dividends at the end. He believes that the world would be a better, safer place where you wouldn’t need a lot of security if we invest in these lives like someone did in his.

The Senate leader in his yearly scholarship scheme has invested several millions of naira in education and he is proud to say that a lot of students have seen the light of day because he was there as he is still there. He has rebuilt schools and has single-handedly built a four- storey building at the Faculty of Law in the University of Calabar (UNICAL), known as the Law Faculty Building.

Many years ago, before he joined the Senate, the honourable Senator was returning from a trip abroad through Lagos; he was in a queue expecting his passport; he was singled out of the queue and given his passport out of turn. He was a bit embarrassed and when he asked the young man why, he explained and said he went to school through my scholarship fund. It happens every now and then.

For him, the more gratifying aspect is that he doesn’t get to know them personally because he has a formal structure put in place. The scholarship board deals with them and he only meets them during their work. And this has been on since 2003.

Service

The other bit of his life was when he qualified as a lawyer. He had the option of working anywhere in the world, but he opted to practice in his home town. His people reciprocated by giving him opportunities that were rare and unusual.

He had a domestic experience as a child which made him have a pact with God at the age of eleven. He does not accept injustice of any kind which is why he ended up in the legal system.

According to him, “one doesn’t only worship and praise God, but you also serve him by serving humanity, most especially the weak and down-trodden”. For him, being a true follower of God is not about having a life of prayer and thanksgiving; it is also about service.

When your needs are met like mine, then you should consider yourself privileged. It does not necessarily have to be because our needs are met but because subconsciously, you believe you do not have any wants.

He has reached the point of his life where he does not have anything to prove personally. He has had the opportunity to serve and attained the pinnacle of his profession. All he sees himself doing now is serve and does it with all his heart. Serving, for him is a commitment and not a choice.

Properties/cars

The Senate leader has a house in Abuja, one in Ikom and his village. The honorable doesn’t believe in lots of cars as he is modest. He virtually drives himself till date.