By John Mayaki

Hon. Patrick Aisowieren is a serial political winner. His public service career dates back to 2003 when he first emerged as Councilor, before enjoying a steady and gradual progression to the House of Representatives where he represents Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode federal constituency.

Despite the well-known fickle winds of politics, a factor which has seen several political careers rise and fall quickly, support and admiration for Hon. Aisowieren have held firm. His bond with his rapidly expanding political base has grown stronger with time, making him a politician of note, his odyssey a model for aspiring political actors in Edo State and beyond.

Behind this rare political success and achievement is Hon. Aisowieren’s unique leadership qualities. A former schoolteacher and an avowed grassroots man, he has proven himself adept at understanding the needs of his people, articulating a vision they can get behind, and fighting fiercely in pursuit of an agenda that delivers inclusive growth and development.

Take for instance his efforts to ensure that his constituents gained sufficient access to FG programs rolled out to cushion the impact of the pandemic on businesses and sustenance.

The cash support program for rural women, in which selected beneficiaries got N20,000, had listed an initial set of 30 women as beneficiaries from Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode. The list understandably had to accommodate concerns and pressures from other constituencies in Edo state. But this complexity did not deter Hon. Aisowieren who fought tirelessly until the slot was increased to 50, thus ensuring that more women and families in Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode got much-needed financial windfall.

Similarly, in a multi-phased COVID-19 survival fund disbursement, Hon. Aisowieren ensured the inclusion of over 600 constituents, all of whom were successfully credited following consistent monitoring of the process and constant engagement of relevant stakeholders, including the beneficiaries, by the federal lawmaker.

Unlike in the past, and indeed complaints from elsewhere, members of Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode attested to the complete absence of favoritism or nepotism in the interventions of the lawmaker. His was the finest demonstration of the non-partial ideal of belonging to everyone and no one.

In addition to aligning his constituency with FG-driven development efforts as expected of a federal lawmaker, Hon. Aisowieren has made numerous other direct interventions, particularly in the facilitation of projects designed to enable the smooth conduct of trade, as well as to secure, up-skill, and provide opportunities for the people.

Take schools, the hub of development where the seeds of innovation and advancement are planted and watered. Hon. Aisowieren has since his entrance into public service contributed more than most to the construction and maintenance of schools that are conducive for learning and equipped with up-to-date educational materials.

Several schools, including the Iru Primary School, have received donations of hundreds of materials and tools crucial to effective learning. Examples include modern chairs and desks, marker boards and pens, ledger books, note books, etc.

In fact, when the lawmaker, who is never far from home unlike others who sit put in Abuja, dispatched his donation to Iru Primary School, the Head Teacher expressed her astonishment at the scale and consistency of the lawmaker’s contributions to the development of education, for she had received similar gesture from Hon. Aisowieren at Ebonosa Primary School where she previously served before a transfer.

The sentiment was the same at Odionza Primary School in Oza where the lawmaker’s contribution has sparked a verifiable improvement in learning and students’ performance. In Evbokabua, a community that today enjoys access to potable water courtesy the 2012 borehole projects of Hon. Aisowieren, the Primary School has been rebuilt, much to the relieve and gratitude of parents, teachers, and pupils.

While pupils are molded in renovated and functional schools, adults are handed opportunities to productively engage the economy and earn steady income through practical training programs facilitated by the lawmaker.

Over 200 constituents, drawn from the 22 wards of Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode, were offered training in confectioneries and cosmetology, alongside a starter packs containing important tools and capital of N50,000 each. In a single move, Hon. Aisowieren meaningfully empowered over 200 youths and women, a move that undoubtedly cut down the poverty figures, stimulated the local economy, and served as catalyst for social mobility. Similar trainings in other entrepreneurial endeavors, including fish farming, have been organized.

He has also extended business life, and thus the profit maximization potential of traders in the constituency, with a street light project that serves as metaphor for his public service tenure: where there was once darkness, he has provided light and inspired dreams of a bright and rewarding future.

Not only the streets have been lit up. In a broad rural electrification project, Hon. Aisowieren has restored power in homes and communities, ending months of darkness and business paralysis. For example, the historic community of Urhonigbe, which is the largest Benin town following the city-capital itself, and that of Urhomehe took delivery of two sets of new 300KVA electricity transformers provided by Hon. Aisowieren.

Markets have been renovated to better serve communities, improve sanitary conditions, and combine access concerns with functional social organization.

With this superlative performance, not only has Hon. Aisowieren been able to command the loyalty of the people, he has also caused a widely shared sense of excited anticipation of the future and joy at the visible signs of progress. Festive celebrations in Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode are merrier, not least because of donations from the federal lawmaker, again. For Christmas and New Year celebrations, he donated to constituents over 700 bags of 50kg rice.

Hon. Aisowieren is a leader who cares and he gives credence to the belief that there is no greater force in politics other than that of competence, genuineness, and empathy. He has always been there for his people and they too, in turn, express their gratitude at the polls. An ideal relationship, a progressive union.