The member representing Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Francis Ejiroghene Waive, has responded to allegations by former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, over the Federal Medical Centre, Ovwian Bill.
In a statement issued on Monday by his Media Office, Waive maintained that he stood by his account of the events surrounding the Bill, insisting that the existence of presidential approval for the Federal Polytechnic, Orogun, could not disprove an alleged private conversation between him and Omo-Agege.
Waive said the issue in contention was a conversation that allegedly occurred after the Federal Medical Centre, Ovwian Bill came up for first reading in the House of Representatives. He stated that the first reading took place on July 21, 2020.
According to him, “A presidential approval cannot, by itself, prove that the conversation between the two politicians did not take place.” He further alleged that Omo-Agege asked for the FMC Bill to be stepped down and frustrated its progress on the grounds that it conflicted with his Bill seeking the establishment of the Federal Polytechnic, Orogun.
The lawmaker said it was particularly unfortunate that while he assisted Omo-Agege’s Polytechnic Bill through concurrence in the House, his own FMC Bill was allegedly frustrated.
Waive challenged Omo-Agege to focus on the substance of the matter rather than resorting to personal attacks. “If Senator Omo-Agege’s position is that the conversation never happened, the appropriate response is simply to deny the conversation and provide whatever evidence he considers necessary to support his position,” he stated.
He also rejected claims that his legislative achievements were dependent on any individual, stressing that he was elected by the people of Ughelli North, Ughelli South and Udu Federal Constituency and remained accountable to them.
The federal lawmaker described the assertion that he had “nothing to show” after seven years in office as a political claim, saying his legislative record was available for public scrutiny.
Waive urged the people of Delta Central to distinguish between documented legislative records and claims concerning private conversations, saying, “They deserve facts, not personal attacks.”
He consequently challenged Omo-Agege to address the substantive issues surrounding the FMC Ovwian Bill and desist from what he described as name-calling and personal attacks.
The latest exchange comes against the backdrop of the long-running political and legislative debate surrounding the Federal Medical Centre, Ovwian. National Assembly records show that a Bill to establish the medical centre was sponsored by Waive and subsequently passed third reading in the House of Representatives in November 2023.
Recent public records also show that the Federal Medical Centre, Ovwian, is currently undertaking 2026 capital projects, including laboratory-equipment procurement, indicating that the institution has moved beyond the legislative proposal stage.
