Princess Stella Oduah is a ranking member of the Nigerian Senate, representing Anambra North District in Anambra. She was first elected in 2015, and in 2019, she was re-elected to the same office owing to her superlative performance. She is one of the very few women in the senate who have chalked up legislative experience and achievements.

Princess Oduah is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and currently one of the ranking senators from the south-east. The senator has etched herself into the hearts of many by delivering good representation. She has sponsored impactful bills tailored towards addressing some of the challenges of the south-east, her constituency and Nigeria. The South-east Development Commission Bill is one.

And there are many others like the National Agricultural Programme Coordinating Agency (Est. etc.) Bill; Government Performance and Accountability Office Bill, 2019; Constituency Projects (Budgetary Provisions) Bill, 2019; Integrated Rural Development Agency (Est. etc) Bill, 2019; Infrastructure Development Bill, 2020’; Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme Bill, 2020; Federal Medical Centre Onitsha (Est) Bill, 2021 (passed); Federal University of Entrepreneurship, Onitsha (Establishment) Bill, 2022, and Federal Entrepreneur Centres (Establishment) Bill, 2022.

In August 2021, Princess Oduah was reported to have introduced the highest number of bills in the ninth senate – with 38 bills between 2019 and 2021. She topped the charts in the ranking of senators with the most bills. In the south-east, she outpaced other senators from the zone, contributing over 35 bills to the aggregate bills from federal lawmakers in the area.

For the record, here is a schematic rundown of the bills (ninth senate):

Protection of Personal Information Bill 2019 National Religious Equity Commission (Est, etc) Private Hospital Regulation Bill 2019

Fiscal Responsibility Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill 2019

Exemptions Bill 2019 Renewable Energy Bill 2019

Protection of Children from Sexual Oﬀences Bill 2019 Carbon Tax Bill 2019

NYSC Act (Amendment) Bill 2019

Marriage Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill 2019

Nigerian Latin Village Ibadan (Est, Etc) Bill 2019

Marital Right of Spouses Bill 2019

Investment Assurances Bill 2019

Government Performance and Accountability Oﬃce Bill 2019 South East Development Commission (Est, etc) Bill 2019 Constituency Projects (Budgetary Provisions) Bill 2019 Integrated Rural Development Agency (Est, etc) Bill 2019 Constitution (Alteration) Bill 2020

Foreign Assistance Commission of Nigeria (Est, etc) Bill 2020 TETFUND Act 2011 (Amendment) Bill 2020

Health Equipment Credit Guarantee Fund (Est, etc) Bill 2020 Federal University of Entrepreneur Onitsha (Est, etc) Bill 2020 Examination Malpractice Act (Amendment) Bill 2020 Constitution (Alteration) Bill 2020

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (Est, etc) Bill 2020 National Agricultural Programme Coordinating Agency (Est, etc) Bill 2019.

Senator Oduah’s Bills in eighth assembly

Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill

An Act to Amend the National Youth Service Act

An Act to Provide for the Protection of Investors and Promotion of Investment; To achieve a Balance of Rights and Obligations that Apply to all Investors; And to Provide for Matters Connected therewith.

National Integrated Community Development Agency Bill

Federal University of Education Aguleri, Anambra State (Est. Etc) Bill 2018

A Bill for An Act to Establish National Artisan Development Centres, To Provide for The Development of Artisans Across the Country; And for Other Matters Connected Therewith

Harmonized Retirement Age of Staff on National Assembly Service Bill, 2017

Government Performance and Accountability Bill, 2018

Personal Information Protection Bill

A Bill for The Establishment of Technology Hubs and Skill Acquisition Centres Across the Geopolitical Zones of The Federation

An Act to Establish a National Directorate of Employment Trust Fund and Other Related matters Connected therewith

An Act to Repeal the Prisons Act Cap. P29 Laws of The Federation of Nigeria 2004 And Enact the Nigerian Prisons and Correctional Service, To Make Provisions for The Administration of Prisons in Nigeria; The Awaiting Trial Persons and For Related Purposes, 2015

Property Rights of Spouses Bill, 2015

National Agricultural Programme Coordinating Agency (Establishment) Bill

An Act to Amend the Prison Act P.29 Laws of The Federation of Nigeria, 2004 To Provide for A Mother and Baby Unit for The Care of Female Prisoners Who Are Pregnant, Nursing Mothers and Their Babies and For Related Matters.

Senator Oduah has also sponsored over 50 motions seeking to address critical problems such as flooding in the country. Lives and property were lost to the recent floods which devastated some states across the country. Senator Oduah’s motion on construction of dams to remedy perennial flooding was with a view to tackling this nagging problem.

For the record, here is a synopsis of the motions.

Motion On the Need for The Establishment of Rural Development Agency

Motion On the Need for The Re-Establishment of a Separate Rural Development Agency to Ensure Development of Rural Areas

Motion On the Need for Regulation of Private Healthcare Sectors in Nigeria to Counter Ethical Dilemmas and Medical Negligence

Motion On the Need for A Water Transport Policy to Create Cheaper Transportation

Motion On the Need to Establish Truck Driving Academies in Nigeria

Motion On the Need for The Reviving of Core Industries Such as The Iron, Steel and Petro-Chemical Industries

Motion On the Need for A Sanitary Dignity Policy in Nigeria to Ensure the Provision of Sanitary Towels for Schoolgirls

Motion On the Need for The Revitalization of Vocational and Technical Training Education (Vte) In Nigeria

Motion for a Review of The NDE Act and The Establishment of a Youth Development Agency

Motion On the Need to Leverage on Tax Laws for Revenue Generation and Creation of Jobs

Motion On the Need for A National Integration Policy

Motion On the Need for Shared Prosperity Policies as A Means of Addressing Economic Inequalities in Nigeria

Motion On the Need for An Affordable Housing Policy

Motion On the Need for A Federal Road Development Policy

Motion On the Need to Mandate the Enactment of The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act to Curb All Forms of Gender Based Violence

Motion On the Need to Address the Decay of Educational Infrastructure in Nigeria

Motion On the Need for Surrogacy Laws

Motion On the Need for Human Capital Development to Achieve Economic Advancement

Motion On the Need to Amend Gender Pronouns in The Constitution

Motion On the Need for Dispersal of Industries and Industrial Infrastructural Policy

Motion On the Need to Establish Truck Driving Academies in Nigeria

Need To Stop Under-Representation of Women in Elective and Appointive Positions at All Levels of Government in Nigeria and to Implement Affirmative Action of Thirty Percent Women Representation in Government

Need To Enforce Universal Basic Education

Need To Establish Inland Ports at Onitsha, Enugu and Other Land Lock States

The Worrisome Unemployment Woes in Nigeria: Urgent Need for Re-Tooling Our Skilled Workforce as A Very Important Sector Change the Narrative Economy

Need For Urgent Intervention of The Senate on The Illegal Oil Exploration at Ogwu-Aniocha in Ogbaru LGA of Anambra State by Sterling Global Exploration and Energy Production Company Ltd

Motion On the Unfortunate Fuel Tanker Explosion in Onitsha on October 16, 2019

Motion On the Need for Policies to Address Ethical Dilemmas, Clinical Negligence and The Underfunding of The Medical Sector

Motion On the Need for The Reestablishment of a Separate Rural Development Agency to Ensure Development of Rural Areas

Need To Establish a Visionary Budget-Driven National Planning Framework for Nigeria

Motion On the Need to Improve the Lives of Civil Servants and Police Personnel

Motion On the Need to Involve Religious Groups and Other Stakeholders in The National Poverty Eradication Programme to Make the Programme More Suitable

Motion On the Need to Stop Indiscriminate Installation of Speed Bumps on Highways in The State S Of the Federation

Motion On the Need to Boost Agricultural Production, Prompt Distribution and Optimum Utilization of Fertilizers in Nigeria

Construction Of Dams to Remedy the Perennial Flood Disasters in Nigeria

Motion On the Need for The Federal Government of Nigeria to Utilize and Integrate Traditional Medicine into The National Health System to Ensure Affordable Health System to Ensure Affordable Health Care

Motion On the Need for The Federal Government of Nigeria to Implement Rural Electrification Using Alternative Energy Sources

Motion On the Unfortunate Fuel Tanker Fire in Onitsha on October 16, 2019

The Need to Investigate the Appointment of Commissioners of Police and Commanders in Order to Ascertain the Extent of Compliance with The Principle of Federal Character

Urgent Need to Investigate the Allegation of Massive Foreign Exchange Laundry in Nigerian Banks

Need For Urgent Intervention of The Senate on Illegal Oil Exploration at Ogwu-Aniocha in Ogbaru LGA of Anambra State by Sterling Global Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Ltd to Prevent the Looming Breakdown of Law and Order, And Communal Clashes Between the Anambra Community and Oguta in Imo State

The Suitability of Hydroelectric Gravity Dams in Redressing the Harms of Perennial Flooding in Nigeria

The Need to Investigate the Appointment of Commissioners of Police and Commanders of The Police Mobile Force to State Police Commands in Order to Ascertain the Extent of Compliance with The Principle of Federal Character

Senator Oduah’s performance at parliament so far gives credence to the argument for women representation in government. She has proved that leadership defies gender and that women can lead the charge for a better country.

*•Emeka Oluchukwu writes from Anambra.

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