For four eventful years (1999 – 2003), Hon. Prince Chibudom Nwuche served in the National Assembly as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, during which period he added immense value to law-making and the socio-economic and political development of the country, as well as his immediate constituency and State. He also played a key and substantial role in efforts at propelling the country towards the path of peace, stability and sustainable development.

Recognising Hon. Nwuche's impressive achievements in academics, legal practice, business and humanitarian service, his colleagues at the National Assembly elected him Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives on June 4 1999. As Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, he chaired and served on many Committees including:

Chairman, Committee Of The Whole - In this capacity Hon. Nwuche presided over the detailed consideration of all House bills and processed the bills through the consideration stages prior to their passage into law. It is note-worthy that Hon. Nwuche was always physically present to chair any of the Committee sittings throughout his tenure as Deputy Speaker.

Vice Chairman, House Committee On Selection - The Committee was responsible for the placement of members in the various standing Committees.

Vice Chairman, Joint Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

He also led several delegations to various international summits and conferences. These include:

• The Nigerian parliamentary delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
• Delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association(CPA) conference, Africa region, Ghana (August 1999)
• Parliamentary visit to India (October 2000)
• Parliamentary visit to Peoples Republic of China (July 2000 and July 2002 respectively)
• The 106th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (September 2001)
• The 107th conference of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Morocco (March, 2002)
• Commonwealth Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers, Kesane, Botswana (January 2002).
• Parliamentary delegation to Venezuela (October 2002)
• Global Conference of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) Ottawa, Canada (2002).

True to his resourceful nature, Hon. Prince Nwuche sponsored the following landmark bills during his sojourn in the National Assembly:

THE NIGERIAN OIL AND GAS LOCAL CONTENT BILL: designed to allow for greater participation of indigenous companies in the oil and gas industry, with a view to developing indigenous oil/gas technology, empower local companies; create employment for our youths and have a multiplier effect on other sectors of the economy. This was borne out of his experience as a veritable indigenous player in the oil and gas sector of the Nigerian economy, from 1992-1999

NIGERIANS WITH DISABILITY BILL: designed to set up a National Commission to cater for the interests of disabled persons in the country.

WOMEN TRAFFICKING AND CHILD LABOUR ERADICATION FOUNDATION (WOTCLEF) BILL: which sought to establish a National Agency (today's NAPTIP), to enforce the laws against trafficking in persons, particularly women and children. The bill was proposed by the founder of WOTCLEF, Hajiya Amina Atiku Abubakar, wife of the then Vice President of Nigeria.

THE NIGERIA MEDIA BILL: an amalgamation of all laws relating to the media in Nigeria.

Hon. Nwuche was also noted for his commitment to the promotion of dialogue between the Organized Private Sector (OPS) and the National Assembly, especially with regards to local industrial capacity building within the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO). He was also a facilitator of dialogue between a coalition of non-governmental organizations and the parliament on issues relating to media rights and the sustenance of a credible democratic system.

A tireless community worker and grassroots activist, Hon. Nwuche identified strongly with his people's problems and aspirations, hence his pivotal role in the passage of the Niger Delta Development Commission Act and the Onshore / Offshore Dichotomy Bill.

Within the Abua/Odual and Ahoada East/West in particular and Rivers State in general, Hon. Nwuche as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, succeeded in leaving indelible imprints on the sands of time towards uplifting the socio-economic condition of the people. Prior to his emergence as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Ekpeye ethnic nation where he hails from, was enmeshed in a bitter and somewhat intractable chieftaincy dispute. This unfortunate development which literally stunted every meaningful developmental effort by his people was brought to a happy end owing to his pivotal role at mobilizing and reconciling all the contending interests and factions involved in the dispute.

Having created the enabling environment for peaceful co-existence in his community, Hon. Nwuche embarked on various public-spirited activities aimed at empowering and improving the lot of his people. In this regard, he launched an educational and social development fund which has remained the major plank of his quest to positively impact on the lives of his people.

Mindful of the importance of education as a key element towards the socio-economic transformation of any community, Hon. Nwuche initiated various schemes aimed at assisting indigent but hardworking and intelligent young men and women. His interest at improving the standard of education in his constituency led to the distribution of free exercise books and other essential educational materials to both primary and secondary schools pupils. In his bid to improve the teaching and learning environment in the various communities in his constituency, he embarked upon the renovation of some key primary and secondary schools.

Similarly, his interest in the up-grading the health-care facilities in his community for his people was clearly demonstrated by his renovation of the Ahoada Comprehensive Health Centre, as well as the supply of vital hospital equipment to the health institution.

Through his efforts, several towns and villages in his constituency benefited from the provision of Federal Government's social and infrastructural amenities such as: water, electricity and roads. In appreciation of the strategic position of Ahoada town as the economic nerve centre of his community, he successfully ensured the the digitalisation of the Ahoada Telephone Exchange by the Federal Ministry of Communication.

Hon. Chibudom Nwuche also chalked up tremendous success in his efforts at empowering his people in various ways. For instance, he nominated a good number of persons into the board of several Federal Government Agencies and Parastatals. In addition, some contracting firms owned by his people have been able to secure lucrative contracts through his recommendation and nomination of such companies to the awarding authorities.

Furthermore, Hon. Nwuche has positively touched the lives of several of his constituents by ensuring the employment of several young men and women into various senior and junior positions in the National Assembly. Further still, several people from his area have secured employment in different ministries and companies based upon his recommendations. His poverty reduction programme for his constituency was also of immense benefit to his people. For instance, credit facilities were extended to market women and men as well as widows to either enable them augment their working capital or set up new businesses.

It is noteworthy that Hon. Nwuche played a key role towards locating the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Headquarters in Rivers state. He further played a pivotal role towards ensuring a significant increase in the budget of the NDDC. He also successfully worked in concert with his colleagues in the House of Representatives towards the appropriation of adequate funds by the National Assembly for various key projects in Rivers State.