By joshua ANOTHER TERM FOR HON. SANNI EGIDI ABDULRAHEEM WILL DEEPEN DEVELOPMENT, SUSTAINABILITY IN AJAOKUTA FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY
By Abu Micheal
Three years is not long in politics, but in Ajaokuta Federal Constituency it has been long enough to feel the difference.
Since 2023 when Hon. Sanni Egidi Abdulraheem, fondly called SEA, was elected to represent Ajaokuta in the 10th National Assembly under the APC, the conversation in markets, schools and villages has shifted. It is no longer about what should be done. It is about what has already been done, and what can be built on next.
A Barrister by training, a community activist by conviction, and a former Chairman of Ajaokuta Social Mega Group by experience, SEA came into office with a simple philosophy: representation must be measured in results. Today that philosophy is showing in boreholes that work, in lights that stay on, in classrooms that are no longer overcrowded, and in young people who now have tools and capital to start something of their own.
Across the 14 wards, more than 3,000 youths and women have benefitted from his large-scale empowerment drive. The support was not random. It was planned around what people actually do to survive. Farmers received fertilizer and farm inputs because agriculture is still the mainstay here. Traders got refrigerators, generators and POS terminals to expand their businesses. Artisans walked away with sewing machines, grinding machines and other equipment that turn skills into income. For 300 beneficiaries, a ₦100,000 cash grant provided immediate relief and working capital. Others were taken through ICT training for persons with disabilities, tailoring, carpentry, and MSME support so that empowerment does not end at distribution.
On infrastructure, the footprint is just as clear. In Steel Township, motorised boreholes have ended years of walking long distances for water. In key market hubs, 120 solar poles with 360 lights have extended trading hours and made nights safer. In education, two new blocks of six classrooms at Community High School Eganyi and Government Science High School Adogo have eased pressure and improved learning conditions. To move people and produce, 42 kilometers of feeder roads have been resurfaced, and in several communities new bridges have linked once-isolated villages to the main roads and markets. These are projects chosen after consultations, not after cameras.
SEA’s work in Abuja mirrors what he is doing at home. On the House Committees for Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development, he has sponsored bills and motions centered on youth employment, agricultural value chains, and local government autonomy. But beyond the chamber, his style of engagement has earned him a reputation as one of the most accessible representatives the constituency has had. Townhall meetings, bi-monthly engagements with ward leaders, and direct response channels through WhatsApp and SMS mean constituents do not have to wait for election season to be heard.
That openness is why his support cuts across lines. From Hausa to Yoruba to Igbo communities, the endorsement is growing. The 14 APC Ward Chairmen have openly affirmed his performance. Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has described him as humble, honest, cooperative and a unifying force in a constituency that thrives on diversity.
The people are saying it in their own words. Hajia Fatima in Ajaokuta township notes that since the boreholes and solar lights came, “our night market thrives and children no longer walk miles for water.” Musa K, a farmer, says, “His scholarship saved my son’s education. He listens and acts fast.”
What makes the call for another term strong is not just what has been delivered, but how it was delivered. SEA moved Ajaokuta away from politics of handouts to politics of systems. Projects go through need-assessment committees. Minority groups are carried along. Constituency resources are utilized with transparency. The focus is on sustainability, not on gestures that fade.
The big task of reviving Ajaokuta Steel Company remains on the table, and SEA has kept it on his legislative radar. But even as that fight continues, constituents say they cannot afford to lose the momentum they now have in other areas.
The evidence is visible. The trust is earned. The structure for deeper development is already in place. Another term for Hon. Sanni Egidi Abdulraheem, many in Ajaokuta believe, is not about rewarding a person. It is about protecting progress, and ensuring that the development and sustainability Ajaokuta is beginning to enjoy is deepened, not disrupted.
Abu Micheal is a Journalist and Analyst, and writes from Ganaja.