By joshua ANKPA 1’S FINEST: HON. AKUS LAWAL REDEFINES WHAT IT MEANS TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE
“When the love of your people is your priority, there will also be the will” so says Hon. Akus Lawal, Representing Ankpa 1 State Constituency.
According to Rt. Hon. Aliyu Umar Yusuf, Speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly when referencing Hon
Akus, “Leadership and service go beyond politics. Such commitment is worthy of emulation”.
In an era where the word “lawmaker” has been watered down by bench warmers and sit-tight politicians, the people of Ankpa 1 Constituency can point to one man and say with pride: this is what representation should look like. That man is Hon. Akus Lawal.
From the moment he was sworn into the 8th Kogi State House of Assembly on the 8th of March 2023, Hon. Akus made a quiet but firm promise: his tenure would rise far and above the common standard. Three years later, that promise has become hospitals, boreholes, classrooms, laws, and a voice that refuses to be silent for his people.
He did not arrive in Lokoja as a green horn. He came prepared. While some elected members are content to warm seats, Hon. Akus has made the floor of the House his platform for advocacy. His sponsorship of the Kogi State Tenant Rights Act stands today as a landmark private member bill protecting citizens from exploitation and bringing fairness to housing. On the 26th of September 2023 he raised a motion for the resuscitation of the Ankpa Water Works because he understood that without potable water, communities cannot thrive. A week later, on the 4th of October 2023, he moved for the rehabilitation of the Ankpa to Abejukolo road, a motion that drew unanimous support for its economic weight. He has also spoken boldly on mining devastations and other welfare issues that directly affect the dignity of Ankpa people.
But Hon. Akus knows that laws alone do not feed the hungry or heal the sick. That is why he took representation back home. He is widely described as the only member of the current 8th Assembly executing projects with direct bearing on the people. In health, he commenced a state-of-the-art Primary Healthcare Centre with staff quarters at Akwu Community. Flagged off on the 26th of October 2023, the facility has male and female wards, private wards for the elderly, and departments built to serve both Ankpa and neighboring communities. Beyond that flagship project, he has supplied hospitals and PHCs across the constituency with drugs, consumables and medical equipment. In villages where government doctors were absent, he employed and paid medical workers himself to ensure no one is left behind. He has also organized free medical screenings, cleared hospital bills for the indigent, and extended care to the aged.
The story is the same in water, infrastructure and education. Motorized boreholes now run in Ojaji Ogugu, Orchi, Ankpa Suburb and Makurdi Street. The old Ankpa abattoir has been transformed into a modern, hygienic facility. In schools, he has built new classroom blocks, donated learning materials, and paid school fees for students whose parents could not afford them.
It is this blend of lawmaking and grassroots impact that earned him the trust of his people for a second term. They saw a young man who gave Ankpa 1 a voice that is respected in Lokoja, and who proved that governance is not about staying in the capital but about returning home to solve problems. Students now say their votes were not wasted. Communities call his interventions “a Christmas gift” and pray God to reward him.
On the floor, he also showed the spirit of a statesman when he moved to honor five illustrious sons of Ankpa, describing their service as “a true reflection of leadership and patriotism, undertaken without any expectation of political reward.” The Speaker commended the gesture, noting that such recognition inspires more service.
While commissioning a borehole recently, Hon. Akus said, “I will continue to do more, embark on empowerment programs that will have direct impacts in Ankpa Local Government. At the Kogi State House of Assembly, I will continue to raise motions, initiate bills that will bring meaningful development to Kogi State.”
That is the difference. At a time when some lawmakers are remembered only for their silence, Hon. Akus Lawal is remembered for his works. He legislates with wisdom, represents with passion, and serves with humility.
In him, Ankpa 1 has found its finest. And in him, Kogi has found a new definition of what it truly means to represent the people. It is without mincing words to say that, his return is for continuity and consolidation.
Abu Micheal,
Writes from Lokoja,
Can be reached via abumich60@gmail.com, 08036065618, 09017338366.