By joshua Beyond Wrappers, Money Politics – The Legacy Measure of Lokoja I Lawmaker
Political representation in Lokoja I is no longer about who shares wrappers, oil, Maggi and other mundane personal needs.
Times have changed. What now defines quality representation is legacies, impact and enduring footprints that outlive the tenure of an office holder.
It is an open secret that lawmakers are not as financially buoyant as those in the executive. What the constitution demands of them is lawmaking, representation and oversight. And by those yardsticks, the lawmaker representing Lokoja I State Constituency, Hon. Bin-Ebaiya Shehu Tijjani, popularly known as Team-Best, has scored excellently.
In legislative representation, perfection is an illusion. What matters is presence, effort and measurable progress within constitutional limits. Judged strictly on that, Hon. Ebaiya has not only shown up, he has stood out.
He has to his name over 15 motions on the floor of the 8th Kogi State House of Assembly, one of the highest in the Assembly, with a verifiable legislative footprint that speaks to the real needs of the state capital.
His legislative imprints include contributions to the Kogi State Anti-Corruption Agency Bill, push for the Kogi State Free Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare Services Bill 2025, and support for the College of Agriculture, Ochaja-Egume Bill 2026.
His motions speak directly to Lokoja’s urban realities: the call for expansion of the Lokoja Urban Mass Transit System to check arbitrary charges by tricycles and motorcycles; provision of safe and potable water as Chairman, House Committee on Water Resources; motions on youth unemployment; and advocacy for a comprehensive Social Protection Policy for the aged, persons with disabilities, women and children.
Outside the chamber, Hon. Ebaiya has chosen quiet lobbying over noisy grandstanding. Working in synergy with his brother lawmaker and Speaker, Rt. Hon. Aliyu Umar Yusuf of Lokoja II, he has attracted critical state interventions to the metropolis.
Before politics, Hon. Ebaiya was already a household name. From Lagos where he built his business empire, he paid school fees, settled hospital bills and intervened in water challenges. That goodwill made his 2023 election a referendum on trust.
As a private citizen and later as Senior Special Adviser on Water Resources, he undertook reticulation and repair of moribund pipes from Karaworo to Up-Garage and Felele, an effort commended by the Hakimi of Ward C. As lawmaker, he sustained it with boreholes and facilitation of water projects.
In education, he provided 500 free JAMB forms, organized free computer-based preparatory classes for JAMB, WAEC, NECO and NABTEB candidates, and instituted a reward scheme for top-performing students. Recently, he sponsored a free medical outreach that attended to over 1,500 constituents with consultation, drugs and referrals.
To be honest, he may not have shared money into personal pockets as some expect because the truth is no Lawmaker is a money bag, but he has invested in building a virile constituency, an opportunity that has remained uppermost on his mind and which calls for commendation.
When a lawmaker is returned by his people, that constituency enjoys a harvest of advantages a first-timer can hardly offer. It is an investment in experience and continuity.
The legislature runs on ranking. A returning lawmaker moves up in seniority, earns principal offices, chairmanship of grade A committees, and a place in leadership. He who chairs a committee determines what comes to his constituency. He already knows the rules, the procedures and the lobby. He does not spend two years learning. From day one, he can sponsor bills, move motions that become law, and negotiate constituency projects into the budget because he has built relationships across party lines, with MDAs and the Executive.
In short, to return a performing lawmaker is to return influence and development. To replace him with a novice is to send your constituency back to nursery while others are in final year.
Lokoja I must stand with its own. Being the state capital, is a metropolis of endless needs. Needs are infinite, resources are finite. Private philanthropy allows choice; public office puts everyone on the same queue. Managing that pressure with humility is part of representation, and Hon. Ebaiya has done so with uncommon accessibility.
The recent criticisms from a few quarters, largely driven by post-primary grievances after an open stakeholder ballot where all aspirants agreed to the process, should not blind the larger constituency to the bigger picture. Dissent is legitimate, but sustained pull-him-down after a credible process serves no one.
Every first term is for learning the ropes, the second term is for consolidation. Hon. Ebaiya is a work in progress, but a work with visible foundation, proven loyalty to APC, and a record that outweighs the noise.
Having learnt the ropes, his return and second term which looks very good, calls for all hands to be on deck and for collaborative support. Other constituencies that kept their lawmakers became strong. Those that change lawmakers every term remain backward. If we lose a ranking member, we lose chairmanship, we lose voice in the budget, we lose our place in leadership.
Let us put differences behind us. We are brothers before politics. No community develops in division. To err is human, to forgive is divine. In sincerity, let’s weigh the achievements of Lawmakers who have served Lokoja 1 and juxtaposed their accomplishments with his. He has redefined representation.
For a man who showed up when he held no office, and has continued to show up with the little available in office, standing by him now is both logical and fair. Team Best is a sure bet that will deliver the desired gains for Lokoja I.
By Abu Micheal
Journalist, Author, President, Southerners Resident in Lokoja