By joshua Kogi West Agenda 2027: Consolidation Is A Quest For Equity – Why The Second Coming Of Senator Sunday Karimi Is Sacrosanct
The conversation in Kogi West ahead of 2027 is no longer about experimentation. It is about consolidation. It is about equity, experience and proven capacity. From Egbe to Lokoja, Kabba to Yagba, the verdict among constituents is taking shape in one simple declaration: Karimi Lekansi, Karimi Again.
Senator Sunday Steve Karimi is not a newcomer to public service. He is serving his first term in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing Kogi West Senatorial District after his victory in 2023, a journey paved by years in the House of Representatives where he earned a reputation as a practical and result-oriented legislator with deep understanding of parliamentary work. That legislative depth is anchored on a solid educational foundation, having obtained his Primary School Leaving Certificate from ECWA L.E.A Primary School, Egbe in 1974, completed his secondary education at Titcombe College, Egbe in 1979, and earned a Higher National Diploma in Production Engineering with Distinction from Kwara State College of Technology, Ilorin, now Kwara State Polytechnic, in 1983. Engineer, entrepreneur and lawmaker, his training continues to shape his approach to governance.
Those close to his office describe his agenda as centred on economic empowerment, education, health, housing, employment and civil rights, and in just two years in the Senate the footprints are visible. Through his educational support programs, over 7,000 students across the seven local government areas of Kogi West have benefitted from bursaries, scholarships and learning materials, while his Jobs for Progress and literacy centres are equipping young people with job skills beyond certificates. From constituency projects to personal interventions, he has facilitated road transfers, community projects and solar-powered street lights that have literally energized rural communities that lived in darkness. As a member of the Senate Committee on Health, he was part of key reforms in 2024 aimed at repositioning the health sector, while back home his medical outreaches and support for cottage facilities have complemented state efforts.
In the 10th Senate, Senator Karimi was entrusted with one of the most sensitive assignments as Chairman of Senate Services, the engine room of the Senate, and he also serves on critical committees including Environment and Public Works, Energy and Natural Resources, and Budget. On Environment he has been vocal on climate issues and the urgent need to rebuild infrastructure, on Energy he has championed the transition to renewable energy particularly solar which explains his aggressive solar light intervention in Kogi West, and on Budget he has consistently spoken against waste and corporate greed. Observers at the National Assembly describe him as a bridge-builder able to cut across partisan lines to get results, a trait the Almanac of Nigerian Politics once captured when it called him a practical and successful legislator focused on the shrinking middle class and the growing income gaps in the country.
For Kogi West, the equity argument is not about sentiment but about stability. The first term of any Senator is for learning the ropes of the Senate, the second term is for harvesting that experience into ranking, influence and bigger projects. Karimi now has the ranking, the contacts and the committee leverage, and to replace him now would be to restart the learning curve. For that reason, consolidation is therefore not a slogan but a strategic quest for equity and development, and it is why his second term is sacrosanct. The job goes on, and for that job to continue, Karimi Lekansi.