By joshua Senator Sunday Karimi: Turning Representation Into Roads, Jobs, Hope For Kogi West
By Abu Micheal
In Kogi West, representation is beginning to feel less like a title and more like work done. Senator Sunday Karimi’s time in the Senate is drawing attention not for noise, but for projects, cash support, and programs that touch everyday life — from classrooms to motor parks, from dry boreholes to dark streets.
The story starts with young people. Karimi secured employment opportunities for youths across federal agencies and paramilitary bodies, giving many families their first government pay slip in years. For those still in school, he launched a N100 million scholarship fund for tertiary students and backed exam prep coaching with learning materials at secondary and university levels. The boldest statement came at Government Science Secondary School, Koton Karfe, where he funded a reconstruction worth over N1.2 billion — rebuilding a legacy school that had been left to decay.
Infrastructure follows the same pattern. The Pakuta Bridge in Aiyegunle Gbede, valued at more than N17 million, now reconnects communities across three LGAs and pushes into Niger State. The long-abandoned Kabba–Egbe–Ilorin road also resumed after Karimi’s intervention, reviving trade and travel for farmers and transporters. Water, another basic need, got a N1.24 billion lift with 140 boreholes — 75 new solar-powered ones and 65 rehabilitated schemes — spread across villages that once walked miles for clean water.
Rural life got a boost too. Electricity transformers landed in all seven LGAs to power small businesses. Churches and mosques received donations for completion, while socio-cultural groups got support to keep community identity alive. At night, solar streetlights now cut through darkness in underserved areas, improving security and reducing energy costs.
Markets and traders, the engine of Kogi West’s local economy, weren’t left out. Karimi disbursed N100 million to 50 women cooperative groups after training them on financial management. One thousand traders across the seven LGAs got N100,000 each, while 400 more under the Lokoja Arewa Traders Union received targeted support. For farmers, fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides were distributed to raise yields. Young people with transport dreams got Toyota Corolla cars as part of empowerment drives.
When disaster struck, relief came fast. N10 million went to victims of the Embwa road mishap. The Fish Market in Lokoja got N11 million for rehabilitation after damage. On security, Karimi facilitated a Forward Military Base in Yagba West to confront rising threats, and security agencies continue to receive support during festive seasons.
Even politics, often criticized as empty, saw direct investment. Ahead of the 2024 Local Government Elections, Karimi disbursed N27.5 million to APC candidates — N7 million each to seven chairmanship candidates, N500,000 to vice-chairmanship candidates, and N200,000 to each of the 85 councillorship candidates. The goal, observers say, was to strengthen the party structure from the grassroots.
This information is presented for verification and commendation, should the achievements indeed be true. If the numbers and projects hold up to scrutiny, then Senator Sunday Karimi is shaping a model of representation where empowerment is measured in boreholes drilled, bridges rebuilt, students sponsored, and traders funded. For Kogi West, the question is no longer what was promised — it’s what has been delivered.