The 2023 general election is fast approaching, and its the time to redefine our journey as a people. Its a time that provides the people of Kogi West Senatorial District another opportunity to make a choice of who becomes their next senator to represent them and to be their advocate at the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
While we strive to engage in the process of choosing a Senator of Yagba extraction for Kogi West because in the spirit of fairness it should be the turn of Yagba to produce the next senator. It is however, imperative for us to take into critical consideration the capacity, personality and experience of the choice we make.
Leadership is often viewed as the product of Natural endowments and traits of personality, intellectual capacity, force of will and enthusiasm. But those are not of paramount importance in a good leadership. The real qualities of good leadership are found in those who have the collaborative ability to lead, setting aside ego, understanding the need to be constant, clear and open; creating an environment of safety and trust and willing to sacrifice to see to the physical, economic, social and spiritual development of the people.
It is incontrovertible therefore, that Hon. Steve Sunday Karimi, a proudly Yagba man fits into the above category of leadership school.
Hon. Karimi is a humble personality with an indelible mark of honesty, who put characters above wealth; a Man whose forthrightness distinguishes him as a special breed and a blessing to Yagba Nation, Kogi West and humanity.
Hence, with due sense of humility and responsibility, taking into cognizance, the exigencies, the significance of effective, outstanding representation that Hon. Steve Sunday Karimi is presented as the best senatorial product for all to support.
The choice of Hon. Sunday Karimi to represent and provide political leadership to the good people of Western Senatorial District of Kogi State at the National Assembly would be a ‘square peg in a square hole.’
This is so because the choice of electable representatives all over the world where popular democracy is practiced has always been a herculean task; not because of the dearth in human personnel rather the challenges of getting the right person for the right job.
Hon. Sunday Karimi having performed excellently well, provided effective leadership and quality representation to the satisfaction of his constituents. Re-elected for a second term in 2015 as a reward for his outstanding dedication to duty, patriotism, sacrifice and hardwork he is no doubt imbued with requisite legislative experience, needed capacity to provide a better representation at the upper legislative chamber.
Hon. Karimi as a tested, proven and trusted product has demonstrated significantly, an aggressive passion and strong commitment towards improving the economic progress, social wellbeing, and political emancipation of his people.
His visionary leadership is reflected in his daily endeavour to empower and liberate his people from the twin economic challenges of Poverty and Unemployment through proper education, vocational training, equipping and teaching on efficient management of resources.
As a creative thinker, Hon. Sunday Karimi, in addition to providing several jobs and creating opportunities for many, both in MDAs and private organizations took a conscious efforts to carry out a study on how best to improve the social and economic well being of the common man and woman; came up with blueprint that would usher in economic prosperity for the good people of Yagba federal constituency. This led to the launch in November 2013, the Yagba People Empowerment Initiative, under the management and supervision of eminent Yagba sons and daughters.
The Yagba Peoples Empowerment initiative was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission as a business entity to cater for the economic prosperity of Yagba people. The idea was conceived as a tool for harnessing and driving the various economic and entrepreneurial potentials of the good people of Yagba Land with a view to translating them to economic prosperity and improved wellbeing. It was a concept that was developed to provide a link between identified talents and skills among the youth, women, vulnerable and the old folks, and making sure those skills and talents are harnessed, showcased and translated into productive enterprise
The scheme was also designed to serve as a platform for discovery and development of the human capacity among the constituents.
It was further conceived to provide a financial base from which needed funds for operational take off and support of new and existing micro, small and medium business enterprise could be drawn as revolving financial facilities.
An initial take off grant of Fourty Million Naira (N40, 000,000.00) only was released to the fund for a take off (Hon.Karimi personally gave #34,000, 000 while #6,000,000 was contributed to the fund by his friends.
Another very important area of Hon. Karimi’s intervention is the Education sector. Understanding the importance of education to human capital development, Hon. Karimi during his years in the house of representatives initiated the renovation and rehabilitation of many schools across Yagba Federal Constituency among which are:
Rehabilitation of Amuro community secondary school, Amuro, Kogi State
Rehabilitation of Idofin-Isanlu primary school. (A block of 4 classroom)
Rehabilitation of saint kizito college Isanlu,
Rehabilitation of a block of 4 classrooms at Comprehensive Secondary School, Odo-Eri, Yagba West.
Establishment of ICT School Knowledge Centre under the Universal Service Provision Fund School Knowledge Centre Initiative of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The School Knowledge Centre is to be established at Comprehensive College, Egbe, Yagba West Local Government, Kogi State.
Hon. Karimi also established Education Support Funds initiative. As part of efforts to lessened the financial challenges confronting indigent students in their studies. He initiated education support scheme which provided financial support of #20,000 each to a minimum of 10 indigents students per ward in the 34 wards of Yagba Federal constituency. This scheme provided support for a total of 400 students with a larger percentage of students population of Higher institutions. The scheme was also managed by a Yagba man.
In addition Hon. Karimi has continue to give on regular basis several financial assistance to many students who approached him for such assistance.
It is instructive to note that Karimi, though not a noisemaker, has demonstrated enough passion, capacity and visible actions towards affecting the lives of his Constituents positively in no small measures.
There appears to be a realization now that the prospect of democratic consolidation hinges on the performance of the legislature.
In a constitutional democracy, the Legislature as the first estate on the realm is regarded as the hallmark and bedrock of modern democracy. It is the pillar that holds the fabrics of democracy upon which the principles of separation of powers is built.
The legislature which may be defined as a body of elected persons in a country or a state vested with power to make, alter and repeal laws. To begin with, modern democracy, especially the liberal democratic type, is about the people exercising power through their elected representatives. it is also the only expression of the popular will of the people.
A veritable index of measuring the effectiveness and performance of a Legislator is quality of Bills and Motions sponsored, effective oversights, attendance and his brilliant contributions to debates in the floor of the house. In all of these parameters , hon. Karimi is adjudged by both local and international media and political observers as a quintessential.
Since Karimi’s inauguration on June 6, 2011 into the 7th National Assembly, in his characteristic manner became an active member on the floor of the House advancing good governance, putting the priorities of his people in the front burners. A very pragmatic Karimi participated actively in all the legislative debates and other
functions. Through out his 8 years in the green chambers, he recorded a superlative attendance.
A courageous man, full of wisdom, Karimi in the eight years of his political representation Stood in defence of the common man and became a lone voice of the oppressed. He has used his position to get justice for many of his constituents who had suffered one injustice or the other.
Since 2011, Hon. Sunday Karimi has been sponsoring impactful Bills and Motions, facilitating projects to the constituency, distributing empowerment materials, assisting constituents financially and also using his office to foster the interest of Yagba and even the entire people of Kogi State in the spirit of patriotism, desire to contribute to good governance and development of the people.
Giving the above parameter, it is instructive to conclude that Hon. Karimi performed creditably well. Also, given his brilliant performance, he gave good account of his stewardship going by the number of bills and motions he sponsored and many that he co-sponsored. His superlative attendance and quality of contributions to legislative businesses in the floor of the green chamber is a confirmation that he is the best man to represent the people of Kogi West come 2023
Between 2011 and 2015, in his first term in the green chamber, Karimi sponsored fourteen Bills and moved twenty one Motions. And in his second term(2015 – 2019), he sponsored eleven Bills and moved twenty four Motions!
Hon. Karimi executed verifiable projects in all communities in Yagba Federal constituency. These projects ranges from construction of classrooms, supply of transformers, distribution of solar-powered boreholes with 10,000 litres UPVC Tanks on 6 metres tower in communities across Yagba East, Yagba West and Mopa/Amuro Local Governmenst in Yagba Federal Constituency, Kogi State.
He empowered women and youths in his illustrious eight years in the House of Representatives.
A cursory look at the Bills, Motions and Empowerment Initiatives and Activities of Hon. Karimi as stated above, will show a passionate desire by a Patriot and Statesman to contribute his quota to the development of Yagbaland, Okunland, Kogi West Senatorial District, Kogi State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a whole..
As a Yagba man, I make bold to say, that there is no single Ward or Community in Yagba Land that has not benefited from the good representation of Hon. Karimi.
For the avoidance of doubt and unnecessary contradictions, the lists of all the motions, his debates and contributions in the floor of the House shall be coming your way in my subsequent write-ups on the same subject matter.
Virtually, everything that truly qualifies a person for leadership is directly related to character and integrity which is the main issue that makes the difference between a good leader and a bad one.
Successful leadership requires impeccable moral integrity. As a man of integrity and character, Hon Karimi resisted every pressure on him to take the house of Representatives ticket for a third term. An offer many in his shoes would jump at even when it was glaring to all that the Senatorial ticket was unjustly taking away from him. A man of character, Karimi is prepared to sacrifice for the good of others.
This write up is not to present Karimi as the only person in Yagba land who is qualified to represent our people in the senate, neither it is an attempt to portray him as an angel. But I write to present him to us as instrument of liberation, the quality of his person, his values and virtues of Character and integrity and more importantly his antecedents which should form the basis of our choice of a SENATOR.
It is not also intended to ruled out the possibilities that he had done certain things wrongly in the past, he has offended many, failed many, fallen short of many’s expectations, and so on.
This is not to say there are no one thousand and one Yagba sons and daughters with capacity to be good legislator. But because of the saying that a bird in the hand is better than ten thousand in the bush and that the devil you know they say is preferred to the Angel you have not seen.
This is the time we need to forgive ourselves, the circle of vengeance must stop, the chain of hatred must be broken and our yagba nation must progress, we must be united in our struggle to get things right.
We can no longer allow ourselves to be relegated to the background, the insults must stop. The hurting past must be let go of, the future appeared very great, we must not look at the fog, we need to be focused and united in our effort to lead Kogi West; and provide needed leadership that will foster the unity and development among the people. The Choice of Hon. Sunday Karimi should become our unanimous choice. It should be our rallying point. It should be our best alternative.
Let the choice of Hon. Karimi become a new chapter in our bid to be one people, one United Yagba Nation in particular and one united Kogi West.
TOBA ABRAHAM Is a citizen of Yagba West