By Ralph Agbana.
Pharmacist and politician, Dr Jide Ikubolaje has called on the people of Yagba Federal Constituency to ensure that the Senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi and Member, House of Representatives for Yagba Federal Constituency, Honourable Leke Abejide get the maximum support of the region towards a successful first term and second term in the 10th National Assembly, respectively. Dr Ikubolaje, an indigene of Egbe who is Regional Manager (North-Central), Exus Pharmaceutical Nigeria Limited described Karimi and Abejide as reliable, dependable and God-sent who have attracted tangible development to Yagba, therefore deserving to be supported by all well meaning Yagba people to do more.
The renowned pharmacist admonished traditional rulers in Yagba West, Egbe, in particular, to live up to their roles as arbiters in conflict resolution through mediating and reconciling prominent indigenes in conflicts. He expressed worries that the Royal fathers are not doing enough in the performance of their responsibility thus allowing room for disputes between prominent sons of the community to fester with increased acrimony.
Holistic Yagba Support Base for Senator Karimi
Speaking during an interview with journalists in Lokoja, Dr Ikubolaje said: “Yagba must be united. I start from Egbe, my basic community, to Yagba West Local Government and to Yagba Federal Constituency in general. That is one. Secondly, politically speaking, Yagba has to be focused, prepared ahead of 2027 election year. I want us to be focused and work together to ensure we do not lose the senate. If Lokoja/Koto can do eight years and Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu can do 12 years, Yagba deserves to do more than one term. Distinguished Senator Sunday Karimi has shown us what it means to have a Senator from Yagba. Look at the good job he is doing, look at the military base, N100 million students’ bursary, N100 million women business empowerment schemes and his efforts to repair the long abandoned Kabba-Egbe-Omuaran-Ilorin road. I am not saying Yagba should claim entitlement of Karimi because Senator Karimi is representing three federal constituencies and seven local government areas. And I can tell you that he is equally doing a lot in the two other federal constituencies. Look at the N1bn federal government funded model school he puts in Kotonkarfe, that project is the only type of it in the entire North Central. He did not bring it to Yagba. He also contributed N5m to the barracks building at Kogi State University, Kabba. That is to show you that he is for everybody. But it is our duty as Yagba people to rally around him not only to that he succeeds in this his first term but that Yagba also gets more than one term in the senate just like our sister constituencies also had their chances of more than four years. If Senator Karimi does well and like I said he has done well so far, and if he is not let down by his own people in Yagba, I see no reason for him not to do another term on behalf of Yagba. That is my honest opinion.
Coming to Egbe, my home town where Karimi also comes from, charity, they say, begins at home, Egbe must be united first behind their son (Karimi). This unity I am talking about is not just about unity among politically exposed persons. Let me give you an example, there is a deep-seated rift between Senator Karimi and another prominent son of Egbe, Mr Korede Adedayo. Mr Adedayo is a banker who has done tremendously well for Egbe in terms of development using his hard earned resources. All is not well between Karimi and Adedayo and this is not healthy for the development of Egbe community. This is a matter for the Kabiyesis to wade into and resolve. Unfortunately, nobody wants to do it. This trend is disturbing me, personally because the two of them are prominent indigenes. Egbe community needs them to work together for development to come to Egbe. The Iloko Obaship tussle is part of this problem. People see Adedayo as supporting Soji Aro, while Senator Karimi is seen as supporting Odeyemi Adebola, the supporters of these two contestants for Oba Iloko are sharply divided along two parallel lines. They have used their ambitions and divisions to create a wedge in the hitherto boisterous relationship between Senator Karimi and Mr Adedayo. This should not be the case because the two of them (Karimi and Adedayo) are not from Iloko. For me, the two of them (Adedayo and Karimi) should leave Iloko matter and let us forge ahead on Egbe development.
Hon Leke Abejide Is A No-Go Area
According to Ikubolaje, “There is no room for debate on whether or not Hon Leke Abejide should take a third shot on the seat of Yagba Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. This is a no-go area. If my party, PDP wants to suspend me because of this, I am ready. Frankly speaking, and I stand to be disputed, no past member of House of Representatives in the history of Yagba had ever brought the dividends of democracy Abejide has brought to Yagba. Abejide is like a messiah. He is God-sent. What Abejide is doing, he is not doing it all by himself, I don’t think he is doing all that he is doing based on his own capacity, God is involved. Nobody can be doing what he is doing unless God is using him. And when God sends someone, anybody that goes against the person must face the wrath of God. That is the research I have done about him. He has touched every sector of Yagba economy. He is like a government on his own: be it agriculture, education, health, water, road infrastructure, skills acquisition, employment opportunities for qualified indigenes in federal ministries, departments and agencies, direct empowerment of artisans, youths, women and widows, even our tradional rulers, all first, second and third class Obas he purchased SUVs for each and everyone of them across the 34 electoral wards in Yagba. For the sixth year running, Abejide took upon himself to offset, paid WASSCE fees for all SS3 students in both public and private secondary schools in the three local governments areas. He even extended it to Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency, way outside his catchment. He built the first CBT centre in Yagbaland at Isanlu. He is now working on the establishment of skills acquisition centres to engage our teeming unemployed youths. At the risk of being seen as overrating him, I will call him the Awolowo of Yagba. They coronated him as the Asiwaju of Yagbaland but I will call him our own brand of Obafemi Awolowo. What Baba Awolowo did in the old western region, especially in the area of education, Abejide’s record in Yagba will take a long time to be broken by anybody. I do tell people, let us leave him in the House of Representatives until he says he is not going again. Abejide has not only done well, he has even surpassed our expectations. Abejide has the exprience, he is a ranking legislator, so why should we bring in a new person? To start from the scratch? Abejide should go back there because God still wants to use him more. Moses, in the Holy Bible, was a stammerer but God chose to use him to lead and liberate the Israelites.
