Our attention has been drawn to a publication by the group tagged Kabba Coalition Youth Group describing a one year in office of the Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Steve Sunday Karimi as Epitome of Wasteful and Failed Legislative Representation.
Ordinarily, we should not have responded to the publication which in our view is a calculated attempt by a group of individuals who are yet to recovered from their electoral defeat to give wrong impression about the personality and performance of the Distinguished Senator Steve Sunday Karimi.
But for the benefit of informing the people of Kogi West in particular and Nigerians in general and correcting the misinformation and misreprentation of facts presented by the so call group, we considered it expedient to give the public the true position of Sen. Karimi’s performance as a Senator.
While we recognize and appreciate the group’s right to demand accountability from the Distinguished Senator it is important to educate the group that it doesn’t not possess the power to give judgement of the senator’s performance being a faceless group.
From some of the issues raised and described as failure by the group, it’s obvious from their allegations and postulations that they are either completely ignorance of what legislative representation entails or are living in hallucination.
To start with, the group alleged that Sen. Karimi did not pick any of his legislative aids from Kabba.
It is important to state here that Sen. Karimi has just 5 aids like any other Senators and their selection was on Federal Constituency basis which are Lokoja/Koto, Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu and Yagba Federal Constituencies.
The aides are: Senior Legislative Aide(Yagba), Secretary(Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu), Legislative Aide (Lokoja). The remaining two are his personal assistants, one from Yagba and the other from Kogi/Koto, so I advise the group to be sure of the story pushed to the public except they have other heinous intentions and sinister motives other than demanding accountability.
Secondly, the group accused the Senator for not doing thank you tour. While these accusation sounds frivolous and malicious because we are yet to read in any of the books how thank you tour became an indices for measuring the performance of an elected senator. However, for the sake of emphasis, we direct the group to visit their Local Government All Progressives Congress Party Executive as we are aware that immediately after the Appeal Court ruling which affirmed Karimi’s election in September, 2023, he went round the 7 local government party secretariat of the APC in appreciation of their support.
The group also accuses Sen. Karimi of not including Kabba sons and daughters in the placements into agencies of government (Military and Para-military) he has done for others. We would like to thank the group for acknowledging that efforts, but it is not correct that the senator excluded Kabba. We can bodly say that Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu federal Constituencies have benefited in whatever efforts Karimi is making more than any other federal Constituencies. It would still be too early to start wiping sentiments. It will not also be wrong for Kabba to demand for more like ‘Oliver Twist’.
It is very important to mention that Karimi holds the good and fantastic people of Kabba in very high esteem contrary to the insinuation of the group with a view to instigating the people of Kabba against the senator.
On the allegation of Sen. Karimi not having a Senatorial office in Kabba, as good and legitimate this observation may appear, the group should know that the office does not belong to them but to Karimi as his coordinating office. When does office accommodation turns to a group success? We do not see therefore, how having or not having office amounted to failure not even in this age where a lot of businesses are technologically driven from the comforts of people’s bedroom.
Notwithstanding, we are very much aware of Sen. Karimi’s efforts at securing a more suitable and conspicuous facility for a office in Kabba which is yet to come to fruition. It will therefore be a welcome idea if the group could help the senator find one.
Having stated the above it has become imperative and exigent to mention some of the achievements of the Distinguished Senator Steve Sunday Karimi in the last one year for public consumption and scrutiny.
Democracy all over the world has been adjudge the best governance system despite it’s numerous ills and challenges. The reason being that it’s a representative system of government – the government of the people by the people and for the people.
The legislature which forms the pillar that hold democracy is an arm of government that gives expression to the definition of democracy – “by the people”, it’s a medium through which the people are represented in a constitutional, liberal democracy.
The primary purpose of this very significant arm of government is law-making for the good of the nation.
It is for this obvious reason that the people of Western Senatorial District of the Confluence state, Kogi State about a year ago gave their mandate to Senator karimi Sunday Steve to proceed to the red chamber of the Nigerian National Assembly as their representative and mouthpiece.
Precisely on the 13th June, 2023, a year ago, Senator Karimi was inaugurated as a senator of the federal Republic of Nigeria representing the good people of Kogi West.
It is no exaggeration that the ever ready Karimi having the understanding of the importance of good legislations to good governance and improved wellbeing of the people, he immediately swung into action by coming up with people centered legislative instruments which includes:
CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA (SIXTH ALTERATION) BILL 2024
KIDNAPPING PROHIBITION LAW OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY:
URGENT NEED TO PRIOTORIZE NATION BUILDING, NATIONAL UNITY AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE 10TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
URGENT NEED TO STEP UP EFFORTS TO STEM THE TIDE OF OIL THEFT IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION AND TO BETTER SAFEGUARD OIL AND GAS INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE REGION
MOTION ON URGENT NEED TO INVESTIGATE THE VARIOUS TURN AROUND MAINTENANCE PROJECTS OF NIGERIAN REFINERIES IN ORDER TO UNCOVER AND FORSTAL FURTHER WASTE OF SCARCE PUBLIC RESOURCES
MOTION ON URGENT NEED TO INVESTIGATE THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA NAIRA REDESIGN CONTRACT
MOTION ON URGENT NEED TO STEP UP THE BATTLE AGAINST PROLIFERATION OF SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS IN NIGERIA
DISHONOURED CHEQUES AMENDMENT BILL 2023
CORRUPT PRACTICIES AND RELATED OFFENCES AMENDMENT BILL 2023
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA (AMENDMENT) BILL 2023
PATENTS AND DESIGN REPEAL AND RE-ENACTMENT BILL 2023
PENAL CODE (AMENDMENT) BILL 2023
In addition to these impactful bills and motions which are hallmarks of Legislative prowess, sagacity, capacity and indices for measuring legislative performance and effectiveness,. Sen. Karimi has continued to demonstrate in the chambers of the Senate, a high level of performance, contributing massively and responsibly to other debates and other legislative businesses.
While it is universally acknowledged and agreed that the fundamental duty of a Legislator is the business of law making for the progress and well being of the citizens, Sen. Karimi’s recognition with empathy, placed significant priority on the deplorable condition of Kabba – Egbe -Ilorin road in the last one year – this is the road that almost cut-off the entire Yagba Nation from the Nigeria map.
Through lobbying and continuous engagement with the concern authority and agency of government, the result is there for all to see. Repairs are on-going on that road with every assurances that the harrowing experience on that road becomes history when completed.
He has continued to engage with other legislators from Kwara and Ekiti for collaborative efforts towards ensuring that all federal roads linking Kogi West to neighbouring State are passable.
His efforts no doubt resulted in the significant repairs going on that road which according to the Distinguished Senator will be completed in the next one year bringing to a halt, an era of pains and agony.
Furthermore, the Distinguished Senator Karimi dissatisfied with the increasing rate of unemployment among employable population of Kogi Westerners have secured significant numbers of placement, employment opportunities for the constituents in military, para-military, specialized government agencies and departments in the last one year while several private individual have been given financial support to start and grow their businesses.
Another very important achievement of Senator Karimi in the last one year and for the first time in the history of Kogi West was the opening of admission portal for applicants which led to the increasing numbers of students admitted into various higher learning institutions and Police academy as a product of his direct intervention.
In addition, Senator Karimi within the short period of his inauguration and assumption of office has ensured the enrollment of over 27,000 citizens of Kogi West on Federal Government Cash Transfer Register, enrollment of 33,250 people who have received #25,000 each, enrollment of 18,305 people to receive #50,000 each which have since commenced and on-going.
In the area of security which has continued to threatened the lives of the people of Kogi West, Senator Karimi has being in the forefront of the campaign for the creation of State Police, this he demonstrated with his bill to amend the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999(as amended) to accommodate the creation of State Police.
As a determined representative of the people who is passionately desirous of peaceful, secured environment, safety of lives and property of the people have lived up to expectation working and collaborating with relevant authorities and supporting all efforts to bringing insecurity to the barest minimum across Western Senatorial District of Kogi State. He is personally financing a Security Outpost to serve as a facility for the Military and other Security Personnel between the boundary of Kogi and Kwara State.
Human Development is another vital aspect that received the attention of Sen. Karimi in the last one year, though Karimi not being a man who is giving to blowing his own trumpet neither a noise maker, it is however on record that he has given very huge supports in terms of Start-up-capital to individuals with business proposals and ideas.
Medically, the Distinguished Senator Sunday Karimi as a man whom blood of empathy runs through his veins have committed massive resources to supporting people with serious health challenges and other areas of human needs.
Education Development, in the area of support to Students, Senator Karimi in the last one year has given massive support to payment of school fees. This forms the basis for which the Distinguished Senator has decided to institutionalized the supports, lifting the burden of tuition fee off parents by initiating a One Hundred Million (100,000,000) Naira Bursary for 1000 indigent students of Kogi West in higher institutions of learning to commence in September 2024.
Furthermore, in the wave of the present economic realities occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy by the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Sen. Karimi has his continued to the respond to the plight of the people of Kogi West by providing a a trailer load(600 bags ) of 50kg Rice Per local government in the 7 local government areas of Kogi West in December, 2023 and the distribution of about 700kg of Semovita to each Ward across the 85 wards of Kogi West in April, 2024.
The date for the official launching and take-off of the One hundred Million(#100,000,000) Naira Student Bursary will be in September, 2024.
It is very important to stress at this point that Distinguished Senator Sunday Karimi is a focused personality and would not be distracted from serving and giving quality and responsive representation to the good people of Kogi West.
From the above therefore, we will not be wrong to conclude that the so called Kabba Coalition Youth Group Verdict on Sen. Karimi’s one year in office is mischievous, malicious and unfounded.
– Toba Abraham
For: Kogi West Progressives Forum.
