By Ralph Omololu Agbana
Senator Sunday Karimi earned the “Most Security-Conscious Senator in Nigeria” award due to his strategic legislative advocacy and direct, on-the-ground investments in public safety, says report
Senator Sunday Karimi—who represents the Kogi West Senatorial District in the Nigerian Senate—was named a winner at the Democracy Newsline Newspaper Award (DNNA) 2024. He was specifically honoured with the award of ” The Most Security Conscious Senator in Nigeria “.
Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, Senator Oji Uzor Kalu (Abia North), and Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) emerged winners in different categories of honours. The winners, according to the organisers, emerged from opinion polls conducted by a team of experts who found them worthy of recognition. The event was the 14th anniversary of Democracy Newsline Newspaper and the presentation of awards to the listed winners on October 9, 2024, held at the National Merit House, Abuja.
Barau won the award as Nigeria’s Northern Senator of the Year; Kalu as the Senator of the Year, and Karimi as the Most Security Conscious Senator in Nigeria.
Karimi’s security-related achievements include facilitating and privately financing the construction of a fully furnished and equipped military Forward Operations Base (FOB) on the Kogi-Kwara border to combat kidnapping, banditry, and armed robbery. He also provided two (2) brand new hilux vans to support the base operations.
Further to the establishment of the military Forward Operating Base (F.O.B) at the intersection of Kogi And Kwara State Border, Senator Karimi ensure further deployment of military personnel to other communities within the region while also ensuring that they are well catered for.
To complement his existing 96-bed Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Egbe, Yagba West LGA, fresh troops were deployed to several communities, including Jege, Odo-Ere, Isanlu, and Olle-Bunu. To facilitate this rapid deployment, Senator Karimi arranged localized accommodations for the soldiers within the areas of deployment.
Amongst the lawmaker’s several interventions are his visits to communities of kidnapped victims and financial contributions to communal efforts towards their release. Provision of accommodation for some communities where military men are posted. Provisions of body armours to security men working directly on the field in parts of Kogi West.
Notably, the Pakuta Bridge in the Kiri-Bunu Kingdom, which was in bad shape for over 15 years, cutting off the entire area from their neighbouring communities, was fixed by Senator Karimi at the cost of N23m. This project was privately financed by the lawmaker. The completion of the Pakuta bridge project has helped in the free flow of traffic in Bunu axis, the epicentre of kidnapping in Kabba bunu local government.
As the Chairman of the Senate Services Committee, he has been a vocal champion for decentralizing national security and empowering state police.
Senator Sunday Karimi, these past three years in the 10th Senate has demonstrated his commitment to the security and well-being of his constituents and the Nigerian people, through strategic legislative actions and interventions aimed at strengthening security operations across Kogi West Senatorial District and its border communities while also supporting efforts to tackle insecurity in neighbouring states.
