OYIBO SALIHU writes on the recent effort by Yusuf Ahmed Tijani, a member representing Okene/ Ogori-Magongo Federal Constituency of Kogi state in the National Assembly to improving his people’s fortune, saying there is need to do more.
If the saying that “the best way to represent the people is to do it exactly the way they want it done” still subsists, then Yusuf Ahmed Tijani, a lawmaker representing Okene/ Ogori-Magongo federal constituency at the lower chamber of the National Assembly, has in the view of the people rightly justified the mandate given him.
Upon settling down after his election in 2011, the lawmaker itemized his peoples’ needs in order of priority with a view to attending to them. Just five months into his mandate, he called a town hall meeting in Okene local government area to discuss with his constituents on their needs. At the end of the meeting, perennial shortage of potable water, unemployment among youth and women as well as dwindling family incomes occasioned by large number of households without stable sources, came top on the agenda. Similarly, education which is the bed rock of any development had nosedived in the constituency as many school pupils, especially in the suburbs had no decent classrooms while majority of the secondary schools in the area suffered varying degree of dilapidation.
Same with the health sector which was in shambles owing to poor infrastructure and inadequate personnel.
Taking them one after the other, the lawmaker took a bold step in 2012 legislative year to construct over thirty boreholes across the eleven wards in the constituency. And to support the transformation agenda of the state and federal governments, Tijani in the same year, also facilitated the construction and furnishing of two blocks of four classrooms and upgraded some structures at Queen of Apostle College in Okene and later extended similar gesture to Local Government Secondary School, Ohiana also in Okene town.
In further demonstration of his love for education, Tijani upgraded some structures at Standard Primary School in Onyukoko and also facilitated the supply of 110 laptop computers to the historic Abdulazeez Memorial College(AMCO), as well as 30 desktop computers for students practical.
Besides, the lawmaker sponsored over 1000 people in computer appreciation at diploma level, while also engaging over 500 youth and women from Okene and Abuga/Ozuga in entrepreneurship and skill acquisition training in tailoring, tilling, battery charging, driving, hair dressing etc.
As part of the empowerment programme, he also established a co-operative society scheme aimed at assisting women to access funds to either start a new business or boost the existing ones as first step toward their socio-economic emancipation in addition to the distribution of working tools to over 800 artisans.
Over 100 youth in the constituency were also trained in small scale mining and supported with toolkits to enable them take advantage of the rich solid mineral potentials in the area.
At the presentation of his score card that lasted one week in Okene, over 1000 people were treated free for some medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, rheumatism, typhoid and malaria while 74 patients underwent varieties of surgical operations ranging from eye surgery, appendicitis, and fibroid among others as part of his health intervention programme to alleviate the peoples’ plight.
Further to this, Tijani said as part of his health intervention programme, a team of surgical experts from far and near were invited to perform free surgeries on people suffering from different health conditions, include restoring sight to more than 70 cataract blind persons.
He said: “In the last one week, we have come home to take stock and gird our loins for the journey ahead with our demonstrated support. Even in doing this introspection, we are not resting on our oars in ensuring that our people are well catered for by the government they voted into power.
“We have rendered material assistance to various categories of individuals and groups in the course of the week-long activities.”
The lawmaker assured that his primary parliamentary duties at the National Assembly have continued to receive due attention, saying, “I have been very active at the committee level and I have generated motions and bills that are at various stages of legislative action.”
“As we set new standards in representative leadership, I crave your continued cooperation and support in our unfailing resolve to redirect our common destiny toward a more prosperous future”
In his remark, the Ohinoyi of Ebira land Dr Ado Ibrahim who is the chief host at the occasion, described the day as historic moment in the history of political development in the entire central senatorial district of the state.
The monarch pointed out that the federal constituencies in the district have produced representatives both at state and national levels, but none ever deemed it fit to empower the youth and women the way Tijani did.
The royal father therefore called on other political office holders and other representatives from the senatorial district to emulate the lawmaker, saying the young man had already set a pace for others to follow to enable in bringing democracy dividends to the people.
Also speaking, a Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) chieftain in the state, Alhaji Abubakar Yahaya Karaku said: “Tijani has vindicated me. When I brought him in 2011 to contest for the exulted position, there was a serious resistance from the people on the ground that he will not remember his constituency, but today he has proved wrong all the doubting Thomases.”
A visibly elated Karaku said: “Our paramount ruler, Dr. Ado Ibrahim can attest to the fact that Hon Tijani has stood tall among all the representatives produced by this constituency since 1999 to date.
“This is a clear indication that what we are practicing is nothing other than politics of unity, love and progress which is the legacy left behind for us by our political icons of blessed memories Late Alhaji A.T Ahmed and Alhaji Obatemi Usman.”
Karaku therefore called on the people to continue nurturing the peace in the area, stressing that without peace and unity, there can never be meaningful development.
He charged the electorates to give their unalloyed support to the legislator to enable him deliver more dividends of democracy to his constituents.
One of the beneficiaries of the scheme, Jamiu Ozigi, while appreciating the gesture in an interview with our correspondent, said as a trained tailor of three years standing, but lacked the take-off capital.
Ozigi who was full of praises to the lawmaker for the sewing machine given to him, said he can now rent a shop , settle down and practice his trade. He urged other beneficiaries to make judicious use of the support offered by the lawmaker to improve their standard of living. With this, Tijani seems to hanve made a mark in his constituency. But there is need to still raise the bar higher, considering the plethora of challenges on ground. Nevertheless, the lawmaker has demonstrated how an interaction between the representative and a people can yield the right result.
