My Convenant With My Employers, The Good People Of Ajaokuta Federal Constituency

By: Yunusa Yahaya (A Public Affairs Analyst)

In 2007, the man Rt. Honourable Lawal Muhammadu Idirisu’s interest was glued to the World of Business and Commerce. An astute businessman, his interests’ transverse manufacturing, Oil and Gas and Mining. His focus and desire was to improve the wellbeing of the good people of Ajaokuta Federal Constituency through his chosen path of Commerce and Industry.

This effort metamorphosed into the establishment of one of the biggest Ceramics Production facility in Ajaokuta his native home, Kogi Central and indeed Kogi State. This gave Rt. Honourable Lawal Muhammadu Idirisu a close and vintage view of the needs and challenges of his people at close range. The construction and development of this Factory brought Rt. Honourable Lawal Muhammadu Idirisu not only close to his people; he saw at first hand the challenges of youth unemployment and the underutilization of the skills of so many youths in the Ajaokuta Federal Constituency, especially with the challenges of the non-completion of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant.

It was therefore not surprising that in 2013 through 2014, elders, leaders and stakeholders within the Local Government decided to persuade him to join the political race of representation at the Green Hallow Chambers of the Federal House of Representatives.

The journey of Rt. Honourable Lawal Muhammadu Idirisu through the murky waters of Nigerian Political space which began with his victory at the 2015 national elections to the House of Representatives was not without the usual brutish and acrimonious challenges of Nigerian politics as his victory led to so many litigations that almost made his first experience like a night mare; as he spent the best part of the first four years in and out of court; however, he prevailed and served his term.

In 2019, he joined the race again and prevailed. Rt. Honourable Lawal Muhammadu Idirisu, a man full of humility, serious minded and shrewd in his ways like many leaders and businessmen look at politics as a window and avenue for service to his people. The establishment of the Ceramics Industries and other Companies within the Federal constituency to him is SERVICE to HUMANITY and the STATE; and so he sees politics.

To him therefore politics is an avenue to provide service to people with the underling belief that their dignity and humanity would be enhanced and respected. Like His Highness Sheikh Muhammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, leader of the United Arab Republic (Dubai) said in his Book “My Vision-Challenges in the Race for Excellence”…“With each new day in Africa, a gazelle wakes up knowing he must outrun the fastest lion or perish. At the same time, a lion stirs and stretches, knowing he must outrun the fastest gazelle or starve. It is no different for the human race.

Whether you consider yourself a gazelle or a lion, you simply have to run faster than others to survive. Life consists of a number of opportunities and great opportunities do not come knocking on people’s doors. Whoever wants such opportunities must grab them when they arise for his people and for himself. We have to be powerful, strong-willed, determined and willing to grasp such opportunities, so that we do not have to scavenge the leftovers of the lions….” 

Rt. Honourable Lawal Muhammadu Idirisu is a very firm believer of His Highness Sheikh Muhammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s philosophy and has remained consistent and strong willed about it ‘’The Almighty Allah gave us great endowment in this Federal Constituency and we have no reason to scavenge and starve’’, says Hon. Lawal. This philosophy accounts for what he stands for and propagated all through his effective and efficient representation at the National Assembly thus far. ‘’….

My representation is NOT a service to self but a covenant with you ALL my fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, elders, stakeholders and ALL the residents of the Ajaokuta Federal Constituency irrespective of tribe or religion, you are all my employers and I am your servant and partner in the race to win against hunger, starvation, unemployment and deprivation of rights and privileges as enshrined in the 1999 constitution as amended’’ he said.

OUR SCORE CARD

In the first four years it was distractions that saw the tenure of Rt. Honourable Lawal Muhammadu Idirisu, yet his belief in the philosophy of the gazelle and the lion, saw him deliver several constituency outreach/empowerments to the constituents. In the three (3) Districts of the constituency are Ajaokuta, Eganyi and Ebiya several constituents benefited from one form of empowerment or the other.

For instance between 2016 and 2019, Deep Freezers, Motor Cycles, Motorized Boreholes, construction of Classroom Blocks for Primary and Secondary Schools as well as facilitation of employments for our children with requisite qualifications in several federal government agencies were achieved.

Between 2020 and 2022 we again distributed over 40 Motor Bikes, over 10 Cars, trained 100 Youths in Computer Skills and gave them 100 Computer Laptops, 20 Generators, 10 Keke Napeps, over 50 Deep Freezers, 500 Sewing Machines to women across the Constituency, we also conducted skill acquisition training in soap and detergent making for 100 women.

Similarly in 2022, we engaged in a massive and robust rural infrastructure re-birth, as our interventions across the Federal Constituency and as at today, we have installed 6 number of 500-3kva Transformers in Ganaja, Raccaform Estate in the Steel Territory and 2 more are awaiting installation; we renovated a Library in Ajaokuta Staff Comprehensive Secondary School-II and equipped it, rehabilitation of Blocks of Classrooms in Ajaokuta Staff Comprehensive Secondary School-I, construction of two Blocks of Class Rooms at ISSSAN Secondary School Geregu Camp are on-going. 3-Block of Classrooms at Government Science Secondary School, Adogo; 3-Block of Classrooms and Examination Hall at Comprehensive High Secondary School, Eganyi; 2-Block of Classrooms at LGEA Primary School-3 at Ajaokuta Native Village as well as Classroom Chairs and Desks in several Primary Schools across the Local Government Area have been provided; Training/Out rich for Tailoring Skills acquisition for 40 indigenes, Motorized Boreholes were provided in Geregu Camp, SAE, JDP, PYN, Ajaokuta Native Town, Roger Round-About, African and Camp Housing Estates, .

Between 2017 and 2022, we have assisted parents to pay the WAEC Fees of over 500 Secondary School Students in the Constituency, an action designed to give relief to the less privileged in our Communities. Infrastructure raise the living conditions of people and that is why Rt. Hon. Lawal plunged himself into this critical sector. Today, the 5km Ohunene-Ajaokuta Native Village road is under rehabilitation, in fact it is currently being tarred and drainages provided, the Ramsy Petrol Junction-Geregu Village Road that was impacted by flood in 2022 is under rehabilitation with a portion already asphalted and a big storm-flood control drain culvert under construction, the Ikere-Police Barracks Road has been made motorable. The unique thing about our interventions here are the drainages being provided. In Ganaja Area, the Nyamayama Road has been made accessible and Solar Street Lights installed for the safety and comfort of the good people of the area.

We have intervened in basic Agriculture by empowering Women and Other Farming Groups with funds ranging from N200,000 to N600,000 for seedlings and farm implements especially those interested in the cultivation of Uugwu and Cassava. Rt. Honourable Lawal Muhammadu Idirisu has done so much but it appears people don’t know as what we hear appears to be negative….

“Yes you see publicity is one of the ingredients that lubricate politics in Nigeria; however, I believe that publicity should be constructive, sincere, verifiable, people oriented and not individualistic. I also have a belief that when you make yourself available for service, focus on it, the people you are working for know what you are doing for them”, he explained. For example, we have gone to some Villages in my constituency to provide service, but we were denied by some people who have chosen to play politics with the comfort and life of our people. These people lied to my constituents and even tried to physically prevent us from providing service to the people, but as God would have it the REAL people who are the beneficiaries of my interventions defended us and supported our resolve to serve them.

Our HUMILITY saw us through and truth prevailed over falsehood. That is what accounts for our massive constituency empowerments and interventions you see across the Ajaokuta Federal Constituency. With what we have been able to do and provide critical stakeholders in the Federal Constituency urged me to once again show interest in the upcoming 2023 elections and I have accepted as SERVICE is my goal and this time I am putting up myself for election into the House of Representatives under the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to continue to serve and bring civility, honour and development to the people of Ajaokuta Federal Constituency.

What manner of man is Rt. Hon. Lawal if we may ask? Mallama Sabdat Akaaba said of him, I have known Hon. Lawal since 2014. “Hon. Lawal is humble, simple, easily trusting and strong willed, but hates lies, deceit and laziness. He believes in taking responsibilities. I joined his team because I found out that he is not only detribalized, he is a man with lots of milk of human kindness. Sadly many people he invested in betrayed him and turned round to blackmail him with lies based on tribal sentiments. I am Ebira and I come from Ebiya District and I can humbly testify that Hon. Lawal’s tenure has shown capacity and delivered more physical and human capital development than most politicians that have represented us. Maybe that is why his detractors are using unethical and undemocratic means to run him down.

He prevailed on them twice and In-sha Allah he will prevail again.”

Comrade Abel Baba is a FIFA Badged Referee and a Teacher in the Ajaokuta Steel Company Staff School system and he enthused when asked of what he knows about the Rt. Honourable Lawal. “…Hon. Lawal? I don’t know where his energy and enthusiasm comes from, maybe from his decade of Boardroom experience in the world of business. I am an educationist and have been resident in Ajaokuta Steel Territory for over 30 years. I have seen several Political representations, there is none like him. His interventions in the physical development of Schools across the Ajaokuta Local Government Area flows from the heart. He encourages and supports initiatives especially those things that have direct bearing on the people, but sadly I have seen so many people who interact with him not on what their community would get but what they will personally get”.

Yunusa Yahaya is a Public Affairs Analyst

OUR PROJECTS OUR SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE