OPINION:Reflections on Senator Saliu Mustapha’s One Year in Office
By AbdurRaheem Sa’ad Dembo
Primarily, legislating for the common good and progress of our nation is the responsibility of the National Assembly, and every conscious lawmaker would always be preoccupied with practicable measures to meeting up with such responsibility in relation to the needs of his/her constituency. Indeed, Senator Mustapha has not failed in this regard.
In the last one year after his assumption of office as a Senator representing Kwara Central at the 10th Senate, Turaki of Ilorin has proved an incontestable point by living up to expectations. He has shown in every capacity that he is up to the task. He is currently among the senators who have sponsored the highest numbers of bills at the floor of the house. The 8 bills he has advocated for and sponsored are as follows:
– Electronic Transaction Bill, 2023 (SB 94)
– National Food Reserve Agency (Establishment) Bill, 2023 (SB 139)
– Donkey Slaughter Regulation & Export Certificate Bill, 2023 (SB 209)
– National Agricultural Land Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023 (SB 225)
– Cassava Flour (Mandatory Inclusion into Flour Production) Bill, 2023 (SB 254)
– Integrated Rural Development Agency (Establishment) Bill, 2024 (SB 342)
– Nigerian Economic Diversification Bill, 2024 (SB 371)
– Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (SB 464)
He is apparently not a “siddonlook” Senator, having demonstrated full grasp of legislative inclination. One should not be astonished of his performance, because he is one politician who combines the game with philanthropy and having understood the effect of the ravaging inflation in the country, Senator Mustapha has been consistently reaching out to his people.
The Turaki of Ilorin has provided motorised boreholes, there by providing portable water supply for the constituents. He has also provided solar- powered infrastructure to lighten up both rural and urban communities in Kwara Central. Senator Mustapha has also supported indigent students in Kwara Central through WAEC, NECO and JAMB scholarships. About 2000 students benefitted from the scheme in the last one year. It is on record that such philanthropic measures had been in place prior his emergence as a senator.
Significantly, to address food inflation and hardship in Kwara Central, Mustapha has also distributed grains and other edibles to constituents to ameliorate the effects of inflation.
To ensure bumper harvest and food sufficiency in Kwara Central Senatorial District, he recently flagged off the distribution of 3,500 high-quality bags of fertilizers to genuine farmers in Kwara Central. During the flagg-off ceremony recently held in Ilorin, Senator Mustapha asserted that the program was aimed to support farmers across all the four LGAs in Kwara Central in terms of boosting yields and promoting food security for our communities. He also explained that in order to demonstrate alignment with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, he had decided to support the farmers with fertilizers and pumping machines.
Furthermore, Senator Mustapha also affirmed that he would use his position as Senate Committee Chairman on Agriculture and Rural Development to further support farmers and secure funding to complete abandoned federal projects in Kwara Central. Meanwhile, he has facilitated the construction and rehabilitation of various roads in Kwara Central, as well as employment opportunities for some constituents.
It is, therefore, not an exaggeration if one establishes that Senator Mustapha is indeed doing it differently, hence reflecting his slogan of “doing it differently”. To Senator Mustapha, it is a continuous exercise as the opportunity keeps availing itself.
The security of our environment in the LGs is imperative, hence he donated a patrol vehicle for community policing in Ibagun Ward to complement the effort of the State Government to secure lives and property.
Most importantly, the first one year of the distinguished Senator Saliu Mustapha has been impressive and that should give one a clue of what good that would come to Kwara Central in subsequent years.
On a closing note, this is what one can say based on empirical evidence about his performance in the last one year. Meanwhile, there are certainly hidden ones, evident from his generosity, which only Senator Mustapha can reveal. We pray Allah guides him to do more for the good people of Kwara Central and humanity at large.
