OYO CENTRAL: Aide Carpets Critics, Showcases Senator Akintunde’s “Excellent Scorecards”

Re: Ashiwaju Adegboyega Yekini on scorecards of elected lawmakers • Senator Yunus Akintunde’s excellent representation in perspectives: Kunle OLATUNJI

We received with mixed feelings of appreciation and somewhat concern, the analysis of Ashiwaju Adegboyega Yekini on the performance and scorecard of elected lawmakers and representatives from Oyo State in the last two years of the present administration.

Appreciation of his analysis in the interest of public expectations on accountability to the people as necessary and expected.

“Our concern” basically is about the accuracy of his position in absolute assessment, either being miserly with the truth and correct positioning of issues or with a sincere submission of limited facts available at his disposal or doubtfully through the usual deliberate mischievous intentions to undermine folks, a usual practice of unprofessional folks parading as analysts without taking time to put issues in proper perspectives based on facts and accuracy.

Not with any intention to outshine anyone or to be on the offensive or otherwise; kindly permit us to limit our comments to his position on Senator Yunus Akintunde, however, with a sincere appreciation of the excellent performances of his other two colleagues, Distinguished Senators and our All Progressives Congress Honourable Representatives featured in the analysis of Ashiwaju Adegboyega Yekini.

We will assume that Ashiwaju Adegboyega Yekini is sincerely not availed of the facts and reality of issues in perspectives and excuse his errors of submission .

Thankfully, we are glad that the analysis of fellow Ashiwaju Adegboyega Yekini only picked on Senator Yunus Akintunde on the issue of visibility and accessibility to the public and the constituents and not on quality representation in his primary function of lawmaking, though the said analysis clearly revealed that Adegboyega is probably not well informed about current issues of legislation at the National Assembly, as earlier pointed out.

• Several bills, including the conversion of two major institutions into university status, are to the credit of Senator Yunus Akintunde vis the Federal School of Surveys Oyo to the Federal University of Geomatics and the Federal College of Education Special also in Oyo to the Federal University of Special Education. Both very crucial and critical bills already have passed through second readings at the Senate, just awaiting third reading and public hearing for final presidential assent, among several other environmental and energy billing reform bills, also to Akintunde’s credit.

Also, it is fantastic that the analysis didn’t take Senator Akintunde up on impactful implementation of constituency empowerment programmes. With all due modesty, Dr Yunus Akintunde has surpassed the expectations of many people, including opposition and constituents of Oyo Central Senatorial District and the entire Oyo State people, in terms of quality and impactful, people-oriented constituency palliative and empowerment programmes.

Distinguished Senator Akintunde is currently one federal lawmaker who strongly believes in performance and impactful programmes beyond just public appearances without any significant performances to show for it, hence his commitment to ensure sustained synergy and partnership with various MDAs all over the various sectors on empowerment programmes, which are quite evident in the several impactful constituency empowerment programmes he has so far implemented and several others planned in the months ahead.

Just to mention a few of the various empowerment programmes and projects implemented by Senator Akintunde.

• He has done well over ten of such within the last two years simultaneously at different zones of Oyo Central Senatorial District, with well over fifty thousand artisan beneficiaries, including tailors, mechanics, farmers, plumbers, welders, ICT and telephone repairers, traders and households benefitting from financial empowerments.
• The recent 4,000 units of eco-friendly cooking stoves were distributed to families within the Senatorial District. This will address several health and environmental-related challenges among women and children handling cooking functions at homes.
• Solar-powered water borehole facilities per ward in 118 wards of the entire district
• Drainage and waterway repairs of bridges and roads in various communities of Oyo Central Senatorial District.
• A major 14km road construction worth over N14 billion naira captured within the 2024 budget at Ayegun Oleyo Road in Oluyole Local Government.
• MDG facilitated the reconstruction and rehabilitation of a hospital at Oyo West .
• Reconstruction of schools and construction of new blocks of classrooms in each local government within the district.
• Construction of ICT centres with adequate facilities at each zone of the Senatorial District

The next phase of projects for implementation already captured in the 2025 budget in the next few months includes mentioning just a few.

• Construction of at least a road with drainage per ward in the 118 wards within the Senatorial District
• Construction of at least one block of classrooms per ward in the entire 118 wards
• Construction of first-class modern markets in each of the four zones of the Senatorial District
• Agriculture empowerment programmes across the various local governments in the Senatorial District
• Several empowerment programmes with youths and women as direct beneficiaries, including work tools, equipment, training and adequate funding for artisans and traders.
• continuation of the rural electrification project providing an additional 10,000 units of solar-powered street lights, the highest of such all over Nigeria as a whole. He already distributed over 8,000 units of solar-powered street lights during the first phase of the Project Light up Oyo Central Senatorial District, for which he earned the sobriquet “Tanantanan Yunus”.

In the aspect of visibility and accessibility to the constituent, no doubt we can assure the constituents that he is quite accessible and available despite his very tight schedule at the Senate. In fact, it is difficult to believe that Senator Yunus is a first-time senator with the kind of quality representation, excellent relationship with colleagues, respect and confidence he commands among the top-ranking officers of the Senate, colleague senators and even members of the House of Representatives at the Green Chambers, and most especially his strong influence with the executive arm of government within the MDAs and various professional institutions.

A trusted ally and leader within the Party, Senator Yunus Akintunde’s influence and connection and strong networks are factors influencing his sterling performances as a distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing Oyo Central Senatorial District.

Without doubt, the people of Oyo Central Senatorial District have adjudged him as a performing senator so much that Senator Ayo Adeseun, also a former senator who represented the same Oyo Central Senatorial District in the past, at a function publicly commended his sterling performances and pronounced that he was proud to associate with him as his leader who has proudly performed beyond expectations more than his earlier predecessors, including himself, which to him is a pride as a leader fulfilling his prayers that whoever he breeds in his capacity as a leader should perform much better than himself.

What more should we commend him about regarding job creation and employment opportunities for several constituents in the Nigeria Police, where during a very tough selection process, an indigene of Oyo State from Oyo Central Senatorial District led national selection into the Police Service Commission, the FIRS, the Nigerian Fire Services, among others, with several such possible engagements in the months ahead?

However, the distinguished senator is aware of the concern of many folks on visibility and accessibility, as many constituents truly will love to connect with their leaders in various capacities. He already envisaged such a possible concern, which prompted him to engage grassroots-orientated notable political associates and strong professionals as members of his official team of special assistants (4 in number), liaison officers (22, two from each of the eleven local governments within the senatorial district), and community relations coordinators (CRCs, one per zone of the Ibadan outer city zone, Oyo zone and Ogbomosho zone).

Their functions basically are to represent him whenever occasion demands, provide feedback and carry out needs assessment within the various local governments, relating with critical stakeholders within the political landscape, religious groups, artisan groups, associations and neighbourhoods to guide him on his policy designs, policy formulation and action plans that will suit the demands of various communities with varying needs and demands.

These folk have provided the benefits of managing his various activities most times; however, with assurances that now that the government has stabilised and having established a very strong capacity to influence greater opportunities within the system for his people, more so in his oversight capacity as the newly appointed Chairman Senate House Committee on the South West Development Commission, no doubt his visibility and accessibility will improve in the months ahead.

Assuredly he is poised to really be referred to as “SENATOR DO MORE”. Permit me to assure you that “it is plentiful” is being expressed jocularly in local parlance in the months ahead when the issue of more dividends of democracy to the people becomes more paramount as we progress on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu, which he is strongly inclined to support as a critical stakeholder.

With sincere appreciation of the various stakeholders, constituents and well-wishers, we submit and confirm that Distinguished Senator Dr Yunus Akintunde is a very humble, sincere and genuinely committed personality, people friendly and quite easily accessible, though principled with a tough disposition, strongly averse to mischievous negativism or idyllic tendencies, yet willing to accommodate and appreciate intelligent engagement and positive disposition to discerning individuals.

In weeks ahead, we will make available more verifiable facts and pictures documenting historical and monumental achievements of Dr Yunus Akintunde, the distinguished senator representing Oyo Central Senatorial District.

Thank you and best regards.

Signed:

Kunle OLATUNJI
for: Media Team,
Senator Yunus Akintunde,
Oyo Central Senatorial District