Kogi group reassures Ododo on Karimi’s welfarist initiatives

Richard Elesho/Kogi

A socio-political group, the Movement for the Emancipation of Kogi State, MEKSTA has explained the reason behind the extension of social intervention schemes sponsored by Kogiwest Senator Sunday Karimi beyond his zone to other parts of the state.

The roup said this while assuring that the gesture by the senator was purely humanitarian, compassionate, and never out of any expansionist considerations in a statement signed by its leaders from the nine federal constituencies in the state.

According to the group, the gestures were meant to close the lapses created by the state government’s failure to keep its commitments on free education and general welfare to the citizenry.

MEKSTA was reacting to alleged complaints by Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo who was said to have questioned why the Tinubu/ Karimi Support Group, an initiative of the Senator captured students from the East and Central Senatorial Zones in its N300 million students loan program.

The governor was also said to be unhappy that Karimi facilitated the distribution of food items to the needy beyond Kogi west to beneficiaries in the other zones.

According to the group, the governor reportedly spoke his mind at the weekend when he received a delegation from Yagbaland who came to thank him for the reappointment of an indigenes of the area, Luqman Usman Adedayo, as part-time Chairman of the Kogi State Pensions Board. The delegation was led by Chief Henry Oluseyi Omotosho, a businessman and Hon Bode Kayode, Chief of Staff to Hon Leke Abejide, Member Representing Yagba federal constituency in the House of Representatives.

The group recalled that whereas Karimi’s inaugural bursary scheme for students in 2025 was specifically consigned to Kogi West, Karimi, in the spirit of the Renewed Hope mantra of President Bola Tinubu, expanded the scope of the 2026 edition to spread across the three senatorial zones in the state. The statement reads in part:

“MEKSTA notes that whereas the Ododo administration has repeatedly promoted to defray the costs of the West African School Certificate Examinations, (WASCE), and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Examination, (JME), for senior secondary school students in Kogi State, it has always failed to fulfil its promise. This has left thousands of students and their parents disappointed and despairing. While not in competition with anyone, Senator Karimi, out of sheer compassion and humanitarianism, availed support of the sum of N100,000 each, to 3000 students across the 21 local government areas of Kogi State, under the auspices of the Tinubu-Karimi Support Group. This will enable beneficiaries pay their school fees and examination requirements.

“MEKSTA notes a recent attempt to set the traditionally peaceful home community of Senator Karimi against itself, when it chose to align with a group of renegade royalties from the community, who have been de-recognised by the paramount ruler of Egbe, Oba Ayodele Irukera. Over 5000 youths from the community staged a peaceful protest to condemn the meddlesomeness of the Kogi State Government in the local affairs of their home. Recognised chiefs from Egbe were subsequently arrested, tried by a magistrate court and detained on frivolous grounds of “public incitement and terrorism.” They were released upon the intervention of well-meaning leaders who vouched for their character and the esteem with which they are regarded in the community.

“MEKSTA notes that Senator Karimi is driven by uncommon love for humanity. This aligns with the person and vision of President Tinubu who is striving, despite the odds, to impact on Nigerians in various ways. Karimi has not transformed himself into a contemporary Kogi State kingmaker like Habibat Oyiza Tijjani Onumoko, the accountant-general of Kogi State, who is reportedly screening aspirants for Kogi East Senate, ahead of the forthcoming primaries. A photograph which has been trending on the social media in the past few days, shows former Kogi State gubernatorial aspirant, Joseph Ameh Erico, kneeling before Onumoko, ostensibly seeking her blessings. That is how bizarre the politics of Kogi State has become.

“Senator Sunday Karimi, MEKSTA affirms, remains fully committed to the service of his constituents in Kogi West. During the recent Easter break, he spent five days in a stretch with his people in Kogi West. Within the period, he visited his people and stakeholders across the zone, and equally received guests from across his district and beyond. With a little over a year on his subsisting mandate, Senator Karimi maintains focus on impacting his people as much as he possibly can. He’s in round-the-clock touch with his people and harbours absolutely no expansionist intentions, except a large heart to contribute his quota to the wellbeing of humanity.”