By Yinka Adepelu
Political representation is not simply about holding a title, a senator is elected to give a constituency a powerful voice in Abuja, to legislate effectively and to ensure that the needs of ordinary people are heard and addressed. Most especially a person rising to the position of Senator must be able to link constituents with opportunities for jobs both in the government and private sectors. Senators write recommendations for constituents for opportunities as part of their daily role. They empower constituents and also provide to them through the salaries and emoluments which are by no means penurious by any standard. They are expected to give back and that is part of why their compensation is as wholesome as it is. By all that is mentioned above, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu has failed to provide Ogun Central with the quality of representation it deserves.
Salisu was elected in 2023 to represent Ogun Central, covering Abeokuta North, Abeokuta South, Ewekoro, Ifo, Obafemi-Owode and Odeda. He had served as Deputy Chief of Staff to one Governor who sacked him and as Chief of Staff to another Governor.
Representation Must Be Felt by Ordinary People
Recent political analysis has raised questions about his grassroots engagement and the distribution of constituency interventions across Ogun Central. Those concerns should not be dismissed. A senator representing such a senatorial district having historically and currently some of the most renowned names in Nigeria’s political, entrepreneurial and social life, would expect a Senator that is able to stand toe to toe with some of the best and the brightest in the country. Instead, the presentation is a man, no one in the constituency knows and those who meet him can barely remember him. Has no character or personality to speak off.
To compound matters, for four years he never carried out a constituency tour or even have meetings in his constituency office with constituents. No one has felt his impact as a Senator and there is not one person he empowered to greater economical standing or in any form whatsoever.
Digital Projects Cannot Replace the Full Responsibilities of a Senator
Salisu’s claim to fame is promoting digital education and distributing solar panels, but Ogun Central’s needs go far beyond digital literacy. Many constituents are concerned about economic hardship, infrastructure, education, healthcare and employment. A laptop presentation or a short-term training programme is not a substitute for a long-term strategy to tackle the deeper problems facing the constituency.
The question voters should ask is simple: What lasting changes will remain after the end of Salisu’s tenure? A handful of laptops and solar panels for a few individuals? How has he impacted lives in meaningful ways to make people move from point A to B?
True representation requires sustainable development, not just highly puny interventions that make no difference in their lives.
Accessibility and Accountability Matter
A senator that is only visible when election approaches is nothing to the people who voted for him. The people of Ogun Central have a right to ask for clear answers about what has been achieved, where constituency interventions have been located, how beneficiaries have been selected and what measurable impact these projects have had. These are not attacks on democracy. They are the very essence of democracy.
Ogun Central Deserves More
Salisu entered the Senate with only the connection within the Ogun State political establishment but no link to national politics that would enable him to liaise appropriately with others to bring benefits to the state. To assist constituents effectively a senator should be able to use his position to improve the lives of the people who sent him to Abuja by liaising with others across the country and the globe as needed. Does Salisu have this capacity and has he demonstrated it in 4 years?
The Verdict Should Belong to the People and most believe Ogun Central has not received the representation it deserves; the criticism is clear: a constituency of this importance needs more visible, more accountable and more broadly felt leadership. Salisu performed woefully in all areas.
For Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, his tenure is possibly the worst representation Ogun Central has ever had – in my humble opinion, due to his lack of charisma or gravitas to influence his peers or be taken seriously by any of them, hence his inability to bring any projects to his senatorial district and being like a servant to the other senators from the state.
Salisu spent the last four years at the Senate with absolutely nothing to show in terms of concrete community interventions. No local projects, no clout amongst his peers, often looking somewhat timid and out of place in all settings.
No one knows his name or can identify him readily as a sitting Senator representing a geographical area where we had the first newspaper in Nigeria, the first hospital in Nigeria, the first church, the first bridge built by a Nigerian, the first local government and the home of the first Nigerian chief justice and the first woman in Africa to drive a car.
Salisu is an epic failure and an anomaly never to be repeated. Only great people with immense pedigree should represent Ogun central senatorial district. Salisu is in the shadows of his peers, a shell of a human – only there at the beholden of people from other senatorial districts who see him as a stooge for their own use. Salisu brought disrepute to Ogun Central, he showed himself as a tool of the Governor and a colleague senator – unable to fight for his district or bring anything such as good roads, water, electricity or any basic amenities except to dish out a few laptops and solar lights.
Ogun Central houses the Egbas with all the noble subdivisions of Ake, Gbagura, Oke-Ona and the Owus. They are all proud peoples, with men and women of distinction who first welcomed Europeans as equals amongst them. To be presented by a nothing, a waste of space, is a shame that must end on January 16, 2027
. Adepelu writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State
