As constituents, we must always assess the bond of social contract between us and our representatives sent either to The National or State Assembly. We are motivated by goings on around us to turn our attention to Ondo South Senatorial District — a region with immense potentials yet one that appears to be facing Senatorial leadership deficit in Abuja.
Needless to say this discourse is warranted by the concern of this writer, who is from Ondo South and whose ancestral place of birth is Igbolomi in Ilajeland, the coastal swathe of land which contributes greatly to the national revenue based on the natural resources Providence has provided beneath the Ilaje earth crust. Definitely, I am proud to be from Ondo South and should be unbiased about the input of leaders we have sent to represent us.
At the center of this Leadership cum representative concern is no other person than Senator Jimoh Ibrahim,CFR, multiple holders of Phd degrees obtained from studies abroad, cerebral and current representative of Ondo South Senatorial District in the Nigerian Senate. While his academic credentials are notable, enviable and praise worthy, concerns are growing about his effectiveness in translating the deluge of knowledge he possesses into tangible outcomes for his constituents.
Elementary understanding of quality representation, the type he campaigned for across Ondo South which made him win the Senate seat , should mean presence, advocacy, and results — particularly in terms of infrastructure, youth empowerment, and federal inclusion. But after two years in office, there are growing concerns that Senator Ibrahim has fallen short of these expectations, sadly so because he represents an academic paradigm shift in the caliber of Senators that have been chosen by the good people of Ondo South to legislate on their behalf at the Senate.
Rather than channeling influence to attract federal presence or real time development projects beyond tokenism to Ondo South, the senator is said to have prioritized self-promotion on the global stage — leaving his district with limited federal engagement and little to show in terms of major senatorial projects.
One example drawing public criticism will suffice : rather than advocating for federal employment opportunities for qualified youths from Ondo South, the senator reportedly distributes ₦50,000 stipends to a select few every four months. That’s ₦12,500 a month — barely enough for a single meal a day. Critics warned that this approach is unsustainable and does little to prepare the next generation for leadership in federal institutions.We as concerned youths of Ondo South who know the leadership capacity of our Senator and his leverage as a billionaire business mogul and politician stand to be corrected that this tokenism from our Senator is an intentional approach to underdevelop the youths and tying them permanently to the apron string of ‘ The Lord of the Manor’ in the district.
Let us take a look at another veneer of the Policy posturing of our Ondo South Senator which he tagged ‘the Aseyori Card’ , a phenomenon he claimed will become the almighty social security symbol for the constituents which he stressed will be the automated card that will grant the holders across Ondo South access to all the good things of life such as fund , provisions and groceries that will be railroaded to the districts in trucks and lorry loads at quarterly intervals all through his tenure of Senatorial representation at The Senate.In barely two years, it has become unfortunately obvious that Senator Jimoh Ibrahim’s much-touted “Kaadi Aseyori” which he claimed was inspired by insights from his PhD research, has so far proven to be little more than an elaborate performance piece — long on academic posturing, short on practical value. For the people of Ondo South, its impact has been negligible, if not entirely absent, raising questions about whether the initiative was ever designed for their benefit or simply crafted as a political smokescreen. In the style of hollow intellectualism masquerading as policy, the senator’s approach feels less like leadership and more like calculated distraction — a reminder that sometimes, the loudest claims mask the thinnest results. It’s high time the district looked outside this echo chamber — perhaps, as some say, to the “alien’s stable” where results, not rhetoric, lead the charge.
And in a broader perspective — while other senators from the state are reportedly lobbying for critical infrastructure, like the expansion of the Akure-Ore expressway, Ondo South residents struggle to name a single major initiative tied to their representative. Comparisons are already being made with the input of active and caring heart senators like Senator Yayi from Ogun State or Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in Kogi, both of whom have taken bold steps to empower their constituencies beyond ‘ street light tokenism’ which all the 109 Senators have distributive patronage to.
Adding further controversy is the alleged attempt by Senator Ibrahim to discredit female colleagues — particularly Senator Natasha — rather than focus on collaboration and delivery.
Service delivery is not determined by academic credentials, and the case of Interior Minister Hon. Bunmi Tunji-Ojo makes that point unequivocally clear. Without flaunting a PhD and without bias to the fact that BTO is an equally brilliant young mind, he has delivered transformative leadership — digitizing a once analog ministry, streamlining operations, and earning widespread praise from Nigerians at home and abroad. His results-driven approach has not only surpassed his predecessors but set a new benchmark for public office. In sharp contrast, the distinguished senator representing Ondo South seems more preoccupied with academic bragging rights than measurable performance, offering little more than rhetoric while his district remains underservedly stagnant.
Leadership is not just about titles or credentials — it’s about results. And right now, Ondo South may be missing out on both.
With the 2027 elections drawing nearer, many are beginning to ask: is it time to look toward new, visionary leadership? The type that prioritizes people over profile, and performance over prestige?
We’ll be watching as time ticks as we hope our elected Senator ups the ante of representation beyond speeches which is a means to an end and not an end in itself.
This piece was contributed by Dayo Awotula
