[OPINION] Beyond phone calls, what has Shagaya done?
By Shehu Suleiman Kayode
The title of my article has been the question I have been asking myself since Ilorin West/Asa constituents took to social media, saying they have been receiving phone calls from Honourable Muktar Tolani Shagaya’s team.
As we all know, this is an election period, and opinions will always differ; some for, some against. But beyond the calls, supporters’ cheers, and opposition’s empty braggadocio, the man Shagaya, my boss, has been anything but; he’s never found wanting in discharging his duties.
What can a dislodged party do other than resort to propaganda to score cheap political points? And how long can that last?
It is quite worrisome to see an opposition that has long become a thing of the past in Kwara State as a result of its abuse of power, maltreatment of citizens and its I-don’t-care attitude to governance, because to them power was a birthright; now doing everything traceable to fallacies and propaganda to attract public sympathy and interest. This is the same party the people stood up in unison to vote out of office, yet they have refused to learn.
But our people are wise. They can see from the present administration’s work what true service to the people means, and they will not fall for the opposition’s lies.
Recently, constituents have been receiving courtesy calls sponsored by admirers of the Honourable. It is a welcome idea and is appreciated by the people who can see the unmatched impact of Shagaya on the constituency, ranging from educational interventions, health outreaches, employment opportunities, empowerment programmes, relief support, scholarships, road construction, and legislative contributions. These are verifiable, trackable records in the public domain for everyone to see, and with or without the calls, the people will continue to applaud the Honourable for them. Constituents who are direct beneficiaries of the visible good works of the best-performing Representative, Hon. Muktar Tolani Shagaya, the member representing Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency, are saying kudos to him for bringing dividends of democracy to them.
However, this genuine courtesy has been twisted by agents of propaganda from the other camp. These are people with political myopia who are doing everything possible to reclaim the power they once had but grossly abused because they saw themselves as lords with unquestionable might. They now falsely act as though they mean well for our constituency, but their lies became obvious when they chose to act blind to the work that even the physically impaired people can feel by Hon. Muktar Tolani Shagaya.
How does it sound for someone from Ilorin West Local Government, out of sheer shamelessness, to say there is no project by Hon. Muktar Tolani Shagaya? This is the same Ilorin West where three notable roads were reconstructed in Oju-Ekun/Zarumi Ward, Adewole Ward and Magaji Ngeri Ward, including the Agbooba link to Ojatuntun road, the Gaa-Odota link to Muslim Pilgrimage road in Warrah/Osin/Egbejila Ward, and the 1.2km road from Okelele Secondary School Junction to Adabiyyah Secondary School Junction in Abayawo community. This is the same Ilorin West where schools like Government Day Secondary School Odokun got an enviable touch through the construction of ten blocks of classrooms with modern toilets, a hall and streetlights, where a block of six classrooms with furniture was constructed at Alore Junior Secondary School, where new blocks of classrooms with solar power and furniture were facilitated at Mosigba/Okekere Junior Secondary School and Oloje Community Secondary School, where blocks of two classrooms with offices and furniture were renovated at Pakata LGEA Primary School in Oke-Ebo, Gerewu Community LGEA Primary School, Gaa-Odota LGEA Primary School and Eruda LGEA Primary School, and where classrooms were provided at Ansarul Islam Primary and Secondary School, Okekere.
It is also the same Ilorin West where Hon. Shagaya facilitated Digital Nigeria Computer Centres in Government Secondary School Alapa in Asa, Ansarul Islam LGEA Primary School, LGEA Primary School Pakata, Adabiyyah Senior Secondary School and Oju-Ekun Sarumi LGEA Primary School, paid JAMB and WAEC fees for selected students, distributed writing and reading materials to students, touched the Oju-Ekun Basic Health Centre and donated solar power systems to it, held medical outreaches for constituents in phase one in 2024 and phase two in 2026, facilitated the installation of thirteen units of solar-powered streetlights, provided solar-powered boreholes with overhead tanks and VIP toilets at Apalara Adeta LGEA Primary School, Elesinla community in Ajikobi and Sebutu compound in Oju-Ekun/Sarumi, distributed solar fans, home solar-powered panels and systems, trained and empowered women and youth in fish farming and soap making, trained and empowered hairdressers, distributed one thousand sacks of fertilizer to smallholder farmers across Ilorin West and Asa, empowered constituents with subsidized tricycles known as Keke Irorun, provided monthly medical and financial support, gave cash relief empowerment and relief materials to flood victims, and proposed the Federal College of Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition in Ilorin West.
These are only some of his footprints in Ilorin West, where desperate opposition elements claim nothing has been done by Hon. Muktar Tolani Shagaya. There are also a whole lot of his projects in Asa Local Government that are visible to all. Unfortunately, they think the people have forgotten that they gave nothing to the constituency while they were in charge, and that a Representative under their administration converted constituency projects into personal property for himself and his family.
Our people are not fools. They know who is for them, who truly serves them, and they will not only come out massively to vote for Shagaya again; they will also stand to reject all the fallacies of the opposition, because no matter how long propaganda and lies fly, truth will always rise to dislodge them.
Hon. Muktar Tolani Shagaya is a man who is genuinely committed to serving his constituency and its constituents, and he has been showing this since his emergence. He pledged to serve, has remained committed to it, and will never stop. Let us not give room to lies from an opposition that has nothing to show other than propaganda, because it is only another way for them to have access to our treasury to live large again while leaving our constituency in a sorry and horrible state.
Shagaya is the man for the job. You can all see what he has done as a first-timer; now imagine what more will come when he remains in charge of our affairs. He is a leader who cares, listens, and acts for the collective good of our constituency, and the opposition, without clarity beyond propaganda, should be rejected. Shagaya Leekan Si. APC is the only party here that means well for us; let us say no to a past that nearly buried us alive.
Shehu Suleiman Kayode is the Special Assistant on Media to Hon. Muktar Tolani Shagaya, Member representing Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency.
SHAFIHI ABDULRASHEED is a communication strategist and media professional with expertise in public relations, strategic communication, and crisis management. A graduate of the University of Ilorin with a degree in Sociology and currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Peace and Security Studies, Shafihi holds the professional credential of Associate, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (ANIPR). His career spans media relations, perception management, policy communication, and organizational leadership. He possesses over a decade of experience working with government, non-profit organizations, and private sector clients on matters of strategic communication and public engagement.
