Security support forms part of senator’s wider community engagement tour
By Yahaya Idris, Kogi
Senator Sunday Steve Karimi has donated an 18-seater bus and six motorcycles to the Okun Hunters Association and local vigilante groups as part of efforts to support community-level security operations in Kogi West.
The donation was made during the senator’s weekend tour of the district, which also featured meetings with youths and women, visits to traditional rulers and inspections of development projects.
The security intervention formed one of several initiatives highlighted during the tour, which covered infrastructure, education, water supply and economic empowerment.
Karimi said he would continue listening to constituents and supporting projects that respond to the needs of the people.
Support for community security
The bus and motorcycles are expected to improve mobility for the beneficiary groups as they carry out their duties.
Community-based security organisations often rely on operational transport to reach rural settlements and respond to reports. The effectiveness of the donation will depend on how the equipment is deployed, maintained and coordinated with the relevant security agencies.
The senator’s project summary also identified a Forward Operating Base at Egbe, Yagba West, among initiatives intended to address security challenges, including criminal activity across rural and border areas.
Education and youth development
Beyond security, Karimi used his meetings with young people and women to highlight education assistance and enterprise support.
The Sunday Steve Karimi Education Foundation and the Tinubu Support Group reportedly committed N700 million across three editions of a student support programme between 2024 and 2026.
The first edition provided N100 million for 1,000 students from Kogi West in 2024. In 2025, the programme was expanded to 3,000 students across Kogi State with a reported N300 million allocation.
Another N300 million edition was announced in August 2026.
The senator has also supported the development of computer-based examination centres, including a 288-seat solar-powered facility at Titcombe College, Egbe, which reportedly hosted more than 1,200 JAMB candidates.
Further centres were listed for schools in Lokoja, Iyara and Odo-Ere, while a separate centre at ECWA Secondary School, Mopa, was reportedly funded personally by Karimi.
Roads, bridges and essential services
The senator’s weekend engagements also covered road rehabilitation and community infrastructure.
Projects cited in the supplied information include the Kabba-Egbe road rehabilitation, the Iluhagba-Mopa-Isanlu-Egbe federal road and reconstruction of the Pakuta Bridge following its collapse.
Karimi inspected erosion-control and drainage works in Ilafin and Ejuku, where flooding has been a concern for residents.
Other reported interventions include solar-powered boreholes, rehabilitated water facilities, transformers, solar streetlights, school rehabilitation and a cottage hospital at Edu-Kakanda, Lokoja.
The senator also reportedly supported women’s cooperatives through a N100 million revolving fund intended for 50 societies in Kabba-Bunu and Ijumu.
During the tour, he visited traditional rulers, including the Elejuku of Ejuku, the Oba of Ife-Olukotun, the Agbana of Isanlu and the Oba of Odoolu in Kabba.
He also attended a cultural celebration in Ayere and pledged support for the completion of the community’s palace project.
2027 elections in focus
Karimi’s tour comes as political parties and their supporters prepare for the 2027 general elections.
The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Senate Services and previously served two terms in the House of Representatives, has expressed support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC.