By Obawolu Isaac
*In the vast theatre of Nigerian politics, some men arrive with loud songs but leave with no footprints. Yet once in a generation, a different kind of leader emerges, not with a megaphone, but with a map… not with grammar, but with goals… not with manipulation, but with meaning.*
*Two years ago, Senator Olajide Ipinsagba was elected to represent Ondo North Senatorial District.* *And in these two years, he has not governed with mouth, but with muscle. Not with empty slogans, but with real structures, real service, and real stories.*
*They said he was quiet. They said he wasn’t* *flamboyant.But what they didn’t realize is that thunder doesn’t need to explain itself, it simply strikes.*
*IT BEGAN WITH A BILL AND A VISION*
*When Senator Ipinsagba first stood on the floor of the Senate, he didn’t stand just for himself. He stood for the market woman in Ikare, the student in Owo, the farmer in Oka, and the youth without connection in Ose. His first act? A bold Bill to establish an ICT University in Ikare-Akoko a dream that has now become a reality, passed into law.*
*In a world ruled by digital intelligence, Ipinsagba gave our sons and daughters a passport into the future. “Omo ti ko ba mo eko, a gbe eru egbe ni,” they say, a child without education becomes a carrier of others’ load.*
*HE CAME DOWN TO THE PEOPLE LITERALLY*
*Unlike many before him who disappeared into the red carpets of Abuja, Ipinsagba returned to his people. Not just during elections, but to sit, listen, and act. The very first Town Hall Meeting in the history of Ondo North was hosted under his watch, gathering farmers, artisans, students, traditional leaders, and women groups.*
*He didn’t shout in the Senate; he spoke in the language of results. “A ki fi oju ana ro oni,” you don’t judge today with the eyes of yesterday.*
*HE EMPOWERED THE HAND THAT LABOURS*
*Ipinsagba looked at the grassroots, and he saw no poverty, but potential. That’s why in his two years:*
*Three phases of agricultural empowerment were launched, giving farmers modern tools, seedlings, training, and grants.*
*Tailors were trained, then given sewing machines and cash, not to clap for him, but to sew their way out of poverty.*
*Over 1000 students received scholarships. Another 1000+ got free JAMB forms.*
*Women and youths were trained in Catering, Digital Marketing, and ICT, and were handed free laptops, start-up funds, and hope.*
*He facilitated employment opportunities and secured Niger Delta Regional Development training slots for Ondo North sons and daughters.*
*He even extended hands to those in diaspora by sponsoring Overseas Scholarships for deserving indigenes.*
*What he practiced was not charity; it was redistributive justice, an economic principle in action. As Amartya Sen wrote, “Development is freedom,” and freedom is what he gave.*
*HE BUILT, REBUILT, AND ILLUMINATED*
*If you walked through the villages of Ondo North before now, darkness was a familiar companion. But no more.*
*Transformers have been installed in Owo, Ikare, and Isua, And in Ogbagi, a firm promise has been made, a transformer will be delivered. Not in noise, but in due course, as with all his commitments.*
*Solar lights now shine in remote communities, and even the Senate Building of AAUA now runs on solar.*
*Industrial boreholes quench thirst in Okeagbe, Afo, Ikare, and Owo.*
*Modern toilets now stand at the Ikare Police Area Command.*
*He constructed 28 shops in Oka Akoko.*
*Built a 1.5km road in Oka.*
*Renovated schools in Ikare, Owo, Amuye, Ose, and Irun Akoko.”*
*Donated hospital equipment to State Specialist Hospital Ikare and FMC Annex, Supare.*
*Delivered materials to Special Schools for Physically Challenged (Ikare) and the Visually Impaired (Owo).*
*Supplied hostel materials to Technical School, Oka Akoko.*
*Donated classroom and staff offices to Ilemopo Comprehensive High School.*
*Facilitated relief support for victims of rainstorms.*
*Renovated the Onisua Palace (ongoing).*
*And in a gesture of cultural and administrative excellence, he commenced the construction of Civic Centres in Ikare, Okeagbe, and Okia, Oka Akoko, while laying plans for Owo Civic Centre, Arigidi Civic Centre, and Oja Oba Shopping Complex in Ikare.*
*This is not an ordinary man. This is a developer, a planner, a doer. We lift the mortar of progress with many hands. But it takes a visionary to bring the hands together.*
*THE HEALER WHO CAME WITH COMPASSION*
*The senator understood what Thomas Hobbes called the “natural pains of existence”, hunger, illness, suffering. So he didn’t just sit in Abuja; he delivered two full phases of medical outreach, with:*
*Free surgeries*
*Eye treatments*
*Eyeglasses*
*Community-wide consultations across all six LGAs.*
*He supported the Owo Security Summit, distributed medical tools, and brought dignity to the vulnerable.*
*AND THEN, THE WHISPERS STARTED*
*Of course, when a man works too well, envy will stir. Some say, “We don’t see him.”*
*Others say, “He’s not talking enough.”*
*A few even dream aloud “Let’s take his seat.”*
*But democracy is not theatre. It is not powered by volume; it is powered by value.*
*To those who seek to unseat him, one* *question must be asked: “Are you coming to perform, or to perform drama?”*
*Ipinsagba is not a dancer on campaign trucks. He is a planner, a provider, a performer.*
*And you don’t sack a man who’s still building the house.*
*”A kii fi epo pọn ni l’aare, ka d’obe kuuro l’ale,” we don’t abandon the soup after gathering ingredients and cooking all day.*
*His work is not over. And the people, yes, the people who know better will need him again.*
*THE VERDICT IS IN THE VILLAGES*
*Go to Owo, and ask the tailors.*
*Go to Oka, and ask the farmers.*
*Go to Ikare, and ask the students.*
*Go to Okeagbe, and ask the elders.*
*Go to Ose,and ask Market women.
*They will tell you: “This man did not promise us heaven; he brought us help.”
This is not just a senator. This is a statesman, living out of Plato’s ideal of philosopher-kings, those who rule not for personal gain, but for public good.
AND THE STORY IS STILL UNFOLDING
Projects are ongoing. Blueprints are in motion. Vision is alive. And Ondo North knows, the baton must not fall into reckless hands.
For in Senator Olajide Ipinsagba, Ondo North did not just elect a man it discovered a method.
And so we say to those who doubt him:
“A tiger does not proclaim its tigritude. It pounces.”
Let the critics go silent. Let the dreamers take note. Let the voters remember.
This is the man. These are the works. And this is the legacy.
