A public affairs analyst, Hameed Mustapha Ramadan, has faulted an article by one Shuaib Azeez which claimed that the Senator representing Oyo Central Senatorial District, Dr. Yunus Akintunde, has little or nothing to show for his three years in the National Assembly.
In a response titled “Go Back Home and Get Acquainted With the Happenings,” Ramadan said while Azeez raised a legitimate question on what constituents should expect from lawmakers, his attempt to use the Senator’s recent intervention for a female mechanic, popularly known as Cargirl, as proof of non-performance does not reflect reality on ground.
He advised the writer to return home and get acquainted with happenings in Oyo Central before carrying out another assessment of the Senator’s representation, arguing that supporting a young artisan with tools is not a substitute for legislation but also not an evidence of abandoning legislative duties.
Ramadan said the real question should be what Senator Akintunde has done beyond the individual gesture, noting that the answer is in the public record and in the communities across the 11 local government areas of the district.
On legislation, he listed the Federal University of Education (Special), Oyo Bill, sponsored by the Senator to upgrade the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, to a university for special-needs education, and the Federal University of Geomatics, Oyo Bill, which was listed for second reading in March 2025.
He said it was ironic that the original article called for attention to technical and vocational education when the Senator has already been engaging with education and skills development, adding that sponsoring a bill may not automatically become law but it invalidates the claim of “little or nothing” in legislation.
On infrastructure, Ramadan cited the 17-kilometre Ayegun-Oleyo federal road project, which he said was facilitated by Senator Akintunde and has progressed to asphalt-laying stage, alongside the Ojongbodu road in Oyo, noting that residents of Ayegun, Oleyo, Egbejoda, Odo-Ona and adjoining communities are witnesses to the project.
He also disclosed that in September 2026, work commenced on 23 schools across the 11 LGAs of Oyo Central, with two schools per LGA and an additional one in Atiba, aside from other interventions in water, solar streetlights, health facilities and markets.
Ramadan argued that the Senator cannot be judged as a governor, as his constitutional responsibilities are legislation, representation and oversight, while physical projects depend on federal budgets and MDAs, a distinction he said the writer overlooked.
He questioned why the Cargirl intervention was singled out for a sweeping assessment, stressing that helping a female Nigerian mechanic struggling with inadequate tools to earn a living was not presented as a solution to Nigeria’s technical education crisis nor as the totality of the Senator’s work.
According to him, Oyo Central’s needs are enormous and cannot be solved in one tenure nor fairly assessed from behind a keyboard without visiting communities, adding that fair criticism must examine the bills, roads, schools, water, lighting, health and employment facilitation projects.
Ramadan however said criticism is healthy but must be fact-based, noting that Senator Akintunde has consistently anchored his representation on the mantra “Do More,” which is a commitment to continue work and not an admission that nothing has been done, adding that the Cargirl story is one page, not the whole book.
