…Urge lawmakers to build constituency offices and do more
By Idowu Adebomi, Ado Ekiti
A recent independent survey has exposed widespread dissatisfaction among residents of Ekiti Central over what has been described as the poor performance of their federal representatives in the House of Representatives.
The survey, jointly conducted by the Justice Development and Peace Initiative (JDPI) of the Catholic Diocese of Ekiti and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti State Council, specifically criticised Hon. Biodun Omoleye and Hon. Steve Fatoba for their lack of visibility, minimal community engagement, and absence of identifiable constituency projects.
Presenting the report on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti, JDPI Director Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Akingbade revealed that 200 residents were interviewed face-to-face, with responses analysed using Pivot Tables and interpreted through the Likert Scale.
The findings were damning: 99 percent of respondents said Hon. Omoleye was inaccessible, 94 percent claimed he had not engaged with constituents, and 83 percent said they were unaware of any project he had implemented.
Hon. Fatoba fared similarly. The report showed that 91 percent of respondents said he was inaccessible, 90 percent reported zero engagement, and 78.3 percent said they had no knowledge of any constituency project attributed to him.
Commenting on Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District and currently serves as Senate Leader, the survey offered a slightly better verdict, giving him an overall performance score of 66.7 percent. However, 79 percent of respondents said the senator was inaccessible, 72 percent said he had never explained government policy to constituents, and 53.2 percent were unaware of any projects linked to him.
The report also expressed concern about the mismanagement of empowerment materials, noting that many of the items failed to reach their intended beneficiaries, thus diminishing their intended community impact.
Rev. Akingbade called on all federal legislators representing Ekiti Central to establish constituency offices within their jurisdictions to foster accessibility and enable constituents to make meaningful and effective demands. A detailed breakdown of the findings shows that:
Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (MOB):
200 people were surveyed (54 percent women, 46 percent men). While 79 percent were aware of their senator, 84 percent did not know if he maintained a constituency office. Sixty-three percent said he had never held a town hall meeting, and 72 percent had never heard him explain a government policy. Only 53.2 percent knew of any constituency project he had undertaken.
Hon. Olusola Steve Fatoba (Ado/Irepodun-Ifelodun Federal Constituency I):
Of 85 respondents (60 percent women, 40 percent men), 91 percent did not know whether he had a constituency office, 78 percent were unaware of any town hall meetings, and 90 percent said he had never interacted with them on government policy. He scored a 3 out of 6 on overall performance.
Hon. Biodun Francis Omoleye (Ijero/Ekiti West/Efon Federal Constituency II):
115 persons participated (58 percent women, 42 percent men). Only 51 percent knew of their representative, and 99 percent were unaware of any constituency office. Ninety-seven percent said he had never held a town hall meeting, while 94 percent said he had never interacted with them about policy. His overall performance rating stood at 2 out of 6.
At the presentation, NUJ State Chairman Comrade Kayode Babatuyi emphasised that the report was not intended to discredit any lawmaker but to fulfil the media’s role in strengthening accountability.
“What we are doing today is essentially discharging our responsibility as the Fourth Estate of the Realm. This report serves to bridge the gap between the government and the governed and push our representatives to do better,” Babatuyi said.
Also speaking, the Oluyin of Iyin-Ekiti, Oba Adeola Ajakaye, called for more investigative journalism to expose failings in governance and compel office holders to act in the public interest.
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Ekiti State, Reverend Emmanuel Aribasoye, urged citizens to hold their leaders accountable, expressing the association’s willingness to collaborate with NUJ and JDPI on future studies.
Former NUJ Chairman Comrade Rotimi Ojomoyela also advocated for improved oversight to ensure that empowerment materials reach the intended beneficiaries.
