08/06/2026
How to make Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency work again
By Dele Omosehin
It is an irrefutable fact of nature that Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency is blessed beyond measure. We are blessed with fertile agricultural land, industrious people, vast oil palm plantations, rich bitumen deposits, a strategic coastal location, and one of the most resilient populations in Nigeria.
Yet, despite these enormous advantages, many of our communities are still grappling with poor infrastructure, youth unemployment, inadequate healthcare, and limited economic opportunities.
The question before us is simple: Why should a constituency so richly endowed continue to lag?
The answer is not that our people lack talent. It is not because our communities lack potential. It is because we have not maximised the opportunities available to us through effective representation, strategic planning, and purposeful leadership.
I am convinced that Okitipupa/Irele can work again. More importantly, I know how to make it happen.
The first step is to redefine representation. A member of the House of Representatives must be more than a lawmaker. He must be a bridge between the people and the opportunities available at the federal level. Representation must be measured not by speeches but by results that directly improve constituents' lives.
Our constituency needs a representative who will aggressively attract federal projects, intervention programmes, and private-sector investments. We cannot continue to watch other constituencies secure critical infrastructure while ours waits endlessly for development.
Agriculture must become the cornerstone of our economic revival. Okitipupa and Irele are naturally suited for large-scale cultivation of oil palm, cocoa, cassava, rubber, and other cash crops. Agriculture remains the backbone of the local economy, yet many farmers lack access to modern equipment, financing, processing facilities, and profitable markets.
As your representative, I will champion federal programmes that support farmers, establish cooperative financing schemes, and facilitate the development of agro-processing industries that add value to our agricultural products. Our goal must be to create wealth within our communities, rather than exporting raw products and importing poverty.
Youth empowerment must also move beyond empty sloganeering and hot rhetoric. The greatest resource of Okitipupa/Irele is not bitumen or oil palm, it is our young people. Every year, thousands of talented graduates and skilled youths struggle to find meaningful employment. This situation is unacceptable.
I envision a constituency where young people have access to vocational training, digital skills acquisition, entrepreneurship support, and employment opportunities. We must leverage federal agencies, intervention funds, and private-sector partnerships to equip our youths for the economy of the future.
Education remains another critical pillar. We are fortunate to host the prestigious Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, yet many students from our constituency still face barriers to quality education. There is also the privately-owned University of Fortune, Igbotako, founded by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim.
I will advocate scholarships, educational grants, ICT centres, and improved learning facilities across our communities. We must ensure that every child, regardless of family background, has the opportunity to succeed.
Healthcare must receive urgent attention. Access to quality healthcare should not be a privilege reserved for a few. Communities across Okitipupa and Irele deserve functional primary healthcare centres, better medical equipment, and improved healthcare services.
Federal health interventions must be tracked and monitored to ensure that projects announced are actually delivered and benefit the people.
Infrastructure development will remain a priority. Good roads stimulate commerce. Reliable electricity encourages investment. Clean water improves public health. These are not luxuries; they are necessities for development.
For too long, many communities in our constituency have suffered from inadequate infrastructure. As your representative, I will work closely with relevant federal agencies to facilitate road rehabilitation, rural electrification projects, water schemes, and digital connectivity initiatives that will unlock economic growth.
Beyond attracting projects, accountability will be at the centre of my representation. Constituents deserve to know how public resources are utilised. They deserve regular engagement with their representative. They deserve transparency.
I will establish a culture of periodic constituency briefings, stakeholder consultations, and open communication. Representation should not begin and end during elections.
Furthermore, we must harness our natural resources responsibly. Irele and Okitipupa sit within Nigeria's rich bitumen belt, yet many local communities have seen little benefit from these resources. Evidence suggests that resource wealth has not translated into improved living standards for many residents.
This must change.
I will advocate policies that ensure host communities benefit from resource-based development through employment opportunities, environmental protection, community projects, and local economic participation.
My vision is simple but ambitious: a constituency where farmers prosper, youths are employed, businesses thrive, roads are motorable, schools are functional, healthcare is accessible, and government works for the people.
The task before us is not impossible. Other constituencies have transformed themselves through visionary leadership and effective representation. Okitipupa/Irele can do the same.
The 2027 election presents us with a historic opportunity to choose progress over stagnation, service over politics, and results over rhetoric.
Together, we can build a constituency that works for everyone.
Together, we can restore hope.
Together, we can make Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency work again.
This version focuses on development, jobs, agriculture, infrastructure, education, healthcare, and accountability while grounding the argument in publicly documented realities of Okitipupa and Irele. It is persuasive without making unverifiable claims and is suitable for publication in newspapers, campaign materials, or online platforms.
Dele Omosehin is the Lisa of Osooro and the presumed winner of the APC House of Representatives ticket for Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency.