Jimoh Ibrahim Prepares For Ondo Guber Race

Be the first to know that Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (CFR) who is currently a serving Senator in Abuja would be running for Ondo governorship later this year. He wants to be the next Governor of Ondo State. And he is dead serious about it. He has started work already on his governorship project. And he has been working towards it since the beginning of 2023.

Truth be told, Jimoh Ibrahim is so popular in his state, because of his unconventional style. For instance, last September, he shocked so many when he appointed 100 SAs with immidiate payment of 300k each as their salaries, from day one!

The beneficiaries were given bank drafs on Wednesday 20th September, 2023 at University of Fortune, Igbotako. Within his short tenure as Senator, he has done a lot. And many say this is unprecedented in the annals of Ondo South senatorial district.

According to one political analyst, in Ondo State, no Senator has done this within 100 days in office since the return to democracy in 1999.

Shortly after he came in, he flagged off the rehabilitation and maintenance of roads like Igbotako 25.9KM (General Maintenance); Igbotako roundabout – Big Soul Hotel; Asphalt overlay and maintenance of 500 metres from Igbotako roundabout – Chief Paul Adeyekun’s house; road construction and Asphalt overlay at Odogun 36 metres and width of 7.5 metres; and inspection of installation of 410 solar lights for Ilutitun, Igbotako, Iju Oke, Iju-Odo, Oloto, Igodan-Lisa, Okitipupa, Erekiti-Luwoye, Araromi Obu, Abusoro and Agbetu.

Since he came in as Senator, he has pushed some Bills on the floor of the Senate.

This include (1) a Bill for the establishment of Bitumen Development Commission (BDC) by the Federal Government (2) Insurance Amendment Act of 2023 (3) Motion for urgent Federal Government attention for the good people of Ayetoro community in Ondo South.

He has also facilitated the payment of N200 million by the NDDC to the contractor handling the Light project at Ode-Erinje.

He keeps saying that his plan is to bring dividends of democracy for sustainable growth and development to his people without waiting for constituency allowance.

Recently, Igbekebo Leaders hailed him for sponsoring College of Education Bill.

Jimoh Ibrahim, the Senator for Ondo South, assumed office in June 2023 succeeding Nicholas Tofowomo.

At 56, he has done well for himself.

Next February, he will be 57. He has a long list of academi degrees. He has an LLB/MBA from OAU, LLM/IT from Harvard University and DBA from Cambridge University. He was awarded a professional Business Doctorate by Cambridge University in July 2022.

He has contested for Ondo governorship a couple of times since 2003 when Jimoh Ibrahim mounted an unsuccessful bid to become the governor of Ondo State, on the ticket of ANPP.

He was involved in the last general elections. He was the National Deputy Director Finance of the APC Presidential Campaign Council PCC.

He is very close to Pres. Tinubu and he is one of those who funded his presidential campaign.

He was elected with wide voting margins, winning in all the 6 local government areas of Odigbo, Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo, Irele, Okitipupa, Ese-Odo and Ilaje, on the platform of APC. And since he took Oath of office alongside 108 other members of the 10th Senate, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, has become unarguably, the most active and vibrant Senator at the moment.

In demonstration of his capacity to bring fresh and scientific innovations and paradigm shift to people’s representation at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly, the well lettered Technocrat and business mogul had hit the ground running with unprecedented landmark achievements in his six months as a Senator. One of his major remarkable project is tailored towards well educated youths from the Southern Senatorial District of Ondo State, as his bills for the establishment of a Federal College of Education, Igbekebo, Federal Polytechnics, Igbokoda and Federal College of Agriculture, Araromi-Obu; all within the Ondo South Senatorial District of Ondo State.

His own personal effort to make Igbotako a University community is at an advanced stage with University of Fortune, Igbotako, almost ready to takeoff, with deep leadership training programme with the main purpose of roadmapping and upgrading prospective students knowledge base towards effective leadership, enhancement and globalisation of educational qualifications with world best rated Universities and citadel of learning, such as University of London, Oxford University and University of Cambridge, all in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, CFR who recently bagged a PhD in Business from University of Cambridge, with Masters degrees from both Oxford and Harvard Universities, noted that his recent educational attainment globally has catapulted him to the world elite, class and a player in global stages of Education and business exposure; a development that has already pushed his involvement in politics to the second position.

But for his undying love for the Youths and his locality, as a A Local Boy’ from Igbotako in Okitipupa Local Government area of Ondo State, he decided to go to the Senate in 2023 to use the instrument of Government at the central to bring succour to his people, by helping to find solutions to fundamental problems and challenges.

For instance, Ondo South Senatorial District has been disconnected from the National Electricity Grid for almost 2 decades without any concrete solution in sight; Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, believes that only a declaration of State of Emergency on Power in the South by the Senate can bring a permanent solution to the power outage, and not the fire bridge approach of the past as promised by politicians and the likes.

He swiftly took to the aide of the contractor handling the Erinje step-down power transmission project by facilitating N200 millions payment from the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, the Project financier.

Dr. Jimoh, a billionaire business mogul whose published Ph.D thesis in University of Cambridge was on Abandoned Megaprojects (Nigeria as case study) noted that about 11, 886 megaprojects with over one trillion dollar contracts sum, spread across Nigeria have been abandoned and many all of the projects without a completion date at sight. Such as; Ajaokuta Steels Rolling, Sure-P, Second Niger Bridge and Lagos- Ibadan Expreeway.

He said the reason why only an emergency proclamation on Power outage in the 4 local government areas of Ondo South can solve the Electricity problem, was that the power challenge has become a megaproject that even the Federal Government cannot solve without been declared a state of emergency through a Legislative Bill that will require intervention funding and not fund from the annual budget.

According to him, only the Federal Government can march such huge funds required for a megaproject like fixing the Ondo South electricity problem through Parliamentary Act of declaration of a State of Emergency. The Senator, an unrelenting and strong advocate of quality education, advised youths to make maximum use of the internet to access world-class Universities and redo their first degrees to globalise their certificates in order to play effectively in global job markets to enable them get life changing, well paid employments with reputable international organisations, including United Nations (UN) and its international agencies across the world.

Jimoh Ibrahim warned that the local degrees gotten from Nigerian Universities are no longer enough for them to play in the very competitive intellectual and educational advanced global job market with ample opportunity to rapidly expand and enhance applicant’s life and transform the total well-being of his or her immediate family members to global citizens.

To be at the top of their games, such as education, marriage, business and finance, Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, CFR who is the Sole Visitor of the world class University of Fortune, Igbotako campaigns for intensive knowledge impacting leadership among the Youths and to always thrive to be the ‘Red Fish’ in the ocean of life, which could be achieved by engaging in strategic realignment of life challenges to reach to the very top.

As a leading player in the legislative business of the 10th Senate, Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, is currently a member, Vice Chairman and Chairman of 14 Standing Committees of the Godswill Akpabio led Nigeria Senate.

He was appointed Chairman of Senate Committee on Interpaliamentary Worldwide. He is also an active member of the Approbation Committee that is currently working on the 2024 Budget of Renewed Hope presented to the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Not minding the huge workload of the Senate, Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim is also engaging seriously in Ondo State politics as a leading leader whose interests are on fixing the State and getting resolution to the crisis that engulfed the state since the ill-health of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

As another governorship race begins, the workaholic Senator has seen the need to extend his political tentacles and leadership prowess across the 18 council areas of the State, Dr.Jimoh Ibrahim CFR, is already leading the pack of qualified and most prominent aspirants of the All Progressive Congress, APC in the State.

The Senator had started his Gubernatorial Consultation Tour from Ondo Central Senatorial District, made up of Akure South, Akure North, Ifedore, Idanre, Ondo West and Ondo East, on 18th of December, 2023.

From Ondo Central, Senator Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, CFR has already enjoyed the endorsement of former Senator Omotayo Donald Alasoadura, who is also a former Minister of Niger Delta and former Ondo State Commissioner of Finance; Dr. Olumiyiwa Adu, Cubana; and Hon. Mayokun Lawson Alade, the immediate past member of House of Representatives for Akure North and Akure South Federal Constituency, and others notable leaders.

The reason for this radical support is predicated to be borne out from the quality and impactful representation of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, in the 10th Assembly to people of Ondo South and the willingness of people of Ondo State to elect a governor who can think outside the box and make the State a pride in the comity of states in Nigeria.

Many believe Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, is the only aspirant so far, in APC that possess the intellectual capacity, mental magnitude, business acumen, national and international connections and academic qualifications to prosper Ondo State to economic prosperity and rapid growth and development of our dreams.

The youths have been spreading the news about the leadership qualities, strategy and innovative skills of Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, CFR to their peers and the generality of Ondo State citizens, as the state prepares for another governorship election in November 2024.

As his success story in both local and international business, Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, CFR has an edge over and above his opponents at the poll as a bold and well read Law Graduate from the foremost Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife. Masters degree from both Universities of Oxford and Harvard and doctorate degree in Business from University of Cambridge, with many executive programmes completed from Oxford University.

He singlehandedly used his private resources to build a world-class citadel of learning, comprises of a secondary school and full fledge University of Fortune UFI, Igbotako. He delibrately sited the University in Igbotako, his hometown to attract massive development to the locals, instead of highbrow cities where he can quickly recrop his investments.