Gbenga Ashafa: Leadership Driven by Compassion

Power usually fades quietly in Nigerian politics: some former officeholders disappear; others reappear only during election seasons. Gbenga Ashafa chose a different rhythm: he kept showing up, even after the title left.

Ashafa represented Lagos East in the Senate from 2011 to 2019. Before that, he rose through the Lagos State civil service. After that, he led the Federal Housing Authority from 2020 to 2024. The offices changed. The constituency did not.

During his two Senate terms, records show over 96 verifiable constituency projects and direct empowerment of about 50,000 residents. These numbers matter because they describe scale. They also explain why his name still circulates in Ikorodu, Ibeju-Lekki, and Epe.

Schools benefited early. Classrooms went up at St. John Anglican Primary School in Imota. Oreyo Grammar School gained an ICT centre and a town hall. Energy and water followed with a 500 KVA transformer reaching Agbowa, and solar boreholes appeared in Itoikin. Meanwhile, economic support came weekly. At his Ikosi office, artisans received tools, and widows received capital. In 2013, he distributed over 800 bags of rice to petty traders. The gesture looked ordinary at the time, but it kept many small businesses alive during hard months.

His legislative interests stretched wider. As chair of the Senate Committee on Land Transport, Ashafa pushed reforms that helped revive Nigeria’s rail sector. Colleagues nicknamed him “The Rail Man.” He also championed the National Transport Commission Bill to regulate the sector.

After leaving the Senate, he did not retreat. Through the Gbenga Ashafa Trust Endowment, scholarships continued. Microfinance support reached ICT, health, and agriculture projects. In July 2025, he marked his 70th birthday with a free medical outreach in Somolu.

The man has also quietly paid hospital bills for indigent patients and spoken publicly for refugees and displaced persons. Even though these acts rarely trend, they endure locally.

In a political culture obsessed with office, Ashafa’s relevance rests elsewhere. His influence no longer depends on power but on memory. Constituents remember who stayed after the convoy left.