Babajimi Benson: Writing Ikorodu’s Tomorrow with the Ink of Service

The blueprint for a community’s future can sometimes be found in the cement of a new road or the glow of a solar-powered streetlight. In Ikorodu, these are the signatures of its representative.

Babajimi Benson has represented the Ikorodu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives since 2015. A lawyer and former UN legal officer, his approach blends legislative work with hyper-local intervention, all dressed in his strategy to faithfully address both policy and potholes.

The man’s local imprint is substantial. He has facilitated the construction of over 65 roads. He also launched the “Light Up Ikorodu” project, installing thousands of solar streetlights and providing solar home systems to 8,000 households. This focus on energy access is a key part of his development calculus, becoming a defining characteristic of his service to the people.

Beyond infrastructure, Benson’s iCare Foundation runs a monthly food bank. For over eight years, it has been serving thousands of vulnerable families. Not to mention, the man donated an 80-bed Mother and Child Hospital in Imota not too long ago. In other words, his heart is with the people, even in health-related matters.

Nationally, Benson’s legislative pedigree is notable. He chairs the powerful House Committee on Defence and has sponsored bills like the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act. He works on both macro-level security and micro-level welfare.

This dual-track method—high-level lawmaking and granular constituency projects defines the man’s ethos, even earning him accolades like “Representative of the Year” and the local moniker “Mr. Constituency Projects.”

For Benson, service is a verb with two objects: the nation and the neighbourhood. His tenure suggests a political theory where a lawmaker’s legacy is written not just in the statute books, but in the concrete and solar panels transforming his community’s daily life.