Less than 100 days to the 2027 elections, Ekundayo Ajayi-Femi is making his case for a seat in the House of Representatives for Kosofe Federal Constituency. A civil engineer, real estate developer and entrepreneur, Ajayi-Femi is entering elective politics with a message centred on practical representation, accountability and development. His campaign priorities include infrastructure and sustainable community development, youth empowerment and economic opportunities, and education and human capital development. In this interview with ONYEDIKA AGBEDO, he speaks about his decision to move from the private sector into politics, what he believes effective representation should look like, the issues he considers most urgent in Kosofe, and the kind of leadership he hopes to offer.

You have spent most of your career in engineering, real estate and entrepreneurship. Why make the move into politics now?

For me, it comes from a growing conviction that the experience and skills I have built over the years can be put to wider use. Engineering teaches you to think about problems in practical terms. You have to understand what is wrong, work within real constraints, plan properly and follow through. Entrepreneurship also teaches you responsibility because decisions have consequences for people, projects and businesses.

Over time, I began to think more seriously about how those experiences could translate into public service. I have seen what happens when development is properly planned and what happens when it is not. At this stage of my life, I believe I can contribute beyond the private sector.

That is really what is driving this decision. I want to bring a practical and development-focused mindset into representation and ensure that the concerns of people in Kosofe are properly articulated and pursued.
This is your first bid for elective office. Why should voters trust someone without previous experience in government?

I understand that question, and I think voters are right to ask it. Public office requires experience, but leadership experience does not begin only when someone enters government. I have spent my professional life managing projects, working with people, taking responsibility for decisions and operating in environments where you are expected to deliver.

What matters to me is whether the skills you bring are relevant to the responsibility you are seeking. I am also not approaching public service with the assumption that I know everything. Leadership requires the humility to listen, work with people who understand the issues and build partnerships where necessary. I believe there is value in bringing fresh professional experience into public service, especially when it is accompanied by discipline, integrity and openness.
Why Kosofe? What is it about the constituency that has convinced you that this is where you should seek public office?

Kosofe is a constituency with enormous human and economic potential. You have young people who are ambitious, businesses working hard to grow, families trying to build stable lives and communities that are continuing to expand. At the same time, there are real pressures around infrastructure, employment, education and access to opportunity.

Those realities are important to me because they are closely connected to the areas where I have spent much of my professional life. What I want is to bring that experience into service, while working closely with residents, community leaders, businesses and other stakeholders. I do not believe anyone can represent a constituency effectively from a distance. You have to listen consistently, understand what people are experiencing and keep those concerns at the centre of the work.

You have said representation in Kosofe needs to become more accessible and accountable. What exactly do you think is missing today?

I think people should have a much clearer relationship with the person who represents them. Representation should involve regular engagement. Constituents should know what issues their representative is pursuing, what progress has been made, what challenges exist and where their intervention is required.

For me, accountability also means being honest about what the office can and cannot do. It is easy to make promises. The harder task is to explain the process, follow issues through and report back to the people. I want representation to be judged by practical outcomes and responsiveness rather than how visible a politician is or how often people hear speeches. That relationship between representative and constituent should be active throughout the term, not only when another election is approaching.

Infrastructure is one of the central themes of your campaign. What do you believe a federal lawmaker can realistically do about roads, drainage and public infrastructure in Kosofe?

The first thing is to be realistic about the role of a legislator. A member of the House of Representatives does not become the executive authority responsible for every road or drainage project in the constituency.

However, representation gives you an important platform for advocacy, legislation, oversight, budget engagement and collaboration with the relevant levels of government and agencies. That is where I believe the work has to be serious.

You need to understand which interventions fall under federal responsibility, where state or local government involvement is required, and how to build the partnerships needed to move issues forward.

My engineering background gives me a particular interest in planning, execution and maintenance. Infrastructure should respond to actual community needs, and there should be stronger attention to quality and sustainability rather than simply announcing projects.

Youth unemployment is a major problem across Nigeria, but you have also identified women empowerment, education and health as important priorities. How would these translate into a practical agenda for Kosofe?

I see these issues as connected because they all affect the quality of life and opportunities available to people.
For young people and women, my focus is on skills, entrepreneurship, employment pathways and stronger access to economic opportunities. On education, we need to strengthen the link between learning and the realities of the economy, so people leave school with practical skills and the ability to create value.

Health is equally important. As a federal legislator, I would advocate for stronger interventions, support relevant budgetary and legislative efforts, and work with the appropriate agencies and levels of government to improve access to quality healthcare. The role of representation is to keep these issues on the agenda, build the right partnerships and use the available legislative and oversight tools to move them forward.

Education is another priority you have identified. What do you think needs to change in the way we currently prepare young people for the future?

We need to strengthen the connection between education, skills and the economy. Education remains fundamental, but young people should leave school with more than certificates. They need the ability to solve problems, communicate, use technology, think critically and create value. That means giving greater attention to vocational and technical education, digital skills, entrepreneurship and partnerships between schools, businesses and professional organisations.

Government cannot achieve everything alone. There is a lot the private sector and educational institutions can contribute when the right partnerships exist. My interest is in ensuring that education opens doors rather than leaving young people qualified on paper but disconnected from opportunity.

Nigerian politics is often criticised for being driven by promises that are forgotten once elections are over. How would you want people to hold you accountable if you are elected?

By what I say I will do and what I actually pursue. I believe credibility starts with being careful about the commitments you make. One of the reasons I have been deliberate about my professional record is that I do not want figures or achievements attributed to me unless they can be verified. I want the same standard to apply in politics.

If elected, people should be able to see what issues I have raised, what interventions I have pursued, what progress has been made and where there have been challenges. There should be regular communication with constituents, and that communication should include difficult conversations when necessary. Accountability becomes meaningful when people have enough information to judge your performance for themselves.

You describe yourself as young, solutions-driven and progress-oriented. How do you ensure those ideas do not become another set of campaign slogans?

By attaching them to actual behaviour. Being solutions-driven means you do the work required to understand a problem before proposing an answer. Being people-focused means you listen even when what people are saying is uncomfortable. Being progress-oriented means you should be able to point to movement and outcomes over time.

Those principles have to show up in how the campaign behaves and, eventually, in how the office is run.

I also think people are increasingly sophisticated about political messaging. You cannot sustain credibility on slogans alone. The substance has to catch up with the language very quickly.

Finally, if you had to tell the people of Kosofe what you want your candidacy to represent, what would you say?

I want it to represent possibility, competence and service. I want young people to see that there is room for professionals and people from different backgrounds to step forward and contribute to public life. I want residents to feel that representation can be accessible and that their concerns deserve to be taken seriously. And I want people to know that my approach will always be grounded in facts, practical thinking and respect for the people I am seeking to serve.

There is a great deal of potential in Kosofe. My ambition is to contribute to unlocking more of it through purposeful, accountable and people-centred representation. That is the commitment I am bringing to this race.