Profile
Michael Opeyemi Bamidele is the Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, in the 9th National Assembly, on the platform of All Progressives Congress. He was a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Ado Ekiti/ Irepodun-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, in the 7th National Assembly. Bamidele is a lawyer and human rights, activist.
Personal Life
He was born on 29th July, 1963, in Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State, to the Christian family of Sir Stephen Ogunjuyigbe and Madam Juliana Tinuola Bamidele. He is married to Mrs Oluyemisi Bamidele.
Education
| School | Qualification | Year |
| Franklin Pierce Law Center, University of New Hampshire Law School, New Hampshire, USA | LL.M Intellectual Property | 1996 |
| Nigerian Law School, Lagos State | BL (Bachelor of Laws) | 1992 |
| University of Benin, Edo State | LL.B (Hons) | 1990 |
| Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State | BA (Hons) Religious Studies | 1986 |
| Baptist Academy Secondary School, Obanikoro,Lagos State
Egba Owode Grammar School, Owode, Abeokuta, Ogun State |
Secondary School Certificate |
Work History
| Place | Position | Date |
| African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSSOC), Nigeria | Consultant and Facilitator | |
| 8th National Assembly of Nigeria | Legal Consultant to the House of Committee on the Review of the Nigerian Constitution | 2016 |
| Federal Inland Revenue Service, Abuja | External Solicitor | |
| Amicus Law Associates | President | |
| Greater Boston Legal Services, Boston, Massachusetts, USA | Attorney and Human Rights Expert on Nigeria | 1997-2000 |
| Opeyemi Bamidele & Associates, Nigeria | Principal Attorney and Head of Chambers | 1992 |
| National Association of Nigerian Students | National President | 1989 |
MOB
Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State
29th July, 1963
Ekiti State
All Progressives Congress
Christianity
House of Representatives Member, representing Ado Ekiti/ Irepodun-Ifelodun Federal Constituency (2011-2015)
Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Lagos State (2003-2007)
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State (2007 - 2011)
Senator, representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District (since 2019)
senatorbamidele.ekc@gmail.com
Political History
Bamidele’s political career began in June 1992, when he contested to represent the Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency of Lagos State, in the Federal House of Representatives. He ran under the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) but lost by a single vote. Thereafter, in October 1992, he was appointed as the Special Assistant on Legal Matters to Senator Bola Tinubu. He served in this capacity until November 1993 when General Abacha abruptly took over power.
In March 1993, Bamidele served as National Accreditation Officer at the SDP National Convention in Jos, Plateau State, where Moshood Abiola was elected as the party’s Presidential candidate. Following this, in July 2000, he was appointed the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Political and Intergovernmental Relations. In November 2000, Bamidele became the National Director of Publicity for the Alliance for Democracy (AD); he held this position until June 2003.
In July 2003, under the administration of Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he was appointed the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development. Due to his numerous achievements in this role, Bamidele was also appointed the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy by the administration of Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, between 2007 and 2011.
In April 2011, Bamidele was elected as a member of the House of Representatives to represent Ado Ekiti/ Irepodun-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Here, he served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, as well as the Chairman of the National Assembly Budget and Research Office.
Due to a disagreement with some of the leaders of the defunct ACN in Ekiti State, he defected from the party to Labour Party. Bamidele used this new platform to run for the governorship seat of Ekiti State in the June 2014 gubernatorial elections; he finished in third position.
In 2015, he held a press conference in Ekiti State to announce his move to the All Progressives Congress. In June 2016, Bamidele was appointed by the 8th National Assembly as a Legal Consultant to the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments.
In 2019, on the platform of All Progressives Congress, Bamidele was elected as the Senator representing the Ekiti Central Senatorial District in the 9th National Assembly. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
Bamidele aspired to contest in the Ekiti State 2022 gubernatorial elections, but he was not given the APC candidate ticket.
Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (CON)
Leadership Style/Philosophy
Awards & Honours
2021 Honorary Fellowship Award by the African School of Diplomacy and International Relations
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Nigeria
2005 World Leadership Award by Lagos State Government
Commander Of The Order Of The Niger (CON)
Project
Under his leadership as the Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development in Lagos State, the Lagos State Government was able to achieve the following:
- Completion of the long-abandoned Teslim Balogun stadium
- Establishment of youth recreation centres in several local governments and local council development areas of Lagos State
- Rehabilitation of skill acquisition centres for destitute and drug addicts in Tekunle Island
- Rehabilitation of vocational training centre for the disabled in Owusu, Ikorodu, Majidun, Isheri; the destitute camp in Oko-Baba, as well as the Children Transit Home, Idi-Araba, Mushin
- Resolution of 6,782 matrimonial cases through the Social Work Department of the ministry
- Resuscitation of grassroots sports like Principal’s cup, Primary School Games, All Secondary School Games, etc
- Registration and monitoring of private social welfare institutions and non-governmental organizations
- Stimulation of private sector participation in sports sponsorship
- Renovation of Onikan Stadium, which included the provision of a 500 KVA generator, regressing of the stadium pitch, provision of dressing rooms for teams and referees, etc
- Renovation of Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Rowe Park, Yaba
- Resuscitation of Lagos State Sports Festival and the inter-local government cames competition
Under his leadership as the Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State, the Lagos State Government was able to achieve the following:
- Launching of the Lagos State Television (LTV) frequency on DSTV, becoming the first state-owned television station to be launched on global satellite
- Upgrading of infrastructure at LTV, EKO FM, Radio Lagos and the State Printing Corporation
- Establishing of Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB) for effective and technology-driven documentation of state activities
- The reinvigoration of Alausa Alert, an in-house Newspaper of the ministry, disseminated statewide on a monthly statewide, to grassroots communities
- The Innovation of “Every100 Days Interactive Forum”, as a feedback mechanism between the State Government and the public, with the major stakeholders of governance in focus
- Revitalization of training workshops, seminars and linkage programmes for staff development
- Publication of contact phone numbers of members of the State Executive Council, Permanent Secretaries, Local Government Chairmen, Divisional Police Officers (D.P.O) and Area Commanders, etc. for prompt official responses to emergency situations in the State.
As a Senator, in 2021, Bamidele facilitated ₦11.52 million for 384 indigenes of Ekiti Central. The ₦11.52 million provided by the federal government as part of its Survival Fund initiative, benefited 384 Ekiti Central constituents, as Bamidele disbursed a sum of ₦30,000 to each of them.
