Get Guardian on GoogleBy Mohammed Akingbolu
From the construction of roads and modern markets to the provision of healthcare facilities, educational infrastructure, agricultural equipment and thousands of solar-powered streetlights, the Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, is leaving development footprints across Ekiti Central Senatorial District.
The district, comprising Ado, Efon, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ijero and Ekiti West local councils, has witnessed massive people-oriented projects and programmes through Bamidele who has pursued a broad constituency development agenda covering education, healthcare, agriculture, road infrastructure, sports, commerce and community empowerment.
His activities also extend beyond the constituency. As Senate Leader, he has become an influential figure in the management of the 10th National Assembly, where his ability to build bridges across political divides and manage disagreements has earned him the reputation of a stabilising force.
The most significant of Bamidele’s interventions in the education sector is the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin-Ekiti. For Bamidele, an indigene of the community, the institution represents more than another federal university; it is an opportunity to bring higher education, research, employment and economic activities closer to his people.
Bamidele sponsored the bill for the establishment of the university, which was passed by the Senate in October 2023 before President Bola Tinubu assented to it on February 20, 2025.
The institution’s establishment marked a major milestone for Iyin-Ekiti and the state, creating new opportunities for young people seeking university education and opening up prospects for investment and development around the host community.
His involvement did not end with the passage of the bill. In March 2026, he pledged N1 billion to support research development at the university, to be released in annual instalments of N200 million over five years.
He also donated more than N31 million and food items to support pioneer students during the university’s first matriculation ceremony for the 2025/2026 academic session. Each of the 1,564 matriculating students was given N20,000.
The senator has further outlined plans for additional academic facilities and a medical complex incorporating an intensive care unit, diagnostic centre, eye-care centre, dental-care centre and kidney and dialysis facilities.
If implemented as planned, these investments could strengthen the university’s academic and research capacity as well as create opportunities for specialised training and healthcare development.
Beyond the federal university, education has featured prominently in Bamidele’s constituency development agenda. One of his notable interventions is the renovation of Government Science College, Iyin-Ekiti.
The project covered the boys’ hostel, administrative and classroom blocks, girls’ hostel, dining hall and kitchen. A bus was also donated to the school to improve transportation and support its operations.
At Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Bamidele’s imprints are visible. His interventions included construction of internal roads and first-class hostels for medical student. Other facilities at the university were the second phase of male and female hostels, a modern stadium and an FM radio station project.
Healthcare, another critical aspect of human development, has also received attention. Projects associated with Bamidele’s constituency interventions include intensive care and amenity centres in communities such as Aramoko-Ekiti and Iyin-Ekiti.
He has also participated in medical outreach programmes designed to bring healthcare services closer to residents. In April 2026, a free medical outreach was organised in collaboration with Governor Biodun Oyebanji and other lawmakers.
The exercise offered free medical consultations, diagnostic services, medicines and eyeglasses, while patients requiring further attention were referred to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.
For residents who may not have the financial means to access regular medical services, such intervention provided an opportunity to receive free consultations and treatment without the burden of immediate medical expenses.
In a state where agriculture remains a major source of livelihood, Bamidele has also extended his interventions to farmers in Ekiti Central Senatorial district. His agricultural interventions have included the distribution of farm equipment, agricultural inputs and other items intended to improve productivity and reduce the difficulties faced by farmers.
As part of his 2024 empowerment programme, the senator supported farmers with 10 diesel-powered tractors, power tillers, corn seeders, cassava-grinding machines and organic liquid fertiliser.
Other items distributed under the broader empowerment programme included motorcycles and equipment intended to support farmers’ movement to their farms and settlements.
In May 2025, he also provided 10 power tillers and 100 cartons of liquid fertiliser to farmers across the district, according to reports on the initiative.
The interventions were designed to support cultivation, improve access to farm settlements and assist farmers in carrying out time-consuming agricultural operations.
Beyond the provision of equipment, Bamidele’s empowerment programmes have targeted small businesses and individuals seeking to improve their livelihoods.
During the Mega empowerment programme in 2024, over 5,000 constituents were given lifeline with 1,900 beneficiaries receiving grants of N100,000 each. Others received sewing machines, chest freezers, motorcycles, tricycles and minibuses to support their businesses and economic activities.
Road infrastructure is another major component of Bamidele’s constituency development efforts. His interventions have included construction of over 80 kilometres of township roads in Ijero, Iyin and Efon, as well as the Iyin-Ilawe road, to improve connectivity, ease transportation and boost economic activities across the communities.
Sports infrastructure has also featured prominently in Bamidele’s development agenda. The Senate Leader has facilitated construction of 11 mini stadia in communities across Ekiti Central district, with the projects intended to promote youth development, sporting activities and community engagement.
The facilities span communities in the five local councils, including Aramoko, Okemesi, Ijero, Efon and other locations. He also facilitated the construction of a modern stadium at Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, to promote sports development and provide students with facilities for sporting activities.
In the area of commerce, Bamidele facilitated the construction of the Oja Oba Ultra-Modern Market in Igede-Ekiti, alongside the modern market in Aramoko and market projects in Iyin-Ekiti. The facilities are designed to provide traders with better business environments, boost commercial activities and strengthen the local economy.
Bamidele has also installed more than 6,000 solar-powered streetlights across communities in Ekiti Central as part of efforts to improve public lighting and enhance security. The installations, spread across towns and neighbourhoods in the senatorial district, are expected to make roads and public spaces safer and more accessible at night.
The intervention is also aimed at supporting commercial activities, particularly around markets, business centres and other public places where traders and residents often require adequate lighting beyond daylight hours.
In a further demonstration of his commitment to community development, Bamidele has provided coaster buses to traditional rulers across the senatorial district to ease their movement and enable them to discharge their traditional and community responsibilities more effectively.
The intervention is aimed at strengthening the relationship between elected representatives and traditional institutions, whose roles remain vital in maintaining peace, promoting cultural values and mobilising grassroots support for development initiatives.
•Akingbolu, the immediate past President of the Law Students’ Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN), UniAbuja) wrote from Aramoko-Ekiti.
The senator has also extended transport support to organised labour and professional groups through the provision of 18-seater Hiace buses to trade unions and associations, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), among others.
While his constituency projects and interventions have continued to attract attention and applause from the people of Ekiti Central, Bamidele’s influence extends beyond the development of his senatorial district.
As Senate Leader, he is regarded as one of the stabilising forces in the 10th Senate. His ability to build relationships across party lines, listen to opposing views and manage disagreements has strengthened his standing among colleagues.
His influence is not restricted to members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He is respected by senators across political affiliations and is considered a lawmaker who has the ears of his colleagues.
When disagreements arise during legislative proceedings, Bamidele is often called upon to intervene and help parties reach common ground before disputes escalate. His approach is anchored on dialogue and persuasion, with the objective of resolving disputes before they develop into crises capable of disrupting the business of the Senate.
His understanding of parliamentary procedures, legislative traditions and the nuances of lawmaking has been central to this role. Rather than allow disagreements to disrupt legislative business, he has consistently relied on dialogue, consultation and consensus-building to maintain institutional cohesion.
His approach to consensus-building is shaped by years of experience in politics, public administration and legislative practice.
Bamidele cut his political teeth under President Bola Tinubu when the latter was governor of Lagos State. Between 2000 and 2003, he served as Senior Special Assistant on Political and Intergovernmental Relations to the Lagos State governor. He was subsequently appointed Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development from 2003 to 2007.
He later served as Commissioner for Information and Strategy under Governor Babatunde Fashola between 2007 and 2011.
His election to the House of Representatives and subsequent emergence as a senator in 2019 further broadened his legislative experience. His appointment as Senate Leader in July 2023 placed him in a position where his political and parliamentary experience could be deployed in managing the affairs of the upper chamber.
Having served in both the executive and legislative arms of government, Bamidele understands demands of governance, the complexities of political negotiations and the need to accommodate divergent interests.
This experience has shaped his consensus-building approach in the Senate and his commitment to ensuring that legislative influence translates into meaningful development for his constituents.
