‘YOMI AYELESO reports that the recent mega empowerment of the Senate Leader and lawmaker representing Ekiti Central senatorial district, Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele to over 5,000 of his constituents, commissioning of modern market stalls, among other interventions, are expected to have short and long-term impacts on the economic growth and sustainable development of Ekiti State.
In the last few days, Ekiti State has been in the news for positive and impressive reasons courtesy of the senator representing the Central Senatorial District and leader of the Nigerian Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele following the series of events and interventions by the lawyer turned lawmaker in the state. On March 29, the senate president, Godswill Akpabio led other senate principal officers , over 20 senators and other important dignitaries to the 29th convocation ceremony of the Ekiti State University where the senate leader was decorated with an honorary Doctorate degree in law. At the event speakers including the senate president and the Ekiti State governor, Biodun Oyebanji spoke glowingly about the numerous impacts Senator Bamidele is making in the state and the country at large.
Earlier, the lawmaker had commissioned multi-million naira market stalls fully equipped with necessary amenities in Igede-Ekiti and Aramoko-Ekiti, both in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state and a state-of-the-art event centre for the Babamuboni Memorial Anglican Church, Iyin-Ekiti in memory of his late mother, Abiyamo Juliana Tinuola Bamidele.
Speaking, the Senate President, Senator Godswill who congratulated the senate leader for the honour by the university, described him as a star not only to the state but for the country.
Akpabio explained that Bamidele has contributed in no small measure to the stability of the senate and the country in supporting the administration of President Bola Tinubu in his renewed hope agenda for Nigeria. According to him, “Senator Bamidele, the leader of the Senate happens to be a star that the Ekiti people sent to the Senate as an Ambassador. As far back as 1992, he was the Senior Legislative Aide to the current President Bola Tinubu, and you can see why Ekiti is getting more federal universities and recently the president assented to a bill we passed for the establishment of the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences Iyin-Ekiti.
“President Tinubu is very proud of your son (Bamidele); I don’t need to say more and that is why despite all the difficulties, I have decided to be here to celebrate our leader and brother.”
On Thursday, April 3,2025, the senator held what has now become the talk of the town and reference points from people to other lawmakers in the country. It was an empowerment tagged, ‘Renewed Hope Mega Empowerment for Ekiti Central Senatorial District’ for no fewer than 5,000 residents. The events held at the iconic Ekiti Parapo Pavilion attracted personalities including the state governor, Biodun Oyebanji; his deputy Chief Monisade Afuye and top cabinet members, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye and other members of the House; the Director General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Charles Odii, Ewi of Ado, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, among other guests within and outside the state.
Though there have been series of empowerment events in the state and beyond, Bamidele’s latest interventions could be described as the mother of all empowerment considering the level of investments and resources committed to the equipment and materials distributed to the beneficiaries amounting to billions of naira. The beneficiaries include market women, artisans, farmers, students, among others. Unlike other interventions from lawmakers and government officials, the beneficiaries were picked devoid of political considerations, which was widely commended by stakeholders in the state. No fewer than 5,000 constituents across the five local government areas of the district were empowered with one caterpillar tractor, 10 diesel engine tractors, 536 sewing machines, 303 chest freezers while 1,900 others received a grant of N100,000 each to boost their various businesses.
Other empowerment items included 1,000 mathematical sets, 10,000 school bags, 1,000 calculators and 40,000 notebooks for students in public schools within senatorial districts. He also gave out 180 motorcycles, 165 tricycles and 20 mini buses to ease transportation within the senatorial district, in addition to 146 organic liquid fertilizers, 57 corn seeders and 10 engine tractors for farmers to boost food security in the state.
Aside from the materials distributed, the majority of the beneficiaries were exposed to training in their respective vocational skills for them to set up with funds and materials received in changing the stories of their lives economically and financially. Speaking at the event, Bamidele informed the people that he would remain committed to providing more dividends of democracy to them, revealing that the 2025 edition of the empowerment would soon be held. He said: “This is for 2024, and by the grace of God, we have a total of 1,900 people who will get a grant of N100,000 each paying directly to their accounts. This 1,900 people include eight hundred people who are market women from Ijero Local Government, Efon Local Government, Ekiti West Local Government, Ado Local Government and Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government. We also have students whose cheques are also ready to be collected. We also have traders who are also going to benefit from the various items, one hundred and eighty motorcycles, three hundred and thirty-three sewing machines, one hundred and sixty-five tricycles, we have over four hundred pepper and cassava grinding machines, we also have mouer and land tillers for our farmers.
“We have cutlasses and hoes just as we have tractors for big time farmers which would be handed over to them through their various cooperatives and farmers associations in Ekiti Central Senatorial District under the Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture in Ekiti State who knows the relevant stakeholders. We have a total of seven ambulances that will be given to various hospitals including the State Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, College of Health Technology, Ijero-Ekiti and the Intensive care Unit, Iyin-Ekiti and some other Institutions. We also have a total of twenty minibuses that will be given to relevant entrepreneurs and stakeholders.”
Stressing that the programme is simply part of the ways of giving back to the system, and in doing so, he thanked the Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji who he said has consistently provided him a conducive atmosphere to do his job not only in Ekiti State, but also at the federal level in the National Assembly.
The Senate Leader explained that the empowerment wasn’t done on the basis of political parties or religious affiliations, saying he went through various associations to get the lists of potential beneficiaries and that the items on display were not even up to half of what they would benefit.
In his remark, Governor Oyebanji lauded Senator Bamidele for being a worthy representative of his people, describing the empowerment as such that is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf. The governor revealed that Bamidele has distinguished himself as a worthy representative of the people with his constant interventions across major areas towards improving the lives and livelihood of the citizens. Oyebanji said: “What is happening here is what is possible when there’s unity among political leaders. I love the way and manner the beneficiaries were selected because these are people that need these items, so I don’t think anyone will go and sell it. I want to plead that you use it as a platform of wealth creation for yourself and your family. Senator Bamidele is delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of the state. He is a fit, proper and worthy representative of the people and not every lawmaker can do what he is doing for his people. That is what stands him out from others, God will soon compensate him.”
On his part, The DG of SMEDAN, Charles Odii noted that the empowerment followed a training programme for over 2,000 of the beneficiaries on their identified businesses. While calling on other lawmakers and political office holders in the country to emulate the senate leader, the DG said: “Imagine 2000 people employ two people each. That’s approximately four thousand people that are reducing from high rates of unemployment. What Senator Bamidele has done is the proper way to create jobs and eradicate poverty in the society, not just doing something that is not beneficial to the people.”
One of the beneficiaries, Mosunmola Oladipe, who lauded the intervention of the senator, said the equipment received and the N100,000 grant would, in no small measure, help in growing her business. According to her, “Let me say that this is the first time I will be benefitting from any empowerment and I will say this is the biggest I have seen or heard of. Senator Bamidele has done well and this is unprecedented. “I can say that with what I have received, I will be better for it in my hair stylist business and I will defeat poverty in my home.”
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