By Toba Jegede
As Nigerians mark two years in the life of the current 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria today; this piece takes an objective look at the journey so far, most importantly as it concerns the business of lawmaking which is the core mandate of any parliament in most advanced democracies of the world. Sitting in the middle of the day-to-day business of the Senate is an astute lawyer, the Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District and the Leader of the Senate, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele. An experienced parliamentarian with no fewer than ten years of legislative conducts and still counting, Bamidele’s laudable capacity in piloting lawmaking business in the red chambers inaugurated on June 13, 2023 and dubbed the “uncommon Senate” by the Senate President, His Excellency, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio is without doubt “uncommon”.
A new streak of this uncommon team player manifested on July 4, 2023, when he was announced the new Senate Majority Leader, as Bamidele didn’t waste time in cultivating support from other principal officers and his colleague senators irrespective of their political party boundaries. His sole aim is to serve Nigeria creditably, attend to all interests and engrave his name in the annals of history as a servant leader.
It beats imaginations of political watchers and commentators alike, the leadership dexterity inherent in this 61 years old lawmaker who boldly leads a Senate populated with former state governors, former ministers, former managing directors of banks and even captains of industries mainly those who had made their marks in various walks of life before coming to politics.
In his statutory responsibility of introducing and leading debates on Executive Bills, Bamidele is a pride to his legal profession and to every association he is affiliated with, being the current lawmaker with the highest number of bills. In his two years, notable among his key performance indexes were legislative initiatives which led to the passage of the passage of the Tax Reform Bills, 2024.
They included the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill, 2025; the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2025; the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill; and the Nigeria Tax Bill. Sponsored by the leader, the bills aimed at redefining Nigeria’s fiscal landscape and offer the prospect of enhanced revenue without overburdening taxpayers. Little wonder he revealed at a recent forum that the National Assembly met with the executive and key stakeholders about 39 times before the eventual passage of the bills.
In his exact words, the Iyin Ekiti-born lawyer also disclosed that, “Since the birth of the 10th Senate about two years ago, I have been discharging the duties of my office with modest records of accomplishment.
“One of such accomplishments is the timely passage of key legislations, particularly in the areas of fiscal reform and national security.
“By engaging my colleagues across all political divides, we have successfully passed laws aimed at creating an environment for economic competitiveness and positioning Nigeria for a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
“I am proud to say that many of these legislative initiatives are already making a difference in the daily lives of our citizens”.
Another crucial legislation was the passage of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (Establishment) Act, 2024, where he explained in his lead debate that the Act would guarantee the sustainability of the NSIP “as a valuable tool for poverty alleviation in Nigeria.”
Still counting, the Senate also passed the “Investments and Securities (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2024” and the “Nigeria Data Protection Act (Amendment) Act, 2023” to mandate social media platforms and bloggers to establish physical offices in the country, among other benefits which include promoting accountability and transparency within our digital media space.
Bamidele’s roles in the coming into reality of the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2024, can not be overemphasized.
Under his supervision, the Senate made necessary inputs into the bill which established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which is currently easing the previous financial difficulties faced by parents who have kids in Nigerian campuses. At the last count, over 600,000 students have beneffited from this laudable programme of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Apart from leading debate on the Minimum Wage Bill which sought an increase from N30,000 to N70,000 for Nigerian public sector workers, a proposal that is already a reality today; in May 2023, the Senate Leader took his nationalistic spirit to the next level when he sponsored a bill named: “The National Anthem Act 2024, restored “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” to return to the old national anthem. Irrespective of the divergent views the bill generated in the public space at the time, it is needless to say that the rest is history today.
Though legislative work began on the Judicial Office Holders Salaries and Allowances Bill aimed at raising their earnings by 300 per cent from the 9th Senate where Bamidele chaired the Standing Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters; the eventual passage of the bill is attributed to his commitment even when it returned to the current assembly. Today, judicial workers across the country are harvesting the gains of the pay rise signed by Mr President.
The bills on the six regional development commissions which recently received presidential assent and now have in place management and boards members are part of the testimonials traceable to the uncommon leader. Standing tall among other of his achievements is the signing into law on the 20th February, 2025, the Establishment Bill of the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin Ekiti. Though the bill could be described as a carry-over from the 9th Senate, it received a new breath of life under the leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio. By this feat, Bamidele has set a record as the first lawmaker in the entire southwest to singlehandedly sponsor a bill in his name, ultimately leading to the establishment of a federal university. The good news is that the institution has gotten an approval to officially take off in September this year, while management and council members have been announced by the Federal Government.
While he has reiterated that the 10th National Assembly is not a rubber stamp of the executive as some mischief makers want it to appear; his position is clearly that of advocacy for a smooth working relationship between the legislature and the executive in the overall interest of national development. According to him, no meaningful political and economic growth can be achieved in an atmosphere of rancour between the these important arms of government, even though they have occasional disagreements which they often resolve in national interest.
As the current National Assembly enters its third year this week, it should be a collective desire that the leadership and members of this foremost parliament continue in this right direction of making people-centred legislations capable of repositioning our national focus towards prosperity.
Toba Jegede, a journalist writes from Abuja.
