Michael Opeyemi Bamidele CON (born 29 July 1963) popularly known as MOB, is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

lawyer, human right activist, politician and member of the

7th National Assembly 7th National Assembly may refer to: * 7th National Assembly of France * 7th National Assembly of Laos * 7th National Assembly of Namibia * 7th National Assembly of Nigeria * 7th National Assembly of Pakistan * 7th National Assembly of Serbia * 7t ...

8th National Assembly 8th National Assembly may refer to: * 8th National Assembly of France * 8th National Assembly of Laos * 8th National Assembly of Nigeria * 8th National Assembly of Pakistan * 8th National Assembly of Serbia * 8th National Assembly of Slovenia * 8 ...

and

9th National Assembly 9th National Assembly may refer to: * 9th National Assembly of France * 9th National Assembly of Laos * 9th National Assembly of Nigeria * 9th National Assembly of Pakistan 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution ...

consecutively representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District of Ekiti state at the Nigerian senate.

Early life

Bamidele was born on 29 July 1963, at Iyin Ekiti, a town in

Ekiti State Ekiti State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkìtì) is a state in southwestern Nigeria, bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the northeast by Kogi State, to the south and southeast by Ondo State, and to the west by Osun State. Named for the Ekiti peo ...

, southwestern

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

into the family of the late Sir Stephen Ogunjuyigbe Bamidele but spent his early life in

Lagos State Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...

where he attended

Baptist Academy Lagos Baptist Academy is a secondary school located in Obanikoro, Lagos, Nigeria. The school was established in 1855 by the American Baptist Missionaries. The school is regarded as a sister school to Reagan Memorial Baptist Girls' Secondary Schoo ...

secondary school and then

Obafemi Awolowo University Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife ...

where he obtained a bachelor's degree in religious studies. Bamidele later attended the University of Benin where he received a bachelor's degree in law in 1990. Having graduated from the

Nigerian Law School The Nigerian Law School is an educational institution set up by the Government of Nigeria in 1962 to provide a Nigerian legal education to foreign-trained lawyers, and to provide practical training for aspiring Legal Practitioners in Nigeria. ...

, he was called to the bar in 1992. Bamidele proceeded to

Franklin Pierce University Franklin Pierce University is a private university in Rindge, New Hampshire. It was founded as Franklin Pierce College in 1962, combining a liberal arts foundation with coursework for professional development, professional preparation. The scho ...

where he received a master's degree in law and was called to the New York Bar in January 1999. He was one of the defence counsel, led by Chief

Godwin Olusegun Kolawole Ajayi Chief Godwin Olusegun Kolawole Ajayi, SAN (29 May 1931 – 31 March 2014) popularly known by his initials GOK Ajayi, was a prominent Nigerian lawyer. Early life Ajayi was born on 29 May, 1931, at Ijebu Ode, a city in Ogun State southwestern Nig ...

to the

Moshood Abiola Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola , also known as M. K. O. Abiola (24 August 1937 – 7 July 1998) was a Nigerian businessman, publisher, and politician. He was the Aare Ona Kankafo XIV of Yorubaland and an aristocrat of the Egba clan. M.K.O ...

on his treason trial.

Political life

In June 1992, he contested in the primary elections to the Federal House of Representatives representing Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency in Lagos State under the platform of

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

but lost. He served as special assistant on legal matters to Senator

Bola Tinubu Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu (born 29 March 1952) is a Nigerian accountant and politician who served as the Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 and Senator for Lagos West during the brief Third Republic. In June 2022, he was chosen as the A ...

until November 1993 when Nigeria's democracy was truncated by the General

Sanni Abacha Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He seized power on 17 November 1993 in the last successful c ...

. In July 2000, he was appointed senior special assistant on political and intergovernmental relations to the

Lagos State governor The governor of Lagos State is the head of government of Lagos State in Nigeria. The governor leads the executive branch of the Lagos State Government. This position places its holder in leadership of the state with command authority over th ...

. He was later appointed as commissioner for

Lagos State Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 states, it is both the most populous and smallest in area. Bounded to the south by the Bight of Benin and to the west by the international border with Benin ...

in governor

's administration. In April 2011, he was elected as a member of the 7th National Assembly to represent Ekiti Central federal constituency 1. In March 2015, in his article entitled: “My hatred for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu”, criticized the released of

The Lion of Bourdilion ''The Lion of Bourdillon'' is a 2015 documentary film aired by Africa Independent Television, a Nigerian Television Station popularly known as AIT. The film centers on the political life of Senator Bola Tinubu, the former Lagos State Governor and ...

, a documentary film aired by

Africa Independent Television Africa Independent Television, also known by its acronym AIT, is a privately owned television broadcaster in Nigeria. It operates Free To Air in Nigeria as the largest privately operated terrestrial television network with stations in twenty-fo ...

on March 1, 2015, and the role played by the opposition party, in the release of the controversial film.

Previous Offices

* MHR (June 2011 to June 2015). * Honorable Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State (July 2007 to February 2011). * Honourable Commissioner for Youths, Sports and Social Development, Lagos State (July 2003 to May 2007) * Special Adviser to the Governor on Political and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Lagos State (July 2000 to May 2003).

Awards and honours

* Fellow, Chattered Institute of Arbitrators (Nigeria) * In October 2022, a Nigerian national honour of

Commander Of The Order Of The Niger Nigeria became an independent country on 1 October 1960 and in 1963 became the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The republic instituted two orders of merit: the Order of the Niger and the Order of the Federal Republic. Award The two highest honour ...

(CON) was conferred on him by President Muhammadu Buhari.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamidele, Michael Opeyemi 1963 births Living people Nigerian politicians Baptist Academy alumni University of Benin (Nigeria) alumni Obafemi Awolowo University alumni People from Ekiti State Nigerian Law School alumni 20th-century Nigerian lawyers