The governor also disclosed that the Special Agro-Processing Zone at the Gateway International Agro-cargo Airport would be ready by the third quarter of next year.

According to him, the airport which would be equipped with the latest equipment in the aviation industry, would turn out to be the best in the world.

Speaking at the 38th Akesan Day celebration held at the Apostolic Church Grammar School, Iperu, Ikenne local government area, Abiodun noted that that corridor of the state would play a significant role in the nation’s quest for industrial revolution.

He said: “We have the airport, the first truly Agricultural Processing Zone which is one of the six zones approved by the Federal Government across the states. That zone will be completed in the third quarter of 2025.”

The governor noted that his administration would embark on people oriented projects to open up the state for more investment opportunities and access.

“We will ensure that we are defined by people oriented policies, programmes and projects. We will work till the end of our tenure in 2027,” he added.

He said the Akesan Day was an opportunity for all sons and daughters of the community to come together to foster unity and to celebrate the deep culture and traditions of the town.

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The governor, while noting the development strides the town had made in recent years, promised to provide the town with the needed infrastructure for more development.

National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, described Governor Abiodun as living history who is working to leave lasting legacies in the state.

“I have seen well-constructed road network with concrete drainages. The governor’s niche for infrastructural facilities is well documented. The governor is concerned about the progress of this town and the welfare of the people. I want to commend him for this,” he said.

Also speaking, the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who represented the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, noted that despite the governor’s performance in his first term, he is even working harder, a development which means his seriousness for governance.

Bamidele: “We are happy that he is leaving legacies that will stand the text of time. He has told us about some of the moves he is making to turn Ogun State into the modern day commercial hub.”

The occasion, which featured cultural displays, attracted about 50 senators, members of the House of Representatives, traditional rulers, political bigwigs, among others.

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Akpabio made the announcement on Tuesday at plenary at 11. 29 a.m. after commencement of proceedings from the Eid-El Kabir break.

Akpabio also announced Sen. Mohammed Ndume (APC-Borno) as the Chief Whip; Sen. David Umahi (APC-Ebonyi), as the Deputy Leader and Sen. Lola Ashiru (APC-Kwara) as Deputy Chief Whip.

The Senate had adjourned sitting on June 14 for Eid-El Kabir

Akpabio said, “The All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus of the Senate after consultations has emerged with their leadership which will be the fulcrum of commencing other businesses of the chamber.

“I’m happy to announce that by consensus the Senate Leader is Senator Opeyemi Bamidele; he will be the Majority Leader.

“Sen. Mohammed Ndume (APC-Borno) will be the Chief Whip of the 10th Senate; Sen. David Umahi (APC-Ebonyi), by your consent will act as the Deputy Leader and Sen. Lola Ashiru (APC-Kwara) will be the Deputy Chief Whip.”

A copy of Bamidele’s citation indicates that he is currently  a ranking  senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District and Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters in the 9th National Assembly; Michael Opeyemi Bamidele is the Founder, Principal Attorney & Head of Chambers at the Law Office of Opeyemi Bamidele & Associates (with offices in Asokoro District, Abuja and Lekki Phase 1, Lagos) from where he is at the moment on leave of absence.

Bamidele is a New York Attorney, Member of the 7th House of Representatives and three-term Member of the prestigious Lagos State Cabinet between 2000 and 2011 when he served as Hon. Commissioner in different ministries and under two governors.

He had served as the Senior Legislative Aide, SLA, to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 1992 when Tinubu was a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, Appropriation and Currency.

He is a lawyer without border, licensed to practise in the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court; an Attorney and Counselor-at-Law of the State of New York, USA; and a Notary Public of Nigeria.

Bamidele graduated with honours in 1986, from the University of Ife (Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile-Ife with a Bachelor of Arts degree and, subsequently, from the University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) Degree with honours, in 1990.

After his call to the Nigerian Bar, Bamidele launched into a full-time legal career in 1992. He obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree from the World-renowned Franklin Pierce Law Centre in the University of New Hampshire Law School, Concord, New Hampshire, USA.

He specialized in Intellectual Property Law, with bias in International Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law, including the Licensing of International Transfer of Technology.

A learned counsel of no mean stature, Bamidele is an active member of the New York and Nigerian Bar, a Member of the American Bar Association and a Member of the International Bar Association.

He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Nigeria), the Chartered Institute of Management Consultants as well as the Chartered Institute of Local Government and Public Administration, Nigeria, among others.

In October, 2019, Sen.  Opeyemi Bamidele was appointed a member of the prestigious Body of Benchers, Nigeria.

He is a seasoned and multilateral legal practitioner, Civil Rights activist, a former Honourable Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development as well as Honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy consecutively in Lagos State.

He was a former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Budget and Research in the 7th National Assembly.

He also served as the Chairman of the National Assembly Budget and Research Office, NABRO, between July 2011 and June 2015.

In recognition of his significant contribution to the restoration, growth and development of democracy and good governance in Nigeria as well as his heroic exploits as a foremost political activist, seasoned legal practitioner, accomplished public administrator, quintessential lawmaker and consummate politician, the prestigious National Honour of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) was conferred on Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Muhammadu Buhari, in October, 2022.

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The passage of the bill on Wednesday was sequel to the consideration of a report by the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, in his presentation, said the bill was read for the first time on February 23, 2021, and a second time on January 25, 2022.

According to the lawmaker, the bill seeks to provide for the legal and institutional framework for the protection of witnesses and related persons in respect of disclosures made for public interest.

“It also seeks to provide support, management and protection of witnesses, which will be implemented by all public institutions vested with powers to investigate an/or prosecute criminal cases.

“This programme is a universally accepted concept for the protection of witnesses, who are willing to provide information and evidence for the purpose of enhancing the justice system and whose lives are threatened as a result thereof.

“Therefore, the need to have this legislation in place, cannot be over-emphasised as it will give the needed impetus and credence to the current anti-corruption drive of this administration,” he said.

The report on the Witness Protection and Management Bill was passed by the Senate after a clause-by-clause consideration by the Committee of the Whole.

In a related development, a bill to amend some provisions of the National Biosafety Management Agency Act 2015 has scaled second reading in the Senate.

The bill which was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), seeks to regulate, control and limit any threat to public health, or the environment from the commercial handling of Genetically Modified Organisms, GMOs, in Nigeria.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, referred the bill after consideration to the Committee on Environment for further work.

The committee was given four weeks to report back to the chamber in plenary.

The Senate on Wednesday also stepped down consideration of a report on a bill to establish the Federal Polytechnic Orozo, by the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND.

The bill was stepped down due to the absence of the Chairman, Senator Ahmad Babba-Kaita, who was billed to present the report for consideration.

Meanwhile, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has referred two confirmation requests by President Muhammadu Buhari to the relevant committees for legislative inputs.

The confirmation of Dr. Hale Gabriel Longpet as Resident Electoral Commission for the Independent National Electoral Commission was referred to the Committee on INEC to report back in two weeks.

Also referred was the president’s request for the confirmation of four nominees as Executive Commissioners of the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission to the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream).

The nominees include Dr. Nuhu Habib (North West, Kano State), Commissioner, Development and Production; and Dr. Kelechi Onyekachi Ofoegbu (South East, Imo State), Commissioner, Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning.

Others are Capt. Tonlagha Roland John (South-South, Delta State), Commissioner, Health, Safety, Environment and Community; and Jide Adeola (North Central, Kogi State), Commissioner, Corporate Services and Administration.

The nominees are expected to appear before the respective committees for screening.

The committee was given four weeks to conclude work on the screening exercise and report back to the chamber.

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The newly approved law schools, in addition to the seven existing ones, bring the total number of law schools in the country to thirteen, excluding that of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

The approval of the new law schools followed the consideration of a report by the Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters on the Legal Education Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West).

Accordingly, the Senate approved the Jos Law School Campus, Plateau State; and Kabba Law School Campus, Kogi State for the North Central geo-political zone.

The chamber also gave the nod for the Yola Law School Campus, Adamawa State; and Maiduguri Law School Campus, Borno State to serve the North East zone.

In the North West, the Senate approved the Kano Law School Campus, Kano State; and Argungun Law School Campus, Kebbi State.

In the South East, the chamber gave approval for the Enugu Law School Campus; and Okija Law School Campus, Anambra State.

The Senate also approved the Yenegoa Law School Campus, Bayelsa State; Port Harcourt Law School Campus, Rivers State; and Orogun Law School Campus, Delta State for the South South zone.

In the South West, the chamber approved the Lagos Law School Campus, Lagos State; and Ilawe Law School Campus, Ekiti State.

The Bwari Law School Campus, Abuja, remains exclusively for the Federal Capital Territory.

Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said the creation of the six law schools was a legislative intervention to address “the exponential increase in the number of law graduates from our universities and foreign ones, coupled with the backlog that existed over the years.”

According to the lawmaker, “existing campuses are overstretched and the infrastructures are not enough to accommodate thousands of law students graduating from the universities.”

He observed that the United States of America with a population of over 350 million people has about 237 law schools.

The lawmaker noted that some countries such as Canada and Australia, with far lesser population than Nigeria, had 24 and 38 law schools for a population of about 38 million and 26 million people, respectively.

He explained that the provision for additional campuses in the six geo-political zones of the federation was appropriate as it did not tamper with the seven existing campuses established by administrative responsibilities of the Council of Legal Education.

Bamidele, therefore, advised the federal government to, as a matter of priority, provide adequate resources for the funding of the infrastructural needs of the law campuses across the country.

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This is contained in a statement by Mr O.R. Ajayi, the Director of Schools, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

Ajayi said in the statement that all public and private (primary and secondary schools) are to observe the work-free day.

He directed all heads of Ekiti schools to ensure compliance with the directive.

The governorship primary of the APC in Ekiti will hold on Thursday.

The party had adopted direct primaries (Option A4) mode to select the candidate to fly its flag in the June 18 governorship election.

The party will be using both primary and secondary school playgrounds as venues for the exercises to select the party’s candidate.

No fewer than eight aspirants are jostling for the APC governorship ticket, including the National Assembly member, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele; former Minister of Works, Senator Dayo Adeyeye; House of Representatives member, Femi Bamisile.

Others are the immediate past Secretary to Ekiti Government, Biodun Oyebanji, who is being touted as the anointed candidate of the state governor; former House of Representatives member, Bamidele Faparusi; former governorship aspirant, Kayode Ojo; an Aviation expert, Demola Popoola and Olusola Afolabi.

Source: NAN

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According to the sponsor of the piece of legislation under consideration, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC – Ekiti Central), the bill proposes amendments to Sections 2,14,48,49 and 50 of the Principal Act to alter the Quorum of the Court, provide for criminal jurisdiction of the court, and right of appeal to aggrieved persons to appeal to the FCT High Court in the case of criminal matters.

Explaining the reason behind the introduction of the FCT Customary  Court Act, 2007 (Amendment) bill, Bamidele said, “Customary Courts in other parts of the country are now contributing immensely to criminal justice administration.”

Citing Lagos and Akwa-Ibom states as examples, the lawmaker explained further that “to bring the FCT Customary Court at par with the Customary Courts in other parts of the country, this bill prescribes the criminal jurisdiction of the court in Part II of the Schedule to the bill by specifying offences and punishments cognizable by the court.”

He added that, “the bill proposes to amend Part II of the Schedule to the Principal Act to specify categories of offences and terms of imprisonment or fines that can be imposed by the FCT Customary Court in exercise of its proposed criminal jurisdiction.”

Senator Bamidele said if passed into law, offences that attract maximum prison term of seven years or maximum fine of N500,000 or both, will now be tried by the FCT Customary Courts without prejudice to the jurisdiction of magistrate courts in the FCT.

“The passage of this bill will erase the pressure on magistrate courts in the FCT and it will also strengthen the right of accused persons to be arraigned in court within a reasonable time as recognized under section 35 (4) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended,” Bamidele said.

Contributing to the debate, the Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Sabi Abdullahi (APC – Niger North), raised concerns as to whether the bill if passed into law would ensure fairness in the dispensation of justice.

“When you talk about customary court, it is a court that looks at issues that bother on the customs, traditions, norms and likes of the people within the context of their tradition.

“Most of the states of the federation have peculiar traditions, customs and the likes. But in the FCT, it is a collection of all Nigerians in one place, and so I’m wondering, if you saddle one person with the responsibility of adjudicating, will there be justice and fairness?” the lawmaker queried.

“The idea behind picking one or two people within the context of the customary court for example, is different from the regular court where you have very trained professionals,” Senator Abdullahi observed.

Other lawmakers such as Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP – Abia South), Philip Aduda (PDP – FCT), Yahaya Ibrahim Oloriegbe (APC – Kwara Central), Abbo Elisha Ishaku (APC – Adamawa North) objected to the idea of non-professionals adjudicating over customary court proceedings in criminal trials.

The lawmakers advised the sponsor of the bill to tweak the legislation in a way that provides for the inclusion of experienced legal professionals in the Quorum of Customary Courts, if it at all its jurisdiction must include the dispensation of criminal justice.

Senator James Manager (PDP – Delta South), while sharing the observation raised by lawmakers who spoke before him, appealed that the bill be allowed to scale second reading, so as to give opportunity for necessary input and corrections at the stage of public hearing.

Senator Teslim Folarin (APC – Oyo Central), however, kicked against the bill and called for it to be stepped down to allow for further legislative input.

The bill, which eventually scaled second reading after a voice vote put forward by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, was referred to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for further work.

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