Senator Michael Bamidele: History Won’t Forget You … As He Spoke His Mind
Where there is truth, falsehood hides itself beneath the shadows. Some of what is considered the truth is gradually emerging in Nigeria’s top administrative circles. The Senate is the latest to bear the weight of this emergence, and people like the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Michael Bamidele, are doing their best to amplify it.
The Senate is currently undergoing one rowdy session after another, thanks to the allegations made by Senator Abdul Ningi. Ningi, after accusing the Senate and Presidency of budget padding, has been suspended for three months. But the farseeing Senator Bamidele wants the Senate to stamp out the possibility of such things repeating themselves.
According to Bamidele, something like what Senator Ningi has done can be captured within the framework of an ethno-political attack. Bamidele, representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, explained that Ningi is out to suppress Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, leaning on his background as a senator from Northern Nigeria.
Bamidele also stressed the importance of peace, noting that all conflict should have ended after the elections. Using this as a launching pad, the Senator Majority Leader advised his peers to be more visionary and less narrow-minded, working for the good of Nigerians.
Senator Ningi set off sparks of controversy after claiming that the federal government was running with two different versions of the 2024 budget. He also claimed that the reportedly public-reviewed budget of N28.7 trillion does not objectively represent the interests of all Nigerians as it is skewed against the North.
Ningi’s claims have set tongues wagging as fingers point at the senators, describing them as vultures and thieves. This is why Senator Bamidele’s comments are timely and notably crucial for the restoration of order. If followers think of their leaders as thieves and robbers, who will ride on the wagon of progress?