House of Representatives member Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele yesterday promised to always donate his salaries and emoluments for constituency projects as part of activities to spread the dividends of democracy in the area.
The legislator from Ado/Ifelodun-Irepodun Constituency, Ekiti State, also promised to justify the confidence reposed in him by articulating the interest of the constituency in the Upper Chamber.
Bamidele, who chairs the House Committee on Budget and Research, rendered his account of stewardship at the monthly meeting of ‘Ekiti Parapo’, an association of Ekiti indigenes in Lagos held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja. The meeting presided over by its chairman, Aare Akomolede, was attended by boardroom guru, Sir Remi Omotoso, and Lagos lawyer Deacon Debo Adesina.
Giving his mid-term report, Bamidele, who was elected in 2011, said that he had fulfilled his promises to the people, assuring them that he would sustain the empowerment programmes set up by his constituency office.
He said: “In keeping with the promise I made during my electioneering and as contained in “My Covenant”, to the glory of God and benefit of my constituency, I inaugurated the Fund Advisory and Allocation Committee to advise in the judicious use of the funds accruing from my salaries, which are ploughed into a special account for the purpose of alleviating the suffering of our people and seeing to their welfare.
“The committee headed by Oba Ademola Ajakaye, the Oluyin of Iyin, has provided necessary advice in the utilisation of funds in touching the lives of indigent citizens of Ado-Ekiti/ Irepodun-Ifelodun Constituency”.
Bamidele said that, in the last two years, he had empowered over 800 widows, senior citizens, youths, and women through cash donation, provision of equipment and tool kits and other support schemes.
The legislator who said that he has not been a bench warmer listed the bills and motions he had sponsored and co-sponsored. He also said that he had attracted many valuable projects to his constituency from the Federal Government.
He added: “Posterity brings to remembrance my motion on the irregularities in the administration of the petroleum products importation, allocation and distribution. This timely motion prepared the House for the huge task that later snowballed into the discovery of the mismanagement that characterised the fuel subsidy regime.
“The motion I brought to the floor of the House about the late submission of the 2012 budget proposal resulted in the intervention of the House to push for early submission of budget to ensure prompt passage of the bill in a bid to improve budget performance”.
Bamidele said that he would devote attention to the matters affecting the physically challenged persons and sustain his fight against poverty in his constituency.
He added: “I will also seek your particiapation in identifying communities that should benefit and are in critical need of the basic amenities that will ameliorate the conditions of living within our federal constituency as it is our collective duty and would be in our collective interest”.