Bamisile Olufemi Richard

Richard Olufemi Bamisile, known as BAFEM, is a Nigerian politician currently serving in the Federal House of Representatives for Ekiti South II Constituency.

Born on September 27, 1965, he comes from a family with traditional leadership roots in Ekiti State, specifically the Kota-Ekiti lineage. His father was the Elekota of Kota-Omuo.

He attended Mayflower School (Ikenne) between 1973 and 1978 before proceeding to Government College, Eric Moore, Lagos (1978–1983), where he earned his West African Senior School Certificate Examination (ordinary level).

Bamisile later pursued advanced-level studies at the Federal College of Arts and Sciences in Lagos. He initially enrolled at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU) to study Political Science but left after his father’s death in 1986.

He relocated to the United Kingdom, earning a Diploma in Networking and Data Processing from Eden College in London. Returning home, he studied Business Administration at Ekiti State University Ado (2008–2012) before pursuing an MSc in Public Sector Governance and Administration, currently working toward his PhD.

Known for his grassroots political engagement, Bamisile served as the Special Adviser on Internally Generated Revenue to Surulere Local Government’s Chairman in Lagos (2001–2002). In 2003, he was appointed Liaison Officer of Ekiti House in Lagos and later contested under the Alliance for Democracy (AD) for Ekiti State House of Assembly, winning.

He contested again as a National Conscience Party (NCP) candidate for the Federal House of Representatives in 2005 against Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi (PDP). In 2006, he held roles such as Ag. Chairman of Ekiti State Sports Commission and Special Assistant to the Governor.

His political career peaked when he was elected Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly during the Third Parliament (2007–2009), serving on multiple strategic committees including Ekiti’s Gubernatorial Transition and Local Government Election Committees.

He left the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014 to support Governor Kayode Fayemi and presidential ambitions, later contesting for the APC gubernatorial primary in Ekiti State in 2018. His current focus remains on public sector governance and administration.