President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other notable personalities have showered accolades on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, describing him as an exemplary patriotic leader.
They said the speaker had demonstrated capacity in his political journey, asking him to remain consistent and relentless in service to Nigeria.
They spoke in Abuja at the weekend during the presentation of a book, ‘Mr Speaker,’ authored by Dr Charles Omole and the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr Musa Abdullahi Krishi, which chronicled the ‘Legislative life, service and resilience of Femi Gbajabiamila’.
The event, a two-in-one, was also for the unveiling of the ‘Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI)’ piloted by Gbajabiamila to mentor young Nigerians on a career in politics, particularly grooming them for legislative roles in the Nigeria of the future.
The weekend event, which was part of the activities to mark the Speaker’s 60th birthday, was chaired by a former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba, and graced by dignitaries drawn from the public and private sectors of Nigeria as well as diplomatic and international human development support groups.
Buhari, represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, described Gbajabiamila as a “true patriot”, who “is passionate about Nigeria.”
He stated that having watched the speaker’s political growth over the years, he had come to the conclusion that Gbajabiamila is “an astute legislator who wants a peaceful, united Nigeria to grow.”
The President praised the Speaker for his concept of ‘parliamentary diplomacy’, which had helped the Executive arm to resolve certain knotty issues, and the harmony that had existed between the two arms of government since 2019.
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On his part, Tinubu, while appreciating Gbajabiamila, recalled how the speaker learnt fast in his early days as a politician, in spite of the tough terrain he found himself in back then in Surulere, Lagos State.
The APC presidential candidate noted that because of Gbajabiamila’s willingness to learn, he was able to turn his initial reluctance into an unstoppable politician.
“Politics is very rough and I told Femi. He would complain from morning and hours. Later on, he got used to it, but he never stopped complaining about one thing or another.
“As a Minority Leader, he consults wide and he’s always there to see the thinking of opposition, that we must bring a revolution to the House to be able to beat the PDP. And then, he will brainstorm for any length of time about political strategy.
“When he was challenged for the position of the speaker, I think after our merger he worked me tirelessly, Femi is a workaholic. The problem of failure stared him in the face. He lost the election to become the Speaker.
“I was close to tears. Stamping my foot to the ground, I said we will win again. Femi keeps up. Pick yourself up. I am very proud of you that you did, you didn’t give up. You did the opposition and the support job. You demonstrated what we learnt from textbooks and other authors.
“That life is not about education of one section of the society. Remember what we discussed about paying the WAEC fee of omo iya oniboli (the Son of the Woman who roasts plantain), and my Mum was alive then, asking me to see to it each time I gave her money, it doesn’t last.
“And I said whatever you do with the money I don’t know. Mama will say no, those women there, they are Mothers, they want to pay WAEC fees. And Femi was one of the first set of people I consulted. Are we going to say that the children of the poor are not deserving of becoming Governors, Doctors and Engineers? I said I was afraid. He said do it. So that is how a junior brother can inspire a senior leader.
“Femi with your determination, grit, you are a contributor to our democratic growth, thank you. You have character. You are a great mentor and you are doing a good job charting a path to success. You’ve done a good job and I say thank you, thank you.
He thanked Gbajabiamila for being a good ally, wishing him well to aspire to occupy any position in the country, having demonstrated enough capacity to lead.
On his part, the Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr Tony Elumelu, who was the Chief Presenter of the book, said Gbajabiamila remained “a man we have all come to love and admire.
“He is extremely outstanding and humble, and this is why his friends have all come to celebrate with him. We must all begin to show interest in how we are governed and how laws are made”, he stated.
One of the Speaker’s former colleagues and member of the PDP, Hon. Nnenna Elendu Ukeje, was also on hand to testify to Gbajabiamila’s legislative expertise.
“Femi worked the House like no one could. Femi did more to ensure that Nigerians fell out of love with PDP. I wasn’t surprised he became speaker, and so far he has been absolutely wonderful”, she told the session.
Speaking, the chairman of the occasion, Osoba, wished the Speaker well, saying, “Gbajabiamila is going to clock 100 years. I thank him for his service to this country. I pray you will become the Nancy Pelosi of Nigeria. Gbajabiamila deserves to be given that type of support to be a Pelosi of Nigeria.”
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms Catriona Laing, congratulated Gbajabiamila for coordinating the 9th House effectively, leading to the passing of important bills, especially the Electoral Act, 2022.
Making his remarks, Gbajabiamila, who turned 60 on June 25, expressed gratitude to God for his life and his humble contribution to governance in Nigeria.
He thanked all those who had shaped his political journey, and also hailed Omole and Krishi for putting that historical journey down in a permanent form.
He went on, “Our lives are a gift, and all our stories are important simply because we are. Therefore, it is just as important that we try to tell our own stories for their own sake. And I hope that, if nothing else, the work that the authors have done here will inspire many of you to begin writing your own history.”
Among the dignitaries present was The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha; the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Chairman/Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; his Kebbi state counterpart/APC Governors’ Forum Chairman, Atiku Bagudu; Kwara State Deputy Governor, Kayode Alabi; Ondo State Deputy Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa; Minister of State for Health, Sen. Olorunnimbe Mamora; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, as well as the Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Governor, Chukwuemeka Woke.
Buhari, Tinubu, Elumelu, others eulogise Gbajabiamila at book launch on Speaker’s political journey
Buhari, Tinubu, Elumelu, others eulogise Gbajabiamila at book launch on Speaker’s political journey
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Buhari, Tinubu, Elumelu, others eulogise Gbajabiamila at book launch on Speaker’s political journey
Buhari, Tinubu, Elumelu, others eulogise Gbajabiamila at book launch on Speaker’s political journey
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