The Honourable
Femi Gbajabiamila
CFR
Chief of Staff to the President
Assumed office
14 June 2023
PresidentBola Tinubu
Preceded byIbrahim Gambari
14th Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria
In office
11 June 2019 – 11 June 2023
DeputyAhmed Idris Wase
Preceded byYakubu Dogara
Succeeded byTajudeen Abbas
House Majority Leader
In office
9 June 2015 – 9 June 2019
Preceded byOgor Okuweh
Succeeded byAlhassan Doguwa
House Minority Leader
In office
5 June 2007 – 6 June 2015
Preceded byAhmed Salik
Succeeded byOgor Okuweh
Member of the
House of Representatives of Nigeria
from Lagos
In office
3 June 2003 – 14 June 2023
ConstituencySurulere I
Personal details
Born (1962-06-25) 25 June 1962 (age 61)
Lagos State, Nigeria
Political partyAll Progressive Congress (2013–present)
Other political
affiliations
SpouseSalamatu Gbajabiamila
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Politician
  • lawyer
Websitefemigbajabiamila.com

Olufemi Hakeem Gbajabiamila CFR [1] (born 25 June 1962), is a Nigerian lawyer and politician,[2] who has served as Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria since 2023.[3][4][5] He previously served as the 14th Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria from 2019 to 2023.[6][7][8]

Early life and education

Olufemi "Femi" Hakeem Gbajabiamila was born on 25 June 1962, to Lateef Gbajabiamila and Olufunke Gbajabiamila in Lagos, Nigeria. He attended Mainland Preparatory School for elementary education and Igbobi College[9] in 1973, where he completed his secondary education. Subsequently, he enrolled at King William's College on the Isle of Man, United Kingdom for his A-Level.[10] He was accepted into the University of Lagos, Nigeria.[11] He graduated with a Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) with honours in 1983 and was called to the Nigerian bar in 1984.[12][6]

He first worked for the law firm, Bentley Edu & Co. in Lagos, before establishing his own law firm, Femi Gbaja & Co. He then earned his Juris Doctor from Atlanta's John Marshall Law School in Georgia, USA, passed the Georgian bar exam in 2001, and set up a law firm in Atlanta. While in the US, he actively participated in the election of Bill Campbell who later went on to become Mayor of Atlanta.[6]

Political career

Gbajabiamila was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2003 representing the Surulere I constituency of Lagos State.[13] He was re-elected and served for six (6) consecutive terms.[14]

Gbajabiamila criticized members of the National Assembly for switching parties. He suggested that many voters don't have access to the information to make choices based on every individual's stance, and therefore sometimes vote for candidates based on their party alignment. He criticized floppers with this in mind, saying the effect "cannot be anything but negative".[15]

Gbajabiamila was the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives in the 7th National Assembly.[16]

Gbajabiamila was head of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating claims by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) about the 140.9 billion naira (about $1 billion) debt owed by 'Zenon Petroleum & Gas Limited' and 'Forte Oil Plc'. The call for an investigation of the reported payment was made by another lawmaker, Bimbo Daramola who moved the motion that the House set up a panel to verify the claims by AMCON that the Femi Otedola-owned two companies have paid back the money that the government of Nigeria paid for petroleum products that were reportedly not delivered as agreed upon by the dictates of the government's fuel subsidy scheme.Bimbo Daramola had suspected that the payment, if truly made, was "shrouded in secrecy."[17]

Gbajabiamila was elected speaker in the 9th National Assembly House of Representatives with 283 votes, while his opponent Mohammed Umar Bago came in second with 78 votes.[18]

In the House, Gbajabiamila demonstrated a passionate concern for issues relevant his constituents and Nigeria as a whole.[19] He earned a reputation as a brilliant legislator.[20]

After 20 years, he resigned as a member of the House of Representatives on 14 June 2023 to assume office as Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.[21]

Awards

In October 2022, the Nigerian national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) was conferred on him by President Muhammadu Buhari.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ "FULL LIST: Okonjo-Iweala, Abba Kyari... FG nominates 437 persons for national honours". TheCable. 2 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  2. ^ Baiyewu, Leke (20 February 2022). "Gbajabiamila shares 145 vehicles, education grants, others to constituents". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  3. ^ Akinboyo, Temidayo (2 June 2023). "Tinubu names Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff, Akume as SGF". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  4. ^ Olayiwola, Ajisafe (2 June 2023). "Meet Tinubu's CoS: What you need to know about Femi Gbajabiamila". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  5. ^ Gazette, Peoples (2 June 2023). "Tinubu names Femi Gbajabiamila chief of staff, George Akume cabinet secretary". Peoples Gazette. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Biography". Femi Gbajabiamila. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Gbajabiamila, Obasa, others advocate regular medical check up". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Gbajabiamila pledges 9th assembly will open up legislative space to youths". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  9. ^ "What Osinbajo, Gbajabiamila have in common". The Nation Newspaper. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  10. ^ Ibiam, Agha (7 February 2004). "Gbaja-Biamila: Shocked Beyond Belief..." Thisday. BNW. Retrieved 11 November 2007.
  11. ^ "Hon. Femi Gbaja Biamila". National Assembly website. National Assembly of Nigeria. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
  12. ^ Nigeria, Guardian (3 November 2015). "Law School class '84 commended". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  13. ^ "GBAJABIAMILA AND HIS CONSTITUENCY – THISDAYLIVE". www.thisdaylive.com. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  14. ^ Iniobong, Iwok (3 June 2023). "Gbajabiamila, Hadejia, Akume and the challenge of new portfolios". Businessday NG. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Interview". femigbajabiamila.com/.
  16. ^ National Assembly (2011). "REP. GBAJABIAMILA FEMI".
  17. ^ John Ameh (12 October 2012). "Reps Panel to Probe N140.9bn". Punch.
  18. ^ "Gbajabiamila wins House Speaker seat". 11 June 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  19. ^ Gbadebo, Bode; Ephraim, Pamela (2 June 2023). "Things You Didn't Know About Femi Gbajabiamila, President Tinubu's Chief Of Staff-designate". Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  20. ^ Olayiwola, Ajisafe (2 June 2023). "Meet Tinubu's CoS: What you need to know about Femi Gbajabiamila". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Just in: Femi Gbajabiamila resigns". Per Second News. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  22. ^ "FULL LIST: 2022 National Honours Award Recipients The Nation Newspaper". 9 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.

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