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Gbajabiamila: The Speaking Speaker At 57 | By Olanrewaju Smart
Fifty-seven years ago, precisely on June 25, 1962, a star, a man of high intellect, a repository of legislative knowledge in person of Rt. Hon. Femi Hakeem Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives was born.
Gbaja, as he is called by friends, associates and well-wishers, is a man that has a date with destiny. Today is exactly two weeks that this GREAT MIND became the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives, in what has become the greatest, remarkable and most befitting cum historic way of marking one’s birthday on mother earth.
When Gbajabiamila first came to the Green Chamber 16 years ago, in 2003, little did he know he would spend more than a quarter of his life in the legislature. Out of those 16 solid years, Gbajabiamila spent 14years as a principal officer, first as a Minority Whip from 2005 to 2007, Minority Leader (Opposition Leader) from 2007 to 2015 and later as Leader of the House/Majority Leader between 2015 and 2019.
It was then natural that Gbaja should become speaker after acquiring more than enough experience in the House as one of its leaders for 16 years. In the history of the Nigerian Legislature, Gbajabiamila is the first person to have risen from the position of Minority Leader to Majority Leader and then to Speaker all in a space of 16 years. This is by no means a great feat. His legislative prowess certainly confers on him the title of ‘Legislative Czar’ in the Nigerian parliament.
As Minority Leader of the House for eight years, Gbajabiamila provided the needed voice for the opposition, and each time he spoke, it was as if an ordinary Nigerian was on the floor of the House speaking, because he spoke the minds of the masses.
After Gbajabiamila became the Leader of the House in 2015, he did not relent in defending and presenting the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians, despite being saddled with the responsibility of defending the position of the government of the day.
No wonder Gbajabiamila single-handedly came up with a Bill to criminalise estimated billing by electricity distribution companies (Discos), which has arguably become one of the most popular draft laws in the 8th Assembly. History will indeed be kind to this lover of the Nigerian masses.
Make no mistake about it, Gbajabiamila had qualified to become Speaker over four years ago. After his historic contest to occupy the Number 4 Citizen’s seat in 2015, which should have been ceded to him naturally without any contest, Gbaja went on with his life as if nothing happened. He left everything to God and believed that our Creator did not will that he would be Speaker at that time.
Call him a workaholic, and you won’t be wrong because Gbajabiamila isn’t a lazy fellow. Despite being a principal officer for 14years, he remains one of the most resourceful lawmakers that have journeyed the House. Matter of factly speaking, Gbajabiamila served, and still serves, as an unpaid consultant to many of his colleagues. Before he presents any matter on the floor of the House, he makes sure that he researches it thoroughly, which explains why he never fails as a lawmaker.
To say that Gbaja became a household name all over Nigeria long before his present status in the House is to state the obvious. Despite all that he has achieved as a fine legislator, he never let it get into his head, which is what his upbringing is all about.
But if his campaign for speaker gathered strong momentum four years ago, the one he embarked on after the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on February 23 this year was a masterstroke. Yes, it was a masterstroke because it had everybody on board: lawmakers from both the ruling and the opposition parties did not only buy the idea, they also took it upon themselves to sell the idea to all members of the 9th House. No wonder Gbajabiamila polled 281 votes, which is unprecedented in the history of speakership contest in the House.
The slogan for his campaign for speaker ‘Nation Building: A Joint Task’ captured all that Gbajabiamila stood, and still stands for, which is that every Nigerian, irrespective of party affiliations, must be on board for the country to move forward.
Unassuming, chivalrous, accommodating, sincere, humble, courteous, adaptable, adventurous, affectionate, amiable, intuitive, dependable, easy-going, compassionate, courageous, considerate, diligent, frank, charming, generous, gregarious, impartial, inventive, reliable, resourceful, sympathetic, name it, Gbajabiamila fits the bill for a perfect gentleman. Unfortunately, he is often misunderstood by some, which is normal with human beings. But those that relate with him closely know that he represents all the adjectives above. And I am pretty sure that those that misunderstood him would now have the opportunity of knowing him better as he pilots the affairs of the House in the next four years.
Immediately after becoming speaker two weeks ago, Gbajabiamila made it clear that his would be a House of reforms. Though he promised to ‘shake the table’ in bringing reforms to the House, he said it would be in phases in order not to bring too much shock into the system. If not a man of intellect, who would make such move?
During his inaugural speech on that auspicious occasion of his emergence as Speaker on June 11, Gbajabiamila did not mince words. He said: “Hon Colleagues, I understand that I hold this office in trust for you and Nigerians. Conscious of this sacred trust, I hereby dedicate myself to the service of this Honourable House and of the good citizens of this great country, with the commitment that I shall at all times strive to defend the constitution of our Republic.
“I equally commit myself to always observe the tenets of justice, equity and fairness in my dealings with my colleagues, and to apply the ideals of transparency, probity and accountability in my management of the affairs of this Honourable House.
“Whatever political party each one of us may belong, we must be conscious of the fact that Nigerians are truly desirous of good governance and are looking to us to be the agents that will through meaningful legislation combat security, poverty, corruption and other problems and contradictions that have held our country back and stunted our development.”
To show that he knows the nature of the Herculean task ahead of him, Gbajabiamila has since set in place the machinery of how to go about his reforms. I believe very soon, Nigerians will have the privilege of seeing that unveiled to them.
At the age of 57, Gbajabiamila has achieved a lot both as a lawyer, who practised both within and outside the shores of Nigeria, and a legislator per excellence. But hey, the man never blows his trumpet! Because he represents excellence, Gbajabiamila doesn’t accept anything short of that.
As Mr Speaker marks his 57th birthday today, I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that he has acquired more wisdom to lead the 9th House of Representatives and bring the right reforms in the next four years as he promised. Once again, Happy Birthday Mr Speaker, Sir!
Olanrewaju Smart,
Office of the Speaker,
House of Representatives, Abuja.
The lawmaker representing Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency of Oyo State, Olafisoye Akinmoyede, has denied allegations of violence at the All Progressives Congress (APC) state secretariat, describing claims that he assaulted a party member as false and politically motivated.
An online platform, IMPARTNEWSNETWORK, had alleged that Akinmoyede assaulted one Gafar Oyebade during a meeting convened by the state chairman of the party, Alake Adeyemo, to resolve issues surrounding the executive list of the APC in Lagelu Local Government Area.
However, Akinmoyede, in a statement on Tuesday, said the meeting was peaceful and attended by key members of the state executive, including the chairman, deputy chairman, and secretary, who witnessed the proceedings.
He clarified that contrary to Oyebade’s claim of being the party secretary, the official list presented by the state leadership recognised him as the Public Relations Officer.
According to the lawmaker, following the clarification, the state executive directed the Lagelu Local Government chairman, Fatai Awoyoola, to proceed with the swearing-in of other party officials.
Akinmoyede also faulted attempts to link the incident with the 2019 killing of a former federal lawmaker, noting that a court of competent jurisdiction had already ruled on the matter.
He said, “In Suit No. I/70c/2019, delivered by Justice Mufutau Adegbola on January 23, 2020, all those accused were discharged and acquitted.”
The lawmaker expressed concern over what he described as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public, alleging that Oyebade, a public school teacher under the Oyo State Government, should not be involved in partisan politics.
He described the allegation as a “recycled script” aimed at tarnishing his image ahead of political activities, urging constituents to remain calm.
Akinmoyede also called on journalists to verify information before publication and urged security agencies to take action against individuals who file false reports.
“These tactics surface every election cycle. Those behind them should learn to accept the outcomes of political processes. They failed before and will fail again. Power comes from God,” he added.
The lawmaker representing Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Olafisoye Akinmoyede, has denied allegations of assault levelled against him by a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagelu Local Government Area, Mr. Gafar Oyebade.
Akinmoyede described the allegation as “false” and “a lie taken too far,” insisting that no physical altercation occurred.
The denial was contained in a statement issued on Monday by his Legislative Aide, Dr. Isiaq Akintunde.
Oyebade had alleged that he was hospitalised following a confrontation during a meeting held at the office of the state party chairman in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, convened to resolve a leadership dispute in the local government.
But the federal lawmaker maintained that the meeting was peaceful and attended by top party officials.
“The meeting was convened to clarify Mr. Oyebade’s position within the local executive, and it was attended by the State Party Chairman, his deputy, the secretary, the publicity secretary, and other key state executives, all of whom witnessed the peaceful proceedings,” the statement read.
He added that contrary to Oyebade’s claim of being the party secretary, the official list presented by the Lagelu Local Government Party Chairman, Hon. Fatai Awoyoola, identified him as the Public Relations Officer.
According to Akinmoyede, the state executive thereafter directed Awoyoola to proceed with the swearing-in of the remaining members of the local government executive.
The lawmaker accused Oyebade of fabricating the allegation to advance political interests.
“I wonder why Mr. Gafar Oyebade, a secondary school teacher, would claim he was assaulted in the presence of the State Executive. This is an attempt to justify money allegedly collected from an aspirant to tarnish my image,” he said.
Akinmoyede further claimed that Oyebade was seen walking freely after the meeting and was not hospitalised as alleged.
He also raised concerns over Oyebade’s involvement in partisan politics, noting that civil servants are restricted from active participation in political activities.
The lawmaker called on security agencies and the media to investigate the incident at the party’s Oke-Ado office to ascertain the veracity of the claims.
Efforts to reach Oyebade for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
The lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency and Chairman, House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Aderemi Oseni, has declared his intention to contest the Oyo South Senatorial seat in the 2027 general elections.
Oseni made his aspiration known during a high-level meeting with the Ibarapa APC Elders’ and Leaders’ Forum, comprising the G9 and the expanded G64 caucus, held at the party secretariat in Eruwa, Ibarapa East Local Government Area, over the weekend.
The G9 and G64 groups consist of influential stakeholders drawn from Ibarapa East, Ibarapa Central, and Ibarapa North local government areas.
In a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the lawmaker expressed appreciation to the forum for their support and confidence in his leadership and vision.
He said his ambition to represent Oyo South Senatorial District was anchored on a determination to consolidate and expand his record of performance.
Oseni said, “This aspiration is not built on mere rhetoric, but on the continuity and expansion of a proven track record of quality representation and grassroots-oriented governance.”
While soliciting the support of party leaders, he described his ambition as a divine call to serve the people with renewed dedication.
According to him, “This is not a time for self-glory but a sacred responsibility to intensify efforts towards real development, bring more relief to our people and ensure inclusive governance.”
He pledged not to betray the trust reposed in him by party elders and faithful, stressing that his aspiration is rooted in progressive ideals and a genuine commitment to the development of the district.
Oseni also urged leaders in the zone to mobilise support towards delivering one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming election.
Speaking at the meeting, a leader from Ibarapa East, Chief Michael Morawo, lauded the lawmaker for delivering democratic dividends and strengthening the party structure. He added that Oseni has demonstrated commendable leadership through his performance, noting that his impact in stabilising the party within the constituency is evident.
Similarly, a former council chairman in Ibarapa Central, Chief Theophilus Adenrele, commended the lawmaker for not betraying the trust reposed in him. Also, a chieftain from Ibarapa North, Chief Francis Babalola, described Oseni as a humble leader committed to progressive ideals, dismissing speculations about his possible defection if he does not secure the governorship ticket.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the forum, Chief Timothy Jolaoso, said the lawmaker enjoys widespread grassroots acceptance that cuts across political divides.
Jolaoso said, “All indicators consistently point to Oseni as a candidate with acceptance that transcends party lines. He is not only capable but a man of deep faith with proven empathy for the downtrodden.”
He added, “He possesses the goodwill, financial strength, and public trust required for leadership.”
The elder statesman further noted that Oseni’s performance in the House of Representatives, alongside his role as Chairman of the FERMA Committee, underscores his competence and commitment to development.
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