Gbajabiamila as Tinubu’s Chief of Staff?

Udora Orizu writes that Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, seems to have assumed the role of Chief of Staff to President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Ahead of his inauguration on May 29, 2023 as  President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, has reportedly begab team building, with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, said to have been penciled down as his Chief of Staff.

According to a report carried recently by THISDAY newspaper, Gbajabiamila, has already begun to discharge the duties of the chief of staff to Tinubu, having unofficially resumed with him in France, with a view to working out processes and plans, including calendarising his activities.

The Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria is a high-ranking official who manages the Office of the President. A CoS duties as assigned by the President are primarily focused on managing the flow of information and people and advising the president on various issues.

Over the years, the position of a Chief of Staff has gained much traction to become a vital appointment to be made by a Chief Executive.

 The occupier of such position has a crucial role in ensuring the success or otherwise of the principal who has entrusted the role to him during a particular tenure in office.

In terms of access to power, a CoS is presumed to be the first to see the principal and the last to bid him goodnight. Whatever he says about his boss is taken as the truth.

The power of the CoS was witnessed when in 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari, ordered his cabinet to pass all government correspondences and requests through the late CoS Abba Kyari, making him the principal channel of communication between the President and the government.

As the day for swearing in of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu draws closer, some politicians and his close allies are being considered for some serious roles in his administration.

One of those being considered for the position of the Chief of Staff is the current Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

Speaker Gbajabiamila, 61, could be said to have been prepared for his legislative roles through the various educational institutions he attended, both in Nigeria, and abroad.

He attended Mainland Preparatory School for elementary education and Igbobi College 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. He was accepted into the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He graduated with a Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) with honors in 1983 and was called to the Nigerian bar in 1984.

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 USA, he actively participated in the election of Bill Campbell who later went on to become Mayor of Atlanta.

Gbajabiamila was first elected to the House of representatives in 2003, to represent Surulere I constituency of Lagos State.

From being a member, he rose in the legislative ranks to become the Minority Whip, Minority Leader, Majority Leader of the House, before eventually clinching the Speakership seat in 2019, after defeating his opponent, Hon Mohammed Umar Bago.

He’s known to be very diplomatic and has been able to apply his leadership skills to deliver on the main functions expected of a legislator.

In the area of constituency representation, Gbajabiamila is known to have attracted several Federal projects to Lagos state, particularly his constituency, Surulere. This has attracted praises to him from his state governor and traditional rulers. It might also be the reason why he has consistently won his re-election campaign since 2003.

The Speaker is currently one of the top Bills and Motions sponsors in the 9th House. He sponsored critical Bills such as the Physically-challenged (Empowerment) Bill 2019; Criminalization of Estimated Billing System Bill 2019; Students Loan (Access to Higher Education Bill), 2019, among others.

Under his leadership, the Green Chamber passed notable key bills. Bills such as Electoral Act Amendment Bill, Petroleum Industry Bill, CAMA bill and some others which had suffered in the previous assemblies due to inability of the executive and legislature to work together and others passed by the National Assembly and were rejected by the president for different reasons, were passed by the 9th Assembly and signed into law by President Buhari.

Gbajabiamila as a close, loyal ally and one of those who have been under Tinubu’s school of politics and mentoring, it won’t be surprising if he gets appointed CoS.

It also won’t be out of place to say that the duo share the same approach to politics. Many people believe that the Speaker represents Tinubu’s eye and ear in the House since 2003 when he gained access to the Green Chamber.

Last year, the Speaker in a biography relished Tinubu’s political dexterity. In the book entitled: ‘Mr Speaker’ The Legislative Life, Service and Resilience of Femi Gbajabiamila”, which chronicled his political sojourn, he noted that it was not just about himself, but also a tribute to everyone who has helped him get to where he is today particularly Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

In an interview with the authors, Gbajabiamila, narrated the many roles played by Tinubu in his political journey.

Though the Speaker hasn’t handled an administrative position, however given his diplomatic nature and his decades of experience in the green chamber, he’s believed to make a good, vibrant CoS. The position will also make him facilitate a good relationship between the Executive and parliament for good governance and service delivery.