Gbajabiamila: Now that the President Has Spoken

Raheem Akingbolu writes about the recent clean bill of health given by President Bola Tinubu to his Chief of Staff, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila over accusations levelled against him by some faceless critiques.

Given the sensitivity of the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and in particular the brand of politics we play in Nigeria, I knew ab initio that Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila would soon become a subject of criticism.

All over the world, CoS is a critical position that can shape the overall success or failure of a presidency. That’s why even in the US, Chief of Staff to successive presidents have been the source of frequent attention.

As the presidential alter ego and the first among equals of the Aso Rock staff, it’s possible for Gbajabiamila to have built a reputation of a tough gatekeeper, a posture that will not naturally go down well with President Bola Tinubu’s men -old and new associates, who, few months ago had unbridled access to their leader.

To these sets of people, the fact that the president is no more just a political leader or their party’s presidential candidate is not enough reason for protocol restriction. 

But I must confess, the bashes on Gbajabiamila came earlier than expected.

I’m not only surprised but disappointed that the same Gbajabiamila we all celebrated for four years as the Speaker of the House of Representatives for his quality and purposeful leadership has suddenly become a ‘bad’ man. How do times fly?

Beyond his primary assignment of coordinating the law-making activities in the House, Gbaja’s intervention during the 2022 strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) earned him a special place in our hearts. Then we all singled him out as a ‘star boy’ because he saved Nigeria from national embarrassment and creatively restored the sanity in the university system. His intervention during the ASUU strike was significant and shore up his profile across board because it was a matter that affected all Nigerians, regardless of age, religion or political leaning.

Unfortunately for us and perhaps because we were still in the euphoria of his exceptional leadership qualities as demonstrated in the house, Gbajabiamila is the first CoS that was ‘appointed’ by the people. I will address how this happened immediately.

Prior to the presidential campaign, the former speaker had carved a niche for himself within and outside the National Assembly as being a brilliant, sharp and progressive-minded politician. Age is also at his advantage, depending on where you want to take the argument. Gbaja fits in perfectly with the ‘not too young to rule or not too old to govern’ maxim, which has suddenly become a political slogan.

With this profile, coupled with his activities during the campaign, both politicians and members of the public had concluded and ‘handed over’ the office of the CoS to Gbajabiamila before inauguration.

In fact, if President Bola Tinubu had pronounced someone else as CoS other than Gbaja, it would have generated huge controversy.

Today, the same Gbajabiamila has been blacklisted by some politicians as unnecessary devil in the villa. Again, this is expected because politics is first and foremost about personal interest. And for those who haven’t gotten their political bread ‘buttered’ are quick to drop the blame on the doorstep of the President’s CoS.

Among other criticisms, he has been labeled a power monger, an hijacker of presidential functions and a political merchant who allocates appointments to the highest bidder.

Before putting up any defence for Gbajabiamila, we may need to ask the question again; does a president need a CoS? Or maybe this question should be preceded by a question that’s centered around the functions of CoS.

Again, within and outside political office, Chiefs of Staff have become an indispensable ally of the Chief Executive Officer  because  they assist CEOs in thinking through and setting policies—and making sure they are implemented. They anticipate problems and are especially sensitive to issues that require diplomacy.

In a political office like that of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, CoS function as extra eyes and ears by pointing out political potholes their bosses may not recognize (especially if the President is new to the office as we have in less than six months Bola Tinubu’s presidency). Importantly, a CoS acts with the implicit imprimatur of the President—something that calls for humility, maturity, and situational sensitivity.

Now, the question again; can a President survive without a CoS? The answer is capital NO! Records abound of many leaders in corporate and political settings who had had themselves to blame because of whether they didn’t have CoS or didn’t empower theirs. According to Chris Whipple’s new book, “an empowered chief of staff can make a successful presidency.” Then the ones not empowered would definitely make a failed presidency.

Then in view of the most common features of Chief of Staff as a game-changer, and a key member of a leadership team, serving as a strategic advisor while managing day-to-day operations of the president, can one rightly conclude that Gbajabiamila is on the right track? I think he is.

Since he assumed the office, I have taken pain to note his unique selling points. Like every great Chiefs of Staff, Gbajabiamila doesn’t just serve his principal, but also the rest of the leadership team. I saw that clearly during the ministerial screening. And lately, I have observed appreciatively that he understands the needs of the team and works to remove roadblocks and help others shine.

Finally, Gbaja has become a valuable connector, bridging gaps and facilitating communication and collaboration within the presidency. That he’s influential is obviously true but the truth is that the office is designed to wear that toga. Events and the jibes being thrown at Tinubu’s CoS in recent time have given some of the All Progressive Congress’ power brokers away as politicians who were expecting a weak CoS to be able to take the advantage of President Tinubu’s busy schedules and age.

In the last few days, some associates of Gbajabiamila were unsettled with smear campaigns against their man. Of course they assumed the unpopular call for the removal of the Lagos State born politician would affect his rating in the eyes of his Principal -the President. They are wrong.

As if reading their minds, the President had earlier this week unexpectedly declared that he has “absolute confidence” in the integrity of his Chief of Staff. The President said this just before the commencement of this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. His comments came just 48 hours after a report emerged that the CoS may be battling an integrity crisis following allegations that he has been “trading off appointments in the government of President Tinubu to the highest bidder.”

This new twist has simply reminded political analysts and historians of how former President Bill Clinton reacted and defended Tina Flournoy as his chief of staff, when the odds were against her. Several people who claimed they were close to Clinton before Flournoy became his chief of staff in 2013 described her management of access to Harris. Like we have in Nigeria now, several of her distractors questioned her methods while she worked for Clinton. Some said Flournoy screamed at Clinton allies, while others said she limited staff access to the former president and ignored their ideas.

But like Tinubu, Clinton rose and defended her; “Tina Flournoy ran my office for more than eight years, making it more efficient, effective, and transparent. She made it easier, not harder, for me to advance my philanthropic work and my post-presidential activities, and keep in touch with my friends,” Clinton said in a statement given to Journalists. Today, the same Flournoy some wanted to sacrifice for their selfish reasons is in the White House as CoS to Vice President Kamala Harris.

I think like Flournoy, Gbajabiamila has a unique ability to focus on the big picture and adapt to changing conditions. Having been Asiwaju Tinubu’s political associates for over twenty years, the CoS knows him like the back of his hands. Above all, he’s loyal to the leader and responsible to Nigerians.

Through many of his actions, Femi Gbajabiamila has proven that he’s out to serve the Presidency and the nation, not the interest of the minority at the expense of the majority.

I find most of the allegations against him extremely ridiculous knowing, like many Nigerians, his political and financial worth before becoming the CoS.

Gbajabiamila must have influenced at least the appointment into office of many Nigerians who were literally jobless in the last few months and I wonder how much these people must have offered to sway him.

In line with Tinubu’s approach to fishing out talents, Gbajabiamila sees the need to raise up a new army of brilliant Nigerians, with or without godfathers. This obviously doesn’t go well with some people around the corridor.

Another thing I have noticed in the last few weeks is that many politicians who claim to know Asiwaju are living with mere illusion. They don’t know jack about the man they call their leader but Gbajabiamila knows Tinubu and Tinubu knows Gbajabiamila.

Now that Tinubu has come out unsolicitedly to declare that he has absolute confidence in Gbaja, I think the time for political jobbers to allow the system to work is now. Tinubu’s first term is still early in the day and it’s not too late to satisfy all interests. For now, let’s all work be on the deck to to lift the nation.