It was long expected. But when Abiodun Oladunjoye, the State House Director of Information, announced via a statement on Friday that Olufemi Hakeem Gbajabiamila had been appointed as President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, it was still strong enough news to elicit the interest of Nigerians, including this writer.
There were several names bandied shortly after the inauguration of Tinubu as the 16th President of the country. Babatunde Raji Fashola, former Minister of Works; James Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives for Ikeja federal constituency; Kayode Fayemi, former Ekiti State governor and Gbajabiamila.
But those close to the president had long known that Gbajabiamila was the favoured one. Among all Tinubu associates, Gbajabiamila’s unflinching loyalty has stood him out. Since he was elected into the House of Reps in 2003, he has remained a “Tinubu boy” fighting his battles at the national level and at state level.
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But its been a relationship based on mutual respect. Tinubu is said to have confidence in Gbajabiamila’s intelligence and leadership capacity, but more importantly in his ability to remain loyal to him. This is why Tinubu did everything to ensure Gbajabiamila was elected Speaker of the House in 2015 but failed. He scored 174 while Yakubu Dogara polled 182 to become speaker. But Gbabiamila became Majority Leader of the House.
A member of the 8th House of Reps had told THE WHISTLER then that Gbajabiamila was not elected speaker because members saw him as arrogant. Explaining why he got so much votes despite members not willing to choose him as speaker, the legislator said they voted for him because Tinubu wanted him! But he admitted that Gbajabiamila was the most competent among the speakership contenders.
Thus, when another opportunity came in 2019, Tinubu ensured that his man did not lose again. He was elected speaker with 281 votes to beat his rival, Umar Bago, who scored 76 votes. He has successfully piloted the House of Reps without any major crisis or scandal as happened under previous House leaderships.
But despite his high position, Gbajabiamila still regarded Tinubu as his leader and used his position to advance his leader’s interests in government. While the loyalty of other allies were shaky, Gbajabiamila stood like a rock for the Jaganban Borgu.
In the countdown to the All Progressive Congress Presidential Primary, Gbajabiamila was a pillar of support for Tinubu, working behind the scene as mobilizer in chief. When Tinubu was eventually declared winner of the APC ticket, he gave a two minutes’ mention to Gbajabiamila during his thank-you speech.
After thanking then President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Tinubu turned to Gbajabiamila to express appreciation for his “efforts and sacrifices” and said his sacrifices would “never be forgotten.” Although he did not state the role he played, but his gratitude was an indication that he must have played a great role in his emergence as presidential candidate.
Since after Tinubu’s declaration as president-elect, Gbajabiamila has been his closest high profile aide, traveling with him and attending important meetings together. He has been an efficient and devoted aide of Tinubu since the election and his appointment as Chief of Staff must be a mere formality.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan, speaking on Gbajabiamila’s suitability for the office, said it was a wise decision by the President. He said, “At this moment, you need a chief of staff with very vast experience in the area of legislation and in the area of cooperating with the executive, which the Speaker spearheaded from the House.”
The position of Chief of Staff was created by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, modelled after the White House Chief of Staff. The Office of the Chief of Staff is responsible for directing, managing and overseeing all policy development, daily operations, and staff activities for the President. This office coordinates and communicates with all departments and agencies of the Administration
Information provided on his Wikipedia says he 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 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, where 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.
– Tajudeen Suleiman is an Abuja-based journalist.
Disclaimer: This article is entirely the opinion of the writer and does not represent the views of The Whistler.