Gbaja: Lessons I learned from Tinubu have helped me be a better public servant

Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, says the guidance he receives from Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has helped him to be a better public servant. 

Gbajabiamila spoke at the weekend in Abuja at an event organised by the Progressive Sisters Network (PSN) to honour Tinubu.

The speaker, who was elected into the house of representatives in 2003, said he has benefited from Tinubu’s mentorship in the nearly 30 years he has spent in public service.

“We are here to talk about a man whose entire life is a testament to the incredible impact that individuals can make on the lives of others when they devote themselves to building ladders of opportunity for others to reach the highest heights their talents can take them,” he said.

“Most importantly, we are here to hear from the people who at the critical moments of their ascent, benefitted from the support, guidance, and leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am one such person.”

Gbajabiamila said nobody succeeds in life on their own and must thus rely on the guidance of a mentor.

“We depend on relationship networks, our family, our friends, and even sometimes the kindness of strangers to achieve the best desires of our hearts. In those moments, nothing beats having a guiding hand from someone who has been down the same road and can provide you with a roadmap,” he said.

“For nearly three decades now, I have had the opportunity and privilege of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s guiding hand to help me in my public service. I have learned lessons from him that have helped me be a better legislator and public servant.”

Gbajabiamila said aside from him, several present and past public officials have benefited from Tunubu’s tutelage, including women.

The legislator said as governor of Lagos, Tinubu constituted a cabinet of people based on merits irrespective of their religion, tribe, and background.

“That cabinet had men like senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Ben Akabueze, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, prof Yemi Osinbajo, senator Femi Lanlehin, Sunday Dare, and Arthur Worrey, amongst others,” he said.

“All these individuals who have gone on to have accomplished careers in the public and private sectors by virtue of their own abilities are Lagosians by their contributions to the growth and prosperity of the state. But none of them is from Lagos. I learned from Asiwaju that what matters is the quality of the person, not where they come from, their gender, or religion.

“You will never succeed in building such a team if you focus on asking questions about which God a person prays to, which language one speaks, and which church they attend. These questions don’t speak to the quality of a human being. More often than not, they reflect the prejudices and limited vision of the person asking the question.

“Asiwaju taught us that the promise of democracy is not perfection. The promise of democracy is accommodation and dedication to service in the best interest of the collective. We learned from Asiwaju that the private ambitions of any one individual must never take preeminence over the shared interests of the community, the party, or the country.”

“WE ARE COMMITTED TO TINUBU”

In her remarks, Rinsola Abiola, national coordinator of PSN, said the group would work for Tinubu’s victory at the polls because he is committed to the Nigerian project.

Rinsola, who is the daughter of the late MKO Abiola, said Tinubu has “proved himself to be a patriot in every sense of the word, and a man who loves Nigeria as much as he does can be trusted to lead the country”.

“Many have asked us why are we so committed to actualising this goal of having him sworn in as president and commander-in-chief come May 29. The answer is simple. We are committed to Asiwaju because he has demonstrated commitment to us. From the bitter, drawn-out struggle against military dictatorship, to his relentless efforts to steady the ship of our nascent democracy,” she said.

“Many of those in this room today and scores of others not present, male and female, and in both the public and private sectors, have worked with Asiwaju at different points and benefitted from his guidance and mentorship.”

Those who attended the event included Kashim Shettima, Tinubu’s running mate; Abike Dabiri-Erewa; chairperson of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission; Betta Edu, APC national women leader, among others.