RT. HON. ’FEMI HAKEEM GBAJABIAMILA

Rt. Hon. ’Femi Hakeem Gbajabiamila is the Speaker of the 9th Assembly of the House of Representatives, Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. An experienced lawyer who has practiced internationally, he chose to return to Nigeria in the late 90’s to apply his knowledge and expertise from the legal profession in contributing to the development of his home country, Nigeria.  

For almost two decades, he has served as a lawmaker representing the Surulere Federal 1 Constituency at the Lower Chamber of Nigeria’s bicameral parliament. His tenure at Nigeria’s House of Representatives has been marked by significant leadership roles in recognition of his political, diplomatic and legislative leadership skills. In 2007, he was elected Minority Whip and in 2014 he led his colleagues and his party to the historic merger that birthed the ruling party – the All Progressive Congress (APC) – emerging as the Majority Leader at the House of Representatives in 2015.  As a result of his exemplary service and the impact he has made in his two decades at the House in June 2019,  he was overwhelmingly elected by his colleagues as Speaker of Nigeria’s 9th Assembly of the House of Representatives. 

His legislative leadership is backed by an extensive legal career and academic accomplishments. Gbajabiamila graduated at the top of his class at the University of Lagos, Nigeria earning an LLB (Bachelor of Laws) in 1983 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1984. He furthered his education at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School where he graduated with honors graduating magna cum laude with a Juris Doctor (JD) degree. Upon successfully completing the Georgia State Bar examinations, he practiced in Atlanta as a lawyer, until his return to Nigeria. Upon his return first worked as as a legal practitioner at Benley, Edu and Co., and then established his own law firm, Femi Gbaja & Co., from where he then launched into public service as a legislator. 

As the Speaker of the house of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has led several paradigm-shifting House reforms, including the introduction of an                        e-Parliament and  in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. He immediately led the production of the Covid-19 Response Strategy, which necessitated the updating of the  Legislative Agenda to ensure the priorities and interventions of the House address the multifaceted impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the lives and livelihoods of  his fellow Nigerian citizens. 

A champion of good governance and more effective public financial management, he also drove the delivery of a timelier Budget Cycle in the House, ensuring it is utilised from January to December. He championed the Physically Challenged Bill (2019) and the Student Loan Bill (2019), amongst several others, however, the work of the legislature does not end at our borders but spans the global political and economic space. As such, in his conviction that African parliamentary leaders need to work better together in the continent’s interest, he founded and established the Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments (CoSAP) with the Speakers of Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal , as the first platform specifically for African Speakers and Heads of Parliaments to meet, deliberate, coordinate and collaborate in finding African legislative solutions to African challenges.  In the same vein, he has employed the craft of legislative diplomacy in dispute resolution and to intervene in protecting lives, livelihoods, rights and property of Nigerians in the diaspora. For example, he led a mission to Ghana to address the Nigeria-Ghana Trade Crisis in 2020, as well as resolving previous challenges in China, South Africa and other parts of the world. He believes that the Nigerian government has a sacred responsibility to protect Nigerans at home and abroad, especially in these challenging times. 

He remains an advocate for the protection of women and girls, an avid champion for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria and his track record  reflects a strong a penchant for supporting vulnerable or excluded groups, the poor and downtrodden. He also has a strong affinity for young people – as evident in his team of aides – and will soon launch the Femi Gbajabiamila Public Service Leadership and Mentoring to train and equip a new generation of leaders in Nigeria’s public sector. An avid reader with a thirst for knowledge he has also championed the creation of the National Assembly Legislative Library as space for all Nigerans to learn and develop their knowledge  on both the legislature and other areas pertinent to national development. 

A committed husband and father, Gbajabiamila remains devoted to the pressing task of building a nation that provides an enabling environment for all Nigerians to fulfill their highest potential, and a government that fulfills its social contract with its citizens, hence the theme of the Legislative Agenda he birthed, aptly titled “Our Contract with Nigerians”.