Gbajabiamila apologises to Nigerians over ‘insensitive post’

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, has described his decision to post a picture of himself attending a leadership course at Harvard University in the United States of America as not being sensitive to the plight of Nigerian students currently suffering from the shutdown of academic activities in public universities due to the ongoing strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities and other unions.

Theeditorial.ng on Tuesday reported how the Speaker came under fire for celebrating his ‘return to class’ amidst the ASUU strike.

Several activists and stakeholders described the post as ‘insensitive.’

But the speaker, via his verified Twitter handle @femigbaja, on Wednesday apologised for the post.

The statement partly read, “Yesterday, I posted a picture of myself at the @Harvard @Kennedy_School, undergoing a course. That post was not sensitive to the present feelings of fellow citizens, especially parents and students who are presently bearing the brunt of the ongoing closure of public universities owing to the unresolved issues between the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“I apologise for the post at this time, and I hope you will understand that it was not my intention to cause disaffection. As Speaker of @HouseNGR, I have made multiple interventions within the powers of the legislature to avert the ongoing strike. I had direct engagements with ASUU, relevant government agencies. The House of Representatives is still keenly involved in seeking a resolution to the issues so our students can return to school. We all await the outcome of the two-week ultimatum given for the conclusion of negotiations with ASUU.

“I have long been a champion of public education in Nigeria, and I have consistently advocated programmes, policies and investments to improve the quality of public education in the country.”