Profile
Olufemi Hakeem Gbajabiamila is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who has been serving in the House of Representatives since 2003, and is the current Speaker of the House of Representatives on the platform of All Progressives Congress.
Personal Life
He was born on 25th June 1962 in Lagos State to Mr and Mrs Lateef and Olufunke Gbajamilia. He is married to Salamatu Gbajabiamila, and they are blessed with children. Olufemi likes to read and travel.
Education
| School | Qualification | Year |
| John Marshall Law School, Georgia, United States of America | Juris Doctorate | |
| Nigerian Law School, Lagos State | B.L (Bachelor of Laws) | 1984 |
| University of Lagos, Lagos State | LL.B (Hons) | 1983 |
| King William’s College, Isle of Man, United Kingdom | A-Level Certificate | |
| Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos State | West African Senior Secondary Certificate | 1973 |
| Mainland Preparatory School, Surulere, Lagos State | First School Leaving Certificate |
Work History
| Place | Position | Date |
| Femi Gbaja & Co., Lagos State | Principal Partner | |
| Bentley Edu & Co., Lagos State | Legal Practitioner |
Lagos State, Nigeria
25th June 1962
Lagos State
All Progressives Congress
Christianity
Minority Leader, House of Representatives (2007-2015)
Speaker, House of Representatives (since 2019)
House of Representatives Member, Surulere 1 Constituency (since 2003)
Political History
Upon Gbajabiamila’s return from the USA, he joined the now-defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) political party. On this platform, he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2003, to represent the Surulere 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos State.
In 2007, he was re-elected to the House of Representatives under the banner of Action Congress. This time, he was elected as the Action Congress leader and Minority Leader of the House. By the end of his second tenure in 2011, he had sponsored the highest number of bills in the National Assembly amongst all the legislators.
In 2011, Gbajabiamila was re-elected – on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria – into the 7th National Assembly, to represent Surulere 1 Federal Constituency. He was once again elected the ACN leader and leader of the opposition in the House of Representatives. In 2014, as the leader of the opposition, he led his party members into the merger that birthed the All Progressives Congress. Under his leadership of the APC caucus in the House, the party earned the majority seats.
Gbajabiamila was re-elected to the House of Representatives in 2015. Following this, he ran for the Speakership seat of the House. He lost the election to Speaker Yakubu Dogara. However, he was elected House Leader of the 8th House of Representatives on July 28th, 2015.
Once again, in 2019, he was elected into the 9th National Assembly House of Representatives. But this time around, he was also elected the Speaker of the House, with 283 votes to defeat his opponent who had 78 votes.
He will be contesting to retain his current position as the the 2023 election
Leadership Style/Philosophy
Awards & Honours
- 2018 African Achievers Awards
- Honorary traditional title, “Aare Baasofin of Yorubaland” (the Supreme Lawmaker of Yorubaland) by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi
- In October 2022, the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) was bestowed on him by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Project
- Sponsored several bills including the Employee Rights Bill, Local content in Construction Industry Bill, Vocational Schools Bill, The Economic Stimulus Bill, Interest-Free Students Loan and Establishment of Nigeria Education Bank Bill, etc
- Instrumental to the National Assembly’s recognition of the newly created local governments in Lagos State in 2003
- Initiated the Lagos Job Fair, the first of its kind in South- West Nigeria
- Spearheaded the call for fiscal federalism and accountability in public speaking, which brought about the adoption of the Treasury Single Account policy
- Reconstruction and expansion of Babs Animashaun road and bridge
- Upgraded the existing Femi Gbajabiamila Clinic to a General Hospital at Iyun Road, Surulere
- Renovation of all school buildings at Stadium High School
- Construction of modern ICT centre at Ajigbeda Senior Girls’ High School and Methodist Nursery/Primary School, Surulere
- Constructed/rehabilitated over 100 roads since June 2019
Criticism/Controversy
After the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) in August 2021, Gbajabiamila, amongst other legislators, were accused of allegedly receiving bribes to guarantee the legislation’s advancement despite significant public opposition to parts of the text. According to reports from Peoples Gazette, between $1.5 to $2 million went to both Gbajabiamila and the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan. Although the story was corroborated by several legislators, Gbajabiamila and others who allegedly took the bribe, all refrained from commenting on the case.