Tinubu Has Made Good Choice In Femi Gbajabiamila As COS---  Senate President

The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, has described the alleged appointment of the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Chief of Staff as a good choice.

Lawan said if it was true that Tinubu appointed Gbajabiamila as his COS, then is best decision stressing that Gbajabiamila's experience and network as COS would be a plus for Tinubu’s administration.

According to him, if confirmed to be true, then President Bola Tinubu would have made the best decision in the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as his Chief of Staff.

Lawan stated this while answering questions from State House Correspondents after meeting with President Tinubu, on Thursday in Aso Villa.

When asked about his colleague, being appointed as chief of staff, Lawan said: “I am waiting for the announcement. You are speculating, you know you are in the media, I’m not. 

“The speaker of the House of Representatives has been rumoured to be chief of staff designate. First of all, I pray that comes to pass. If that happens, Mr president would have made a every wise decision. 

“At this moment, you need a chief of staff with very versed experience in the area of legislation, in the area of cooperating with executive which the speaker spare headed from the house. 

“He has a very good network and the support that is required. And when that happens, you know this administration is going to be administration of the legislators. 

“You have a president who was a senator, a vice president who was a senator and of course our potential chief of staff designate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, is somebody who has been in the National Assembly for 20 years. 

“So, this administration should have no difficulty in relating with the 10th National Assembly because all of them have passed through the National Assembly system and they know what the sentiments and the sensibilities of members of the National Assembly are. 

“And I hope that they will take it to the next level because, the National Assembly has been vilified unnecessarily and unfairly for some things. For me, I take that calmly whenever we are called names because everything has a price. If you don’t perform you have a name to be called, if you perform they say you are rubber stamp. But, whichever name, what is crucial is for you to perform your services in the national interest.

“I’m sure that the appointment as chief of staff to Mr President will be a very welcome idea to many.

“So, I wish my brother well and wish that he will become the chief of staff and in advance, I pray for almighty God to guide him and protect him in his new job. As a gatekeeper is not going to be an east job.”

On his own, Gbajabiamila, who incidentally was in the presidential villa, refused to confirm his appointment adding: “Be patient, be patient, the system works in its own way. Let’s allow the system to work.”

Asked if the announcement would come before the end of the day, Gbajabiamila said: “We’ll see, we’ll see, we’ll see. Thank you very much.”

According to the Senate President, Lawn, what would inform the emergence of NASS leadership, would be national interest.

 “What will inform the emergence will be the national interest, interest of the National Assembly, the legislature together and therefore everybody matters in this process. 

“We also believe that Mr. President having been a senator himself and his vice president also having been a senator, this is something that they will always wish and pray for. 

“As the chairman of the 9th National Assembly, I find it dutiful and necessary to work with all the major stakeholders especially the leadership of our country, Mr President particularly to give my necessary opinion and advise on how the new leadership of the National Assembly should emerge and what we need to do to ensure stability, productivity of the National Assembly and to ensure peaceful atmosphere between the legislature and the executive arm of government. 

“We are getting somewhere and my prayer is we are able to resolve all the outstanding issues by the grace of God. And Mr. President is positively disposed to everything being done smoothly.

He denied ever showing interest in retaining his seat as President of the Senate, in the 10th Senate stressing that he had never shown interest in doing so.

“I have never indicated interest to run for the office of the President of the Senate in the 10 National Assembly.

"We have worked together with distinguished Senators of the 9th National Assembly and members of the House of Representatives to create a very Clement environment for us to work.

“We have been productive, much more productive than any National Assembly. We have worked very closely with the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and of course that helped the administration also.

“My prayer and wish and hope are that we are able to have a peaceful transition. We who are outgoing to a new set of leaders of the National Assembly and who will continue to unite everybody in the National Assembly.

"We want to have a leadership in the Senate that will unite Senators to work so well regardless of their political parties, the same thing in the House of Representatives." He stated.

He called on older members of the National Assembly like him, to mentor new ones that are just coming.

“The truth is I have never indicated interest to run but I have a responsibility to the Senate, the National Assembly having been in the National Assembly for 24 years now, especially when we have 70 percent of members in the National Assembly especially in the Senate who are new, those of us who have been there longer, owe everybody that responsibility to at least help mentoring those who are new if we are not going to be presiding officers or hold principal positions.

“I don’t really wish to be one. I have played my part and I am happy that we have played our part, we have made positive impact but of course, we have had our fair share of shortcomings but I can hold my head high on behalf of all my colleagues in the Senate and the National Assembly that this National Assembly have contributed to national development in no mean measure and have succeeded in getting very critical legislation passed and assented to by the former President,” he said.