Buhari urges Gbajabiamila to continue serving Nigeria on his 60th birthday

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, to continue to be as patriotic to Nigeria as he has always been.

President Buhari commended Gbajabiamila for his service to the nation and urged him to continue doing so in any way he could. He said that in his capacity as Speaker of the House of Representatives, he had positively influenced how the public views the relationship between the legislative branch and the executive.
On Saturday, during a special prayer service held in the Speaker’s honour at the Ansar-Ud-Deen Central Mosque in Wuse 2, Abuja, in honour of his 60th birthday anniversary.

President Buhari was represented by his chief of staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, who claimed that the president had instructed him to wish the Speaker a happy 60th birthday. Prof. Gambari also noted that President Buhari has always supported free and fair elections, which is why he was pleased when Tinubu won the election as the APC’s presidential flag-bearer in such a process.

“I’m sending you a message from the President to wish you a happy 60th birthday. He wants you to keep doing good work for the country, too,” he said.
The National Assembly should “be antagonistic to the Executive,” according to some, but Gambari claimed that the House of Representatives under Gbajabiamila has ensured a good working relationship with the Executive branch.

He added that President Buhari wanted to reassure Nigerians that he had no plans to flout the law to extend his term in office.

Prof. Gambari said that President Buhari also wanted to reaffirm his support for the goal of a peaceful and united Nigeria.
For his part, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, was referred to as a patriotic Nigerian who uses his position to advance good governance by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a candidate for the party’s presidential nomination.

As the National Leader of the APC, Tinubu asserted that through the Legislature, Gbajabiamila will be able to have a positive impact on Nigerians’ lives.

In order to better serve Nigeria, the APC presidential candidate prayed that God would continue to favour the Speaker and give him long life and wisdom.

“May God keep you healthy, forever. May He also grant your requests to Him. We cannot overcome the leadership problem on our own; only God can set us on the right course and lead us all the way through life.

God bless you with good health so you can work for Nigeria. You must make your way through a challenging country. May Allah grant us, in His infinite mercy, the stability and peace necessary for us to govern, as well as the love we have for one another and the patriotism that will make us proud of our nation.

Allah be with and guide the Speaker, Dr. Musa Olaofe, the Chief Imam of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Mosque prayed during the prayers for Gbajabiamila.

Nigeria is difficult to govern because of its nature, according to Dr. Olaofe, who delivered a brief lecture on leadership, good governance, and tolerance.

However, he asserted, there will be good governance with good leadership, and he urged Nigerians to be tolerant of one another for genuine advancement.

He observed that Gbajabiamila is a unifier because he gathered people from various parts of the nation to work with him.

The Speaker, according to Imam Olaofe, exemplifies how Muslims are urged by the Qur’an to be kind and forgiving toward all people.

In his remarks of appreciation, Gbajabiamila thanked the president for his kind words and for sending his Chief of Staff to the prayer meeting.

The Speaker added that God, through Tinubu, had helped him and many others, both politically and otherwise, and that he owed this to the Almighty Allah.

Gbajabiamila expressed gratitude to both Salamatu, his wife, who organised the prayer session, and his mother, Hajiya Lateefat Olufunke Gbajabiamila, for raising him in a moral manner.

“I’d like to start by thanking the president through the COS. I’d like to thank my donor as well. Many think that all power belongs to Allah, no matter where you are.

But Allah doesn’t descend to bestow authority on you. He steers and commands you. He then told me to go see Asiwaju. He did it to me as well as others besides just me. May Allah, the Most High, keep you endowed with this extremely rare ability.

He expressed gratitude to his House colleagues for their support and cooperation in helping him fulfil his duties as first among equals.

A large number of dignitaries, including the Special Adviser to the President, Alh. Yau Darazo, numerous House members, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, and Dele Belgore (SAN), among others, attended the prayer session.