Gabajabiamila apologizes for Harvard University lectures post amid ASUU strike

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has apologized for a post he made on social media on Tuesday depicting him taking classes in a university in the United States of America, while universities in his home country, Nigeria, have been shut for about five months due to the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

On Wednesday, Gabajabiamila wrote on his Facebook page and via his Twitter handle, @femigbaja: “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 apologize 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 2-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 programs, policies and investments to improve the quality of public education in the country.”

It would be recalled that Gbajabiamila became a subject of criticism on social media for returning to the classroom to take a leadership course at Harvard University amid the strike by ASUU, which has kept government-owned universities down for more than five months.

The lawmaker had on Tuesday taken to his Facebook and  Twitter accounts to post pictures of himself in the classroom.

It was captioned: “The Speaker of Nigeria’s lower legislative chamber, the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has returned back (sic) to class at Harvard for a leadership course.