House Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila has apologized for posting photos of himself in a classroom at the Harvard School of Government in the US at a time when public universities in Nigeria have been closed for some time. six months.
“Yesterday I posted a photo of myself on @Harvard @Kennedy_School, taking a course. That post was insensitive to the current sentiments of fellow citizens, especially parents and students who are currently bearing the brunt of the ongoing closure of public universities due to unresolved issues between the University Academic Staff Union and the Federal Government of Nigeria”. she wrote on Twitter.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr. Gbajabiamila, a lawyer, posted photos of himself in a class with other (non-Nigerian) students on Tuesday.
“Back to school. In a leadership course @Harvard @Kennedy_School. Forget the number of gray hairs, one is never too old to learn, broaden or sharpen one’s skills,” she wrote on his verified Twitter page.
Mr. Gbajabiamila’s Tuesday posts drew condemnation from Nigerians who questioned the appropriateness of such an action when millions of Nigerian university students have been home for approximately six months due to a strike by university professors (ASUU).
ASUU declared a strike on February 14 after accusing the government of not implementing previous agreements with the union.
That post ‘not sensitive — Gbajabiamila
In a series of tweets on her verified Twitter account on Wednesday, Gbajabiamila said she did not intend to cause dissatisfaction with the post.
He said he has been at the forefront of trying to resolve the disagreement between the government and ASUU. He also listed other interventions he has made to improve public education in Nigeria.
Read his full statement below.
Yesterday, I posted a photo of myself on @Harvard @Kennedy_School, taking a course. That post was insensitive to the current sentiments of fellow citizens, especially parents and students who are currently bearing the brunt of the ongoing closure of public universities due to unresolved issues between the University Academic Staff Union and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
I apologize for posting at this time, and I hope you understand that I didn’t mean to cause disaffection. As president of @HouseNGR, I have made multiple interventions within the powers of the legislature to prevent the ongoing strike.
Had direct engagements with relevant ASUU government agencies. The House of Representatives is still very involved in seeking a resolution to the issues so that 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 been a long time advocate for public education in Nigeria and have always advocated for programs, policies and investments to improve the quality of public education in the country. In my constituency and beyond, I have attracted a new international student hostel at UNILAG which facilitated free WiFi internet access in all public tertiary institutions in Lagos state; provision of state-of-the-art ICT centers in 24 high schools across the state, provision of scholarships and grants to indigent students at selected tertiary institutions, provision of laptops to all high school teachers in my constituency and hundreds of students, facilitated the renovation of more than 15 public schools in Lagos,
facilitated the ongoing construction of the Open University Campus and JAMB CBT Center in my constituency, facilitated the ongoing construction of School Auditoriums at both LASU and the School of Legal Studies, Katsina; facilitated the construction of a public library in Ondo;
It facilitated the ongoing construction of an emergency care center for the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, among numerous other interventions. In keeping with my passion for education, I regularly take time to teach in a few public high schools around the country.
I will continue to work within the mandate of the legislature to provide our youth with access to a quality education.