*How Mr. Speaker was led on, ‘abandoned’ by Oba Adeyemi
*Why he may never recover from Alaafin of Oyo’s demise
*Lust for title cost him millions of naira – Insiders
Femi Gbajabiamila must be in pain. The incumbent Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, like the desirous nomad, is stranded on the mournful plane with few landmarks and no boundaries; he is marooned where happiness’ horizons grow vague and propriety’s vistas evade the covetous grasp of the ambitious.
At the demise of his HRH Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo, Gbajabiamila’s heartfelt joy dimmed into a coma. Soon after Oba Adeyemi departed the path of life, into the distant privacy of the hereafter, Gbajabiamila’s dreams of clinching a chieftaincy title suffered a sudden death.
The incumbent Speaker, who was supposed to be invested with the title of thee Baasofin ti ile Yoruba (The Supreme Legislative Guide of the Yoruba), watched his dream of bagging the title extinguish at the demise of Oyo’s paramount ruler.
At the monarch’s demise, the event which was slated for Friday, May 27, 2022, at the Forecourt of the Alaafin of Oyo’s Palace can no longer hold and this has really unsettled Gbajabiamila, who had hitherto looked forward to his grand investiture as a traditional chief of Oyo Kingdom.
More worrisome was the sheer waste of the millions of naira budgeted for his investiture ceremony. Gbajabiamila is presently beside himself in misery as he rues the fortune he committed to his thwarted party. Sources close to the Speaker disclose that he is yet to recover from the rude shock of the Alaafin’s death and the monetary cost of losing such an opportunity to assert himself as a force to reckon with amid his kinsmen.
There is no gainsaying Gbajabiamila nursed grand dreams of the future. But his expectations have been thwarted by the Alaafin’s demise. The prominent monarch has embarked on a journey of no return. Having lived a long, fulfilled life, he has been led to the deep and dusty rubble beneath his throne and high tower to join his forbears.
Alaafin Adeyemi’s demise has dealt a big blow to Gbajabiamila’s chieftaincy hopes, and this has left the lawmaker distraught. Having spent good money printing the invitation cards for the event, and planning for it in a big way, the Honourable Speaker must count his losses and simply move on.
His recent travail undoubtedly offers undeniable lessons in tact, modesty, and humility. Having been severely humbled by fate, Gbajabiamila has learned that this life is indeed transient and unpredictable. He has learned never to take things for granted perhaps.
He has also learned never to plan for tomorrow with a surety and temerity that borders on cockiness.
The event which has since suffered a gruesome death was supposed to feature HRH Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, as the Royal Father of the Day and Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT), All Progressives Congress (APC)’s national leader and presidential aspirant, as a Special Guest of Honour, among others.
As Speaker of Nigeria’s 9th House of Representatives. Gbajabiamila was elected to the House in 2003 and re-elected in 2007. He represents the Surulere I constituency of Lagos State (see Nigerian National Assembly delegation from Lagos) in the House of Representatives. He is the Speaker of the House of Representation.
It is noteworthy that Gbajabiamila was the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives in the 7th National Assembly. He was elected speaker in the 9th National Assembly, House of Representatives, with 283 votes, while his opponent Mohammed Umar Bago, came Second with 78 votes.
