Olufemi Hakeem Gbajabiamila was born on 25 June 1962, to Lateef Gbajabiamila and Olufunke Gbajabiamila in Lagos, Nigeria. He attended Mainland Preparatory School for his primary education and Igbobi College in 1973, where he completed his secondary studies. Subsequently, he enrolled at King William’s College on the Isle of Man, United Kingdom for his A-Level. He was accepted into the University of Lagos, Nigeria, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) with honors in 1983 and was admitted to the Nigerian bar in 1984.
His initial employment was with the law firm Bentley Edu & Co. in Lagos, before he founded his own legal practice, Femi Gbaja & Co. Later, he obtained his Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, passed the Georgia bar examination in 2001, and established his law practice there. He actively engaged in Bill Campbell’s campaign for mayor of Atlanta while he was still in the USA.
Political career
Gbajabiamila was first elected to represent the Surulere I constituency in Lagos State in the House of Representatives in 2003. He was re-elected and served six consecutive terms.
During the seventh National Assembly, Gbajabiamila held the position of minority leader in the House of Representatives.
He chaired the House of Representatives’ special committee investigating claims made by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) concerning debts owed by “Zenon Petroleum & Gas Limited” and “Forte Oil Plc,” totaling 140.9 billion naira (approximately $1 billion).
Gbajabiamila won the speakership of the 9th National Assembly’s House of Representatives with 283 votes, while Mohammed Umar Bago secured 78 votes.
Gbajabiamila was deeply invested in issues affecting his constituents and all of Nigeria in the House, earning a reputation as a distinguished legislator.
After two decades in the House of Representatives, he resigned on June 14, 2023, to assume the role of chief of staff for Bola Tinubu.
Awards
President Muhammadu Buhari conferred upon him the title of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) in October 2022.
Controversies and Corruption Allegations
As reported by NAIJATAB, Mr. Gbajabiamila faced a five-year suspension on July 2, 2015. This suspension was officially confirmed as a termination of his membership on July 1, 2020. At the time of his infractions in the U.S., Mr. Gbajabiamila was serving as Speaker of the House of Representatives, having joined the Georgia State Bar on June 29, 2001.
A representative informed GIVERLOVER that he is prohibited from practicing law in the state of Georgia.
After Mr. Gbajabiamila acknowledged taking $25,000 from a client, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously decided to suspend him for 36 months. After completing his suspension, he was reinstated, but following another violation, he was ultimately discharged.
The court remarked at the time that Mr. Gbajabiamila, who had joined the bar in 2001, “admits that he accepted payment of $25,000 as settlement of a client’s personal injury claims, deposited those funds in his attorney trust account in January 2003, failed to promptly disburse those funds to his client, withdrew those funds for his own benefit, closed his practice, and relocated out of the country.”
To mitigate the severity of the punishment, Mr. Gbajabiamila, who had served as a federal lawmaker for nearly four years before the verdict, repaid the funds in 2006, a year before the ruling.
Although Mr. Gbajabiamila has already faced consequences for his well-documented offenses in the U.S., his corruption in Nigeria has remained unpunished over a span from early 2006 to 2020.
In 2021, Mr. Gbajabiamila was among prominent lawmakers and government officials who accepted significant bribes from private businessmen to undermine local communities in pushing through the controversial 2021 law regulating the Nigerian hydrocarbon sector.
Recent allegations of his acceptance of bribes for selling critical government roles have arisen from within his own party.
He faced charges of rampant corruption that could severely impact Mr. Tinubu’s administration, as per a video made by the youth wing of the ruling All Progressives Congress. While some of his supporters have labeled individuals running this campaign as saboteurs, he has yet to refute the claims.
