By The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has apologized to Nigerians over his recent post about his enrollment at Harvard University.
It would be recalled that on Tuesday, Gbajabiamila announced on social media that he has resumed for a leadership course at the Harvard Kennedy School, sharing pictures of himself in the prestigious institution.
The tweet, however, sparked outrage from Nigerians who knocked the Speaker for attending a foreign varsity, amid the lingering industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which has lasted for over five months, and forced thousands students to stay home with their academic aspirations hanging in the balance.
Reacting to the backlash in a statement on Wednesday, Gbajabiamila admitted that his post wasn’t “sensitive” to the present feelings of Nigerians.
He, however, said he didn’t intend to cause “disaffection”, adding that he has made several interventions to resolve the industrial action.
The Speaker wrote, “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 the House of Representatives, I have made multiple interventions within the powers of the legislature to avert the ongoing strike.I had direct engagements with ASUU and 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.”
