The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has revealed that being under the tutelage of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, for three decades has taught him many things.

Gbajabiamila made the disclosure at the rescheduled ‘Meet the Mentor’ dinner held by the Progressive Sisters Network to honour the former Lagos State governor at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.

At the event were other notable personalities including Tinubu’s running mate Kashim Shettima, the chairperson of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, APC National Women Leader, Dr Betta Edu, the Deputy spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, and Hannatu Musawa.

While showering encomium on the former Lagos governor, Gbajabiamila stated that Tinubu’s life is a testament to the impact people can have on the lives of others.

The Speaker added that Tinubu’s guidance has helped him in public service and he has learned lessons that have made him a better legislator.

“We are here to talk about a man whose entire life is a testament to the incredible impact that individuals can make on the lives of others when they devote themselves to building ladders of opportunity for others to reach the highest heights their talents can take them.

“And most importantly, we are here to hear from the people who, at the critical moments of their ascent, benefitted from the support, guidance, and leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am one of such persons.

“Nobody makes it in this life alone; we need each other.

“We depend on relationship networks, our family, our friends, and even sometimes the kindness of strangers to achieve the best desires of our hearts.

“In those moments, nothing beats having a guiding hand from someone who has been down the same road and can provide you with a roadmap.

“For nearly three decades now, I have had the opportunity and privilege of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s guiding hand to help me in my public service.

“I have learned lessons from him that have helped me be a better legislator and public servant.

“Today, we are seeing the devastating hardship that inevitably results when policymakers fail to consider the life and circumstances of the ordinary citizen”, he stated.

“That cabinet had men like Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Ben Akabueze, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Senator Femi Lanlehin, Sunday Dare, and Arthur Worrey, amongst others.

“All these individuals who have gone on to have accomplished careers in the public and private sectors by virtue of their own abilities are Lagosians by their contributions to the growth and prosperity of the state.

“But none of them is from Lagos. I learned from Asiwaju that what matters is the quality of the person, not where they come from, their gender or religion.

“You will never succeed in building such a team if you focus on asking questions about which God a person prays to, which language one speaks, and which church they attend.

“These questions don’t speak to the quality of a human being. More often than not, they reflect the prejudices and limited vision of the person asking the question.

“Asiwaju taught us that the promise of democracy is not perfection. The promise of democracy is accommodation and dedication to service in the best interest of the collective.

“And we learned from Asiwaju that the private ambitions of any one individual must never take preeminence over the shared interests of the community, the party, or the country”, Gbajabiamila added.