Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, who fled the U.S. after he was exposed for swindling a client, says Mr Tinubu loves suffering Nigerian masses.

“The one thing we know about Mr President is his love for the masses. When anybody tells you why this policy? People are hungry; Mr President sees it all and is pained,” said Mr Gbajabiamila at 2024 All Progressives Congress (APC) South-West Assembly held at the Eko Hotel, Lagos on Saturday.

He added, “We will continue to advise him, we will continue to talk to him, we will continue to put heads together. Governance is about everybody.”

In September 2023, Peoples Gazette dug into Mr Gbajabiamila’s dubious past as a legal practitioner in Georgia, exposing how he fled the U.S. stealing $25,000 from a client and returned to Nigeria to start political career. 

Mr Gbajabiamila’s statement comes a few days after Mr Tinubu left the vacation abroad amid the cries of Nigerians over the unprecedented rising cost of living.

With petrol prices soaring from N145 to about N1,000 and  the naira trading for about N1,700 under Mr Tinubu’s watch due to his dual policies of fuel subsidy removal and exchange unification, Nigerians have witnessed unprecedented rise in the cost of living.

In August, Nigerians in their thousands hit the streets across the nation, protesting over economic hardships for 10 days, berating Mr Tinubu’s government for calling for patience from citizens while he and other government officials live in opulence from taxpayers money.

The Gazette, in December 2023, reported how Mr Gbajabiamila’s office was allocated N21 billion in 2024 budget for renovation of official residence and software amid economic hardships ravaging the country.

The controversial and unprecedented huge allocations to Mr Gbajabiamila’s office sparked reactions from Nigerians who raised the alarm of waste of resources while citizens cry of hunger.