Nigeria’s lower house speaker issued an apology after tweeting images of himself at Harvard Kennedy School when domestic universities were still shuttered due to a lecturers’ strike.
Since February, institutions in Nigeria have been shuttered because teachers claimed that the government had broken a promise regarding increased financing for public universities and their allowances.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, posted images of himself on Tuesday while enrolled in a leadership course at Harvard University.
Go back to class, he urged. at the @Kennedy School @Harvard in a leadership seminar. No matter how many grey hairs you have, you can always learn new things and improve your talents.
BACK TO CLASS. IN A LEADERSHIP COURSE AT @HARVARD @KENNEDY_SCHOOL . FORGET THE NUMBER OF GREY HAIRS ONE IS NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN, BROADEN OR SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS PIC.TWITTER.COM/BR1PQJYQ8Q— Femi Gbajabiamila (@femigbaja) July 26, 2022
The photos drew angry reactions from university students.
The Speaker apologised on Wednesday, although the photos remain on his Twitter account.
“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,” he said.
“I apologize for the post at this time, and I hope you will understand that it was not my intention to cause disaffection,” he added.
Source: BBC