By Bashir Adefaka
Exactly a year ago, Professor Yemi Osinbajo was Acting President and in that capacity he visited the Palace of the Sultan of Sokoto and Amirul Mu’mineen of Nigeria on the day he clocked 60. Ordinarily, for the mere celebration of such a round figure, an Acting President would want to stay back in the comfort and precinct of the Seat of Power in Abuja where all the drums of the world and red carpets of the nation would mass for encomiums and other honours befitting of the personality of his status.
But apparently walking the talk of the Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration where he is second-in-command and was acting while his boss was taking care of his sudden ill-health away in London, United Kingdom, Professor Osinbajo on his 60th birthday rolled up his sleeves and set out for work. That he did as he traveled to Sokoto where on that very day, accompanied by all the apparatuses and operators of government including the Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Directors-General of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), NAFDAC, and other agencies and officials needed in launching, effectively, the SEMES Clinic in Sokoto like he had done in other parts of the country as coordinating officer of the economy, when he visited the Palace of Sultan.
The Sultan, being a father and spiritual leader, had asked me to stay back from my Aero Contractor SOK-LOS flight saying Acting President Yemi Osinbajo was coming to visit and “If you are around to see things for yourself, it will make you a confident journalist known for getting authentic and reliable information for his media organisation.” That was the grace I had that day, and as said, I had every-minute, step-by-step coverage of the Acting President’s visit from the Palace of the Sultan to the Ginginya Coral Hotel Hall, along Kalambaina Road, Sokoto, where the SEMES Clinic launch by the Osinbajo took place. Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant to the President working with the Vice President was on ground.
Most interesting was that, Sultan, himself a very profound religious figure of the Islamic faith, was quite and comfortably at home and calm with Osinbajo, who on the other side is another profound religious figure, a pastor of the Christian faith. The Sultan looked into the entourage of the Acting President and cracked little jokes: “I am happy that as you (Osinbajo) were coming to Sokoto to visit us today you brought back to us a friend who had run away from us for a long time” (all laughters). And guess who that runaway friend was: Segun Awolowo, himself another profound figure of the Christian faith. And the Sultan called on Segun Awolowo “to pray the Christian way for Professor Osinbajo as he celebrates his birthday today” and that was what happened.
To me, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who I had known since my days in a conglomerate of many other companies on Adeniyi Jones Ikeja as legal consultant to the company, is enigmatic as a lawyer and pragmatic as a person. No one should be in doubt of the fact that he was the Special Assistant to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, who worked with Prince Bola Ajibola (SAN) to achieve what remains relevant as the only Law Reforms that Nigeria has had so far by any Minister of Justice. This perhaps may be the cause of my pains that as Vice President and professor of law, Pastor Osinbajo should have been able to put behind bars all of those corrupt judges and lawyers who are conniving with corrupt elements answering to cases before their courts in a way that is hindering the progress of the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.
It is therefore not far-fetched to see that the former teacher of law at the University of Lagos and outstanding pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God is more deserving of the kind of encomiums that have been pouring on him since news of his 61st birthday anniversary filtered into the public space on Wednesday.
This is a day I have patiently waited for to enable me tell “Mr. Yemi Osinbajo, a professor of law and Grand Commander of the Order of the Nigeria (GCON)” that he has done well as most fitting deputy to the rare gem – Muhammadu Buhari – that Nigeria has had, since after the First Republic, as President.
History will not forget in a hurry how the people, later tagged the “mischief makers” by President Buhari, had created confusion in the land collaborating with cronies in the media to rubbish the integrity of the then ailing President while on medical vacation in London. They did more than enough. They said, “Under one week that Osinbajo became Acting President Nigeria has got better quickly and Niger Delta has found its lost peace and development.” They started drumming for Osinbajo to throw off the toga of a Vice or Acting President and assume (like Goodluck Ebele Jonathan – do I say foolishly fell for their antics in assuming the space of the North making himself available in 2011 for) the office of the President.
Ayodele Fayose, Governor of Ekiti State, had boasted to produce 14 photographs of President Buhari on life support machine in London and Pastor-Lawyer Femi Fani-Kayode had said because he was the David and Buhari a Golliat, the President had gone for good and would never return alive from London and that it was what God revealed to him. I will not dignify that ranting pastor in Reno Omokri, who was part of the show-of-shame all along. So much that PUNCH Newspaper too joined in the foray to say in one of its editorial comment that President Buhari was “brain-dead” and so should be made to resign while Osinbajo (or how did it put it?) should step into the office as substantive President. PUNCH’s man at the Villa was fully on ground reeling out all manner of exclusive reports and they were being eagerly published in his paper because they were sure that they had overcome their “common enemy”. Too bad!
All of these were the scenes of event that took place at a time Nigerians regardless of religious, ethnic and political backgrounds should show patriotism by supporting the President to recover quickly and resume to work. But they did not do so. As one of the fake news and dangerous wishes and rumours was dying down, another anti-Buhari controversy was brewed in “Our Mumu Don Do” courtesy of Charles Oputa a.k.a. Charley Boy. Another supported by Governor Fayose and Femi Fani-Kayode and many leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) also cropped up in the intended anti-Buhari nationwide protest meant to be led by TuFace until Tu-Baba opted out to save his musical career from ruin by hypocrisy. To their chagrin and utter shame, President Muhammadu “Incorruptible” Buhari walked into the presidential plane in London hospital and all televised until the plane conveying him touched the ground of the country at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at exactly 4.05pm of the day. What is more?
Without support, the President alighted and walked into the happy-mood Yemi Osinbajo accompanied by many other government officials including members of the presidential media office: Mr. Femi Adesina, Malam Garba Shehu, Mr. Laolu Akande, Ms Lauretta Onochie, and military chiefs and Guard of Honour/Band stand that had been stationed on ground to give the fully recovered President a well deserving welcome.
Like President Buhari said in appreciation of Mr. Femi Adesina holding out against the mischief makers, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo deserves more than 61 garlands on his birthday for resiliently and persistently holding out against the mischief makers who wanted him to rock of the boat of the country and set us back as nation. That is why the huge hailing of the Nigeria’s second-in-command coming from his governing party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), on the special occasion of his birthday cannot be too much.
To me, for making me rediscover myself as a Nigerian, I thank Professor Yemi Osinbajo at 61 for proving to the cynics of the Niger Area called Nigeria that if they think religion has failed us as country people, Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osinbajo are products of religion that have ruled Nigeria since May 29, 2015 with the fear of God. They have proved to the naysayers of this part of the continent that if they think ethnicity is the problem of Nigeria, a combination of Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba products has not only done Nigeria great taking over a Nigeria-in-Recession but also, gladly too, successfully moving the country fully out of Recession. Security, they are security the country daily and are devising means to counter the new antics being developed by criminals and insurgents. Politically, these two figures have changed the face of Nigerian politics and so they have been able to, not only say but also, practicalise that politics is not do-or-die like it happened in the time of a former President who now wants Buhari out. They have also been able to educate and whip all political footballers of the country to line that it is not a norm that party in power must win all elections. No impunity.
They showed this practical political handling in Anambra, senatorial elections in Kogi and Osun etc, which could not have been easy if the President and deputy do not concur with each other in office. This is one of the reasons I particularly set out with this article to be part of celebrations of 61st birthday anniversary of Professor Yemi Osinbajo (GCON), Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
*Bashir Adefaka, a Prince of Isolo Akure, Ondo State, is a Lagos-based media practitioner, Member Media Team of Sultan of Sokoto and Special Journalist to Prince Bola Ajibola (SAN).
