Africa Press-Nigeria:
So one renegade reporter began spewing some lies about the Vice President last week but what Nigerians know about the impeccable integrity and unquestionable character of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is not a new subject of public discourse.
On July 3, 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari said some flattering words about his deputy, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. It is not the first time he has showered praises on Prof. Osinbajo or lauded him for his integrity on the job.
The latest offering of commendation came following the declaration of Nigeria as polio-free by the World Health Organisation. “This is to express our profound appreciation for your leadership of the Presidential Taskforce on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization. The declaration of Nigeria as a Wild Polio free country is the result of your effective coordination of the Nigerian Polio eradication program through the Presidential Taskforce on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization, Federal Ministry of Health and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency”.
While some might argue that it is commonplace for a boss to shower praises on his deputy, others will tell you that it has to be earned and I think the latter is true. But Osinbajo’s long history of integrity was not built overnight.
In 1999, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had just been elected Lagos governor and he needed a man with a stellar, impeccable record to lead the legal reforms in Lagos. At the time, he did not know Prof. Osinbajo and had never met him but the recommendations from neutrals to pick the Vice President as attorney general was overwhelming. It was not just his unmatchable brilliance that caught the eye but his integrity.
He was subsequently appointed Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General. During his time as attorney general many reforms where undertaken including the establishment of the Office of the Public Defender, fiscal and legal restructuring among other notable things but something else also happened. This encounter was recounted by Richard Akinnola, renowned lawyer and journalist.
According to him, many years ago, when Osinbajo was the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos state, he revolutionised the infrastructures of the Lagos judiciary with new modern buildings. So one day, the main contractor, a foreign one very popular in Nigeria (name witheld), came to meet Yemi Osinbajo to show appreciation.
