₦airaland Forum

As VP inaugurates Nigeria’s first thrift-for-charity- 'DASH ME STORE_

*Kemi Adeosun gets applause for new initiative supporting the vulnerable via grassroot charities
One factor responsible for the impactful implementation of the Social Investment Programmes of the Buhari administration over the years is the realization that you can’t reach Nigerians if you don’t have a plan for the grassroots, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

This realization then influenced the structure designed for the SIP and is largely responsible for the successes of the programme (which is now regarded as one of the biggest social welfare schemes in the continent).

Prof. Osinbajo stated this Sunday in Lagos at the inauguration of the Dash Me Store, an outfit of the Dash Me Foundation founded by the immediate past Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun.

The store is established to mobilize resources for onward distribution to vulnerable people in the society via grassroot charities.

According to the Vice President, “I am excited to be here for several reasons, but most of all because of Mrs Adeosun’s commitment to the notion that all service to man is actually service to God, and she took that very seriously."

Prof. Osinbajo noted that “this is why, as Minister, she prioritized the Social Investment Programmes, when for the first time, the country voted almost N500B of our annual budget to welfare programmes which are called the Social Investment Programmes, which involved engaging 500,000 young men and women, and also giving microcredit to about 2 million traders and also a home-grown school feeding programme for 9.5 million children daily in public schools across the country.

“I am therefore really not surprised that she has decided to use some of her enormous talent and influence to establish an organization that raises funds and provides resources for indigenous grassroot charities working with orphaned and vulnerable children, disadvantaged youth, and victims of domestic violence.”

Speaking on the establishment of Nigeria’s first thrift-for-charity online store, Prof. Osinbajo said adding social enterprise to philanthropy with a structure that allows for resource mobilization for charity as well as creates the opportunity for people to earn a living in the process, should be the way to go.

His words: “what I think is happening here is that philanthropy is not like it used to be when all you needed was a good and kind heart and you didn’t need to plan or organize as you would a business for-profit.

“What Kemi and her team have done is to bring the new notion of social enterprise to this project. Philanthropy run with the discipline, attention to detail, and financial prudence of a successful business, and she can do all of that, and I am sure her team is imbibing that, given her background in finance in both private and public sector.”

Continuing, he said “the idea of this thrift-for-charity store is brilliant and the first of its kind in Nigeria. It is a unique model which does not just give to the needy in the conventional way of merely handing out donations.

“It is an innovative and structured way of aggregating donations to earn income to transform the lives of the vulnerable and needy while creating jobs in the process.

“I must say that your focus on funding grassroots charities is so crucial and I know that, having campaigned with you on behalf of our party, the APC all around Ogun and in every part of Nigeria, it is clear that you can’t reach Nigeria and Nigerians if you don’t have a plan for the grassroots.”

Earlier in her remarks, Mrs Adesoun said the idea of the store is to aggregate donations of different kinds for charitable causes, noting that Nigerians from different fields of endeavour and from across the country would be enabled via the online store to contribute to supporting the needy in the society.

She said the organization would work closely with charitable organisations in the grassroots to ensure that funds and other materials donated via the Dash Me Store get to actual beneficiaries.

*Laolu Akande,*
*Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity,*
*Office of the Vice President.*
14th June 2021.

As Nigeria celebrates the 2021 Democracy Day, the debate is raging on many social media platform as to how Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, should respond to the challenges in the country. But the discussions have overlooked an important constitutional point: A Vice-President does not exercise his own power independent of the President; and no matter how strongly he feels about a policy, it would be politically dangerous for him to break ranks with his boss. No doubt, the job of a VP under a Presidential system is probably the most frustrating in the world, even when the occupant understands his or her role clearly.
But despite the encumbrances, VP Osinbajo, in the last six years, has made a huge difference in practically every important agenda of this administration such as the Social Investment Program, Economic Sustainability Programme, Micro Small Medium Enterprises Clinics, Technology and Innovation Programs of the government.
Take the ESP as an example. This program was designed by the VP and a team the President put together last year to protect the economy against the negative fallouts of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Muhammadu Buhari asked the VP to serve as its Chair.

So far, there are over 465,820 beneficiaries of the Payroll Support element of the plan and many other beneficiaries of the Artisan Formalization Support Track of the Survival Fund under the ESP. In all, over 1.5million beneficiaries will be impacted.
For the most vulnerable, the Osinbajo led team launched a Cash Transfer Scheme facilitated through a wholly technology-based approach called the Rapid Response Register with plans to give one million households N5,000 monthly Cash Transfer for six months.
The Social Investment Programmes (under VP’s Office up till 2019) covered over 12 million direct beneficiaries nationwide, and this included Homegrown School Feeding Programme in 35 States feeding 9.9million children. More than 107,000 cooks are engaged to prepare these meals for the school children. Think of the jobs created for the cooks, the market created for the farm products, the added nutrition to the school kids and the enhanced school enrolments.

In the N-Power scheme, over 500,000 graduates have been employed, in addition to over 2.3million market women, traders, artisans and farmers across all 36 states of the country and FCT, under Government Enterprise & Empowerment Programme, GEEP. More than three million poor and vulnerable households have registered on the National Social Register and more than one million families are currently benefiting from Conditional Cash Transfer.
The administration has given unprecedented Support to MSMEs in the country. For example, the MSME Clinics have been held in 27 States, twice in Ebonyi, across the country including the FCT.
Over 400,000 MSMEs have so far participated in the MSME clinics nationwide securing significant support for their businesses. About 300,000 new business names have been registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission at a reduced 50% price of N5000, down from the normal N10, 000. Besides under the ESP almost 250,000 new businesses have been registered free of charge especially from young people.

In addition, seven One-stop shops have been established for MSMES in Cross River, Kwara, FCT, Abia, Bauchi, Osun and Plateau States.
The federal government has also launched Shared Facilities for MSMEs in Oyo, Bauchi, Benue and Lagos. This is to allow MSMEs which do not possess the financial capacity to own their equipment the opportunity to go into a fully equipped cluster-style facility to pay a token to use such equipment. This makes it possible for the small businesses to tap into economies of scale.
In the area of technology and innovation, Prof Osinbajo has also made significant contributions. He could be seen inspiring young people all across the country in that sector and mobilizing international technology giants to make things happen in the country.
The VP’s involvement in tech brought about the following:
Microsoft opened an African Development Center in Lagos in 2019 employing engineers building Microsoft products for global use. This was as a result of the meeting the VP had with the leadership of Microsoft on the 10th of November, 2015 where Microsoft promised a significant presence on the African continent and Nigeria in particular.
Google Inc. in July 2020 announced plans to establish its first Google Launchpad Space outside the United States in Lagos.
Facebook, in September 2020, made public its decision to open an office in Lagos as part of its planned expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa. This should materialize this year.
HUAWEI on the other hand last November promised the Vice President that the company will position Nigeria as a technology centre for the African continent and give more jobs to young Nigerians.

The business community has also acknowledged the administration’s initiatives on Ease Of Doing Business. The work of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (inaugurated by President Buhari in August 2016) and the Enabling Business Environment Secretariat has resulted in Nigeria moving up 39 places on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings since 2016. In the last three years, Nigeria has twice been adjudged one of 10 Most Improved Economies in the Rankings. Even though there have been some setbacks, no one can say by being there pushing for the reforms relentlessly, the business community is not better served by a VP such as Osinbajo.
As a constitutional lawyer, the VP is an active advocate and enabler of Rule of Law in government. While he is not the Attorney-General it is clear that for his own responsibilities, he has often stood for the rule of law and in the interest of all Nigerians, regardless of ethnicity.
It was Osinbajo (then as Acting President) who fired the former DG, SSS, when he violated the sanctity of the National Assembly and violated the Nigerian constitution. Osinbajo defended democracy and described the invasion as an assault on Nigeria’s democracy that should not be tolerated. There has never been a more vocal edification of democracy in Nigeria from a sitting government official in Nigeria, especially from the government in the center.
In the early days of the administration, it was Osinbajo that the President tapped to embark on a peace-keeping mission across the Niger Delta states. He met with stakeholders and people in the region to ensure that peace and stability are maintained. This ended the series of pipeline explosions, restored the maximum oil productivity and helped terminate the 2016 recession.

Today, the Niger Delta people are grateful for the take-off of the Nigerian Maritime University in Okerenkoko, Delta State. The University was granted approval in January 2018 by the National Universities Commission to commence undergraduate degree programmes effective 2017/18 session. Academic activities started on April 12, 2018. President Buhari approved N5 billion in take-off grant for the Maritime University.
The National Livestock Transportation Plan is also a creation of NEC, which is chaired by the VP. Members include State Governors. I should note that NLTP is completely distinct from the now-suspended RUGA. The RUGA initiative was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2019. The VP had publicly and rather courageously rejected RUGA and instead articulated the NLTP which has six pillars through which it aims to transform the livestock production system in Nigeria, including through ranching along a market-oriented value chain while ensuring an atmosphere of peace and justice.
Furthermore, Osinbajo through another initiative ensured the provision of solar power to markets around the country such as Ariaria in Aba, Sabon Gari in Kano, Sura in Lagos as part of the energizing economies initiative of the Rural Electrification Agency. He also commissioned solar power plants in Universities such as Alex Ekwueme University, in Ebonyi and Bayero University.
By all standards, I think Prof Osinbajo has been the most influential, consequential and impactful Vice President in our history. It is quite painful to some of us that the huge achievements of this administration and the immense contributions of some like the VP have been pushed to the background by security challenges. It is the little failures that seem to have drowned out the big successes, but quitting in the middle of the game is never the attribute of the bold and courageous. Prof. Osinbajo should weather the storm rather than leave in frustration, after all Nigerians elected him alongside the President. If he wins some confidence from the President but loses out in other areas, it is just the way life happens.
This is therefore not the time for Osinbajo to quit. The nation needs him in the years to come. His influence is good in the circumstances, that is the balance.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/06/democracy-day-yemi-osinbajos-fine-imprints-in-six-years/

ogbuefi677:
All these nonsense you wrote there to hype osunbade, yet d condition of the average man is worse with every passing day

Only if you could read

In the midst of the turmoil enveloping the country and the government’s inadequate response so far, some Nigerians are wondering if Vice President Yemi Osinbajo shouldn’t quit the government. They argue that the VP’s inability to influence the President to change his ways has rendered Prof Osinbajo otiose in the scheme of things. Across the nation, especially in the beleaguered communities in the middle belt and Southern Nigeria, the people are asking why Osinbajo cannot help to stop the violence.

In a social media chat room I belong to, a university teacher wrote recently: ‘’what is Prof Yemi Osinbajo still doing in the government? Are his views still being respected? Has he advised the President to run a more inclusive government’’? Others are suggesting that the VP should speak out against what they regard as the ills of the Buhari administration. ‘’I think the Vice President should be bold enough to challenge the President on the continued marginalization of a section of the country’’, writes Engr Emeka Nweke on his Facebook wall.

In many social media platforms, the debate is raging on how the VP should respond to the crisis in the land. But the discussions have overlooked an important Constitutional point: A Vice President does not exercise his own power independent of the President; and no matter how strongly he feels about a policy, it would be useless for him and politically dangerous to the nation for him to break ranks with the boss. The job of a VP under a Presidential system is probably the most frustrating in the world, even when the occupant understands his or her role clearly.

No matter how knowledgeable he or she is or how sound his or her ideas are, the occupant should stand by the actions of the government he serves, otherwise he quits in anger! There are those who think such anger is useful but only for their tunnel vision and one-sided outlook on things. And I mean even in the circumstances of the nation today.
The question then is: should this VP resign if he does not agree with certain unpopular actions of the government?

My personal opinion is that it would not serve any important purpose to the VP himself or Nigerians as a whole if Osinbajo quits the government out of frustration. He should continue in his work, especially in the economic front till the last day in 2023. Let me explain.
One, the office of the VP is a public trust and is bigger than the occupant, his personal interests and agenda. Even if some says he is not always consulted, the fact that he has secured some space to make certain happen in this country is an outcome that encourages his continued stay. Osinbajo will serve the greater interest of ordinary Nigerians for whom he is a voice within, if he remains in office.

Two, in the last six years, the VP has made a big difference in practically every important agenda of this administration such as the Social Investment Program (SIP), Economic Sustainability Program (ESP), Micro Small Medium Enterprises Clinics, Technology and Innovation Programs of the government.
Take the ESP as an example. This program was designed by the VP and a team the President puts together last year to protect the economy against the negative fallouts of the pandemic. The same President asked the VP to serve as its Chair.

So far there are already about half a million beneficiaries of the Payroll Support element of the plan and many other beneficiaries like Artisans and also the Business Formalization Support Track of the Survival Fund under the ESP. In all, over 1.5million beneficiaries will be impacted.

For the most vulnerable, the Osinbajo led team launched a Cash Transfer Scheme facilitated through a wholly technology-based approach called the Rapid Response Register with plans to give one million households N5,000 monthly Cash Transfer for six months.

The Social Investment Programmes (under VP’s Office up till 2019) covered over 12 million direct beneficiaries nationwide, and this included Homegrown School Feeding Programme in 35 States feeding 9.9million children. More than 107,000 cooks are engaged to prepare these meals for the school children. Think of the jobs created for the cooks, the market created for the farm products, the added nutrition to the school kids and the enhanced school enrolments.

In the N-Power scheme, over 500,000 graduates have been employed, in addition to over 2.3million market women, traders, artisans and farmers across all 36 states of the country and FCT, under Government Enterprise & Empowerment Programme, GEEP. 

More than three million poor and vulnerable households have registered on the National Social Register and more than one million families are currently benefiting from Conditional Cash Transfer.

The administration has given unprecedented Support to MSMEs in the country. For example, the MSME Clinics have been held in 27 States, twice in Ebonyi, across the country including the FCT. Over 400,000 MSMEs have so far participated in the MSME clinics nationwide securing significant support for their businesses. About 300,000 new business names have been registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) at a reduced 50% price of N5000, down from the normal N10, 000. Besides under the ESP almost 250,000 new businesses have been registered free of charge especially from young people.
In addition, seven One-Stop Shops have been established for MSMES in Cross River, Kwara, FCT, Abia, Bauchi, Osun and Plateau States.
The federal government has also launched Shared Facilities for MSMEs in Oyo, Bauchi, Benue and Lagos. This is to allow MSMEs which do not possess the financial capacity to own their equipment the opportunity to go into a fully equipped cluster-style facility to pay a token to use such equipment. This makes it possible for the small businesses to tap into economies of scale.
In the area of technology and innovation, Prof Osinbajo has also made significant contributions. He could be seen inspiring young people all across the country in that sector and mobilizing international technology giants to make things happen in the country.
The VP’s involvement in tech brought about the following:
Microsoft opened an African Development Center in Lagos in 2019 employing engineers building Microsoft products for global use. This was as a result of the meeting the VP had with the leadership of Microsoft on the 10th of November, 2015 where Microsoft promised a significant presence on the African continent and Nigeria in particular.
Google Inc. in July 2020 announced plans to establish its first Google Launchpad Space outside the United States in Lagos.
Facebook, in September 2020, made public its decision to open an office in Lagos as part of its planned expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa. This should materialize this year.
HUAWEI on the other hand last November promised the Vice President that the company will position Nigeria as a technology centre for the African continent and give more jobs to young Nigerians.
The business community has also acknowledged the administration’s initiatives on Ease Of Doing Business. The work of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (inaugurated by President Buhari in August 2016) and the Enabling Business Environment Secretariat (EBES) has resulted in Nigeria moving up 39 places on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings since 2016. In the last three years, Nigeria has twice been adjudged one of 10 Most Improved Economies in the Rankings. Even though there has been some setbacks, no one can say by being there pushing for the reforms relentlessly, the business community is not better served by a VP such as Osinbajo.
Besides, Nigerians cannot forget so soon the role of Yemi Osinbajo in the dissolution of SARS and advocacy for pro-people policing before and in the aftermath of the crisis of October last year. We all saw that it was VP Osinbajo who influenced the President to disband SARS as a unit of the Police Force. The VP also brought about the idea of judicial panels in all States of the Federation to deal with cases of police brutality. This was adopted by State Governors at the National Economic Council.
A constitutional lawyer, the VP is an active advocate and enabler of Rule of Law in government. While he is not the Attorney-General it is clear that for his own responsibilities, he has often stood for the rule of law and in the interest of all Nigerians, regardless of ethnicity.
It was Osinbajo (then as Acting President) who fired the former DG, SSS, when he violated the sanctity of the National Assembly and violated the Nigerian constitution. Osinbajo defended democracy and described the invasion as an assault on Nigeria’s democracy that should not be tolerated. There has never been a more vocal edification of democracy in Nigeria from a sitting government official in Nigeria, especially from the government in the center.
Also, Osinbajo saved the party, APC, from litigation and potential national crisis when he suggested APC EXCO members become Caretakers when an idea to dissolve duly elected party executives was whimsically put forward.
In the early days of the administration, it was Osinbajo that the President tapped to embark on a peace-keeping mission across the Niger Delta states. He met with stakeholders and people in the region to ensure that peace and stability are maintained. This ended the series of pipeline explosions, restored the maximum oil productivity and helped terminate the 2016 recession. Today the Niger Delta people are grateful for the take-off of the Nigerian Maritime University in Okerenkoko, Delta State. The University was granted approval in January 2018 by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to commence undergraduate degree programmes effective 2017/18 session. Academic activities started on April 12, 2018. President Buhari approved N5 billion in take-off grant for the Maritime University.


The National Livestock Transportation Plan (NLTP) is also a creation of NEC, which is chaired by the VP. Members include State Governors. I should note that NLTP is completely distinct from the now-suspended RUGA. The RUGA initiative was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2019. The VP had publicly and rather courageously rejected RUGA and instead articulated the NLTP which has six pillars through which it aims to transform the livestock production system in Nigeria, including through ranching along a market-oriented value chain while ensuring an atmosphere of peace and justice.
Furthermore, Osinbajo through another initiative ensured the provision of solar power to markets around the country such as Ariaria in Aba, Sabon Gari in Kano, Sura in Lagos as part of the energizing economies initiative of the Rural Electrification Agency. He also commissioned solar power plants in Universities such as Alex Ekwueme University, in Ebonyi and Bayero University.
By all standards, I think Prof Osinbajo has been the most influential, consequential and impactful Vice President in our history. It is quite painful to some of us that the huge achievements of this administration and the immense contributions of some like the VP have been pushed to the background by incessant sad news of killings and kidnappings. It is the failures that seem to have drowned out the successes, but quitting in the middle of the game is never the attribute of the bold and courageous. Prof. Osinbajo should weather the storm rather than leave in frustration, after all Nigerians elected him alongside the President. If he wins some confidence from the President but looses out in other areas, it is just the way life happens.
This is therefore not the time for Osinbajo to quit. The nation needs him in the years to come. His influence is good in the circumstances, that is the balance.
Etim, a veteran journalist formerly of The Guardian writes from Abuja

https://dailytrust.com/should-yemi-osinbajo-leave-now

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said it will limit registration for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage to citizens and residents of the Kingdom in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
The ministries of health and Hajj announced Saturday that a total of 60,000 pilgrims will be allowed to perform the pilgrimage this year. 
It stressed that those wishing to perform Hajj must be free of any chronic diseases, and to be within the ages from 18 to 65 years for those vaccinated against the virus according to the kingdom’s vaccination measures.  


Hajj pilgrims should be fully vaccinated, or those who took one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days before, or those who are vaccinated after recovering from coronavirus infection.
The decision is “based on the Kingdom’s constant keenness to enable the guests and visitors at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque to perform the rituals of Hajj and Umrah,” the ministry said. “The Kingdom puts human health and safety first.”
The hajj begins mid-July.


https://www.arabnews.com/node/1875271/saudi-arabia

God bless Nigeria

The president recently commissioned a task force on that recently and I hope they will do their jobs well

What is this one bayi. Posts like this should not be allowed to fly.

Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, has debunked negative social media comments attributed to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Akande, who made the clarifications on Thursday in Abuja, said purported comments on the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), farmers-herders conflict among others were fake news and deliberate deployment of falsehood.

According to him, the vice president is not known for making derogatory remarks about any ethnic group in the country.
The aide said that such comments attributed to the vice president in that regard should be ignored.


He said Osinbajo was focused on supporting President Muhammadu Buhari in creating opportunities for young Nigerians such as the 20,000 yearly jobs fellowship-the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP), soon to be inaugurated by the president.
“For quite a long time, there has been the deliberate deployment of falsehood against the vice president.
“I have seen, a number of times they put out stuff on WhatsApp, Facebook that says the vice president has said something to attack a particular group in the South-East, and this is what he said about the farmers-herders conflict, all of it untrue.
“What the vice president said about our brothers in the South East is that they are people of industry and that though there may be issues from different parts of the country, the whole essence of a union is to find very transparent, open ways to resolve the differences.
“And that he knows that people and leaders across the country whether from the South-East, South-South, South-West, North-East, North Central, all support the unity of this country.”

On the issue of justice, Akande said that the vice president, just like the president, had said very clearly that anybody that violated the law or engaged in violent conduct must face the law.
According to him, justice is an important requirement for humanity.
“The vice president is someone whose voice is very clear about the issue of Justice.
“So, when you read that hogwash about what he said about the herders-farmers clashes and all that, just know that it is just a lie.
“He is the one that said there must be justice and that we must live together, and that there is strength in our unity, there is unity in diversity.
“If you read anything that runs contrary to the virtues he espouses, just know straight away that it is not true, it is fake news and don’t pay any attention to it,’’ he said.
He said such fake news had become a recurring problem, adding that the people in the profession had a duty and responsibility to ensure that there was sufficient professional regulation aside government regulation.
On the NJFP, the presidential aide said it was in line with the job creation agenda of the Federal Government which was being implemented across different sectors.
He said that the scheme which was designed for fresh NYSC graduates would provide the enabling environments for them to develop job skills in important sectors.
Akande said the programmes would also enable them to garner the necessary experience required to get better paying jobs at the end of the scheme.

He said there were quite a number of other programmes being implemented at the moment under the Social Investment Programme and the Economic Sustainability Programme.
Akande also listed the Nigeria Innovation Programme, Nigeria Investment Fund, Public Works Programme as schemes geared toward creating job opportunities for young Nigerians.
On security, Akande said the Federal Government understood the challenges and was working toward overcoming them.
He said the president and vice president, alongside other leaders in the country, were working together to ensure that security agencies were properly resourced, and given clear mandates.


https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2021/06/03/osinbajos-aide-denies-negative-social-media-comments/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=osinbajos-aide-denies-negative-social-media-comments

- 472 cataract patients have benefitted from free eye surgeries and corrective interventions in Sokoto state - The initiative sparked an outpour of joyous emotions among the beneficiaries in the northwest state - The free exercise for residents witnessed a large turnout from Sokoto, Gudu, and many other areas

The exercise is organized by friends of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo under the auspices of the March 8th Initiative. The initiative which has impacted many Nigerians across different sectors over the years is one way the vice president has asked his friends and associates to mark his birthday instead of spending scarce resources on gifts and others.


Legit.ng gathered that 472 cataract patients got free eye surgeries with many others receiving free consultations, screening, and other corrective eye care interventions. Dr. Abubakar Dange, coordinator of the medical outreach in the state disclosed that the exercise will last for three days at the Specialist Hospital, Sokoto.


The exercise kicked off at the specialist hospital on Thursday, March 27 with many patients from within and outside the state capital presenting themselves for screening and treatment before a team led by the chief medical director of the hospital, Dr. Nuhu Muhammed Maishanu. Though 1,500 patients are targeted for treatment during the period of the exercise, members of the medical team told Legit.ng that they have so far conducted successful surgeries on 472 patients and thousands more received other corrective eye care interventions between Thursday, May 27 and Sunday, May 30.


For Aliyu Murtala, a farmer, he said:


“I came here because I could not see very well with both of my eyes but after the treatment here today, I can now see clearly. “Although I have not met the man responsible for all the good things that we are experiencing here today, I am told that the person is the vice president of our country. “I just want to thank him and all the other people supporting this gesture. I pray that Allah continues to bless and increase him in every aspect of life.” Other locations for the medical outreach across the State include General Hospital Illela and General Hospital Dogon Daji.

In a statement sent to Legit.ng on Wednesday, May 26, organisers of the initiative stated that 6000 eye surgeries will be conducted in six geo-political zones of the country within six weeks.

Recall that about 50 small-scale business owners in Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital on Monday, March 8 got a one-off cash grant of N100,000 each to support their businesses courtesy of ‘Friends of Osinbajo.’ The gesture of the group was part of the activities it lined up to celebrate the 64th birthday of VP Osinbajo.


Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1418320-allah-elevate-beneficiaries-sokoto-free-eye-surgery-hails-osinbajo.html

Leadership by example

The joke is on you because you are not fit to even lace his shoes.

Photos; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN receives in audience the Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, Chief Dr. Jewel Howard - Taylor in the State House, Abuja. 28th May, 2021.

‘Friends of Osinbajo’ Sponsor Free Eye Surgeries in Ogun State, to Conduct 6000 Across Nigeria


- 500 Nigerians in Ogun state have benefitted from free eye surgeries and corrective interventions - The initiative which sparked an outpouring of joyous emotions among the beneficiaries, is the brainchild of a group known as 'Friends of Osinbajo' - There are also plans by the group to conduct 6000 eye surgeries in six geo-political zones of the country within six weeks.


Associates of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN under the auspices of 'Friends of Osinbajo' have assisted 500 Nigerians in Ikenne, Ogun state in conducting free eye surgeries and corrective interventions within 48 hours. The initiative which sparked an outpouring of joyous emotions among the beneficiaries is also expected to move round the country. In a statement sent to Legit.ng on Wednesday, May 26, organisers of the initiative stated that 6000 eye surgeries will be conducted in six geo-political zones of the country within six weeks.


Legit.ng gathered that many Nigerians have continued to receive free consultations, screening, and other corrective eye care interventions in Ikenne community and beyond, courtesy of the medical outreach. The March 8 Initiative kick-started as a mark of honour for Osinbajo on his birthday and it has been sustained by the associates of the vice president since the, Osinbajo had asked his friends not to spend money on gifts or public congratulatory messages in the media for his birthday but rather use such funds to touch the lives of ordinary Nigerians. Having impacted the lives of many Nigerians over the years through various initiatives, the March 8th initiative, on Monday, May 24 flagged off a nationwide medical outreach focusing on eye surgeries, general eye treatment, giving out free eyeglasses. The outreach scheduled for locations across the country kicked off at the General Hospital Ikenne, and was formally flagged off by Ogun state commissioner of health, Dr Tomi Coker.

Many beneficiaries who regained their sights after the free eye surgery expressed gratitude to the organizers and thanked the vice president and his friends, noting that the impact of the initiative on Ikenne community and in their individual lives cannot be quantified. According to the organisers, the aim is to conduct 6000 eye surgeries within the 6-week period of the medical outreach to be held in phases across the 6 geo-political zones. The organisers also disclosed that the second phase of the exercise has been scheduled to hold between Wednesday, June 30 and Friday, June 2 at the General Hospital Idi Iroko, while the last phase of the outreach in the state will hold on Monday, June 7 and end on Wednesday, June 9 same month at the General hospital, Owode Egba. The Ogun medical outreach is organized in collaboration with the state government and the National Eye Center.

The medical outreach would be flagged off on Thursday, May 27 in Sokoto state and will be held in other parts of the country in the coming days. Recall that about 50 small-scale business owners in Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital on Monday, March 8 got a one-off cash grant of N100,000 each to support their businesses courtesy of ‘Friends of Osibanjo.’ The gesture of the group was part of the activities it lined up to celebrate the 64th birthday VP Osinbajo. Meanwhile, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, on Wednesday, March 3, conferred on VP Osinbajo, a special award of the ‘Defender of Faith’. The award was conferred on VP Osinbajo at the 16th Biennial Delegate Conference of the PFN held at the Michael Okpara Square in Enugu state.

https://www.legit.ng/1417611-friends-osinbajo-sponsor-free-eye-surgeries-ogun-state-conduct-6000-across-nigeria.html

*Summary*

The "Friends of Prof' conceptualized 'The March 8th Initiative" to inspire and promote communal, entrepreneurial and public-spirited endeavours within Nigeria in honour of the birthday of His Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON.

*2020*

The March 8th Initiative was launched in 2020 in honour of Prof. Osinbajo, in a bid to support and further fuel the entrepreneurship industry in the country. The initiative keyed into the Vice President’s passion for MSMEs to commemorate his birthday in 2020 with a competition that offers one-off business grants to young Nigerians between 18 and 35 years seeking opportunities to start or expand on their innovative business ideas.

As part of the events lined up for Prof. Osinbajo's birthday last year, 100 young entrepreneurs received business-defining grants of 1 Million Naira each that helped grow and advance their businesses, among other incubator support services from close friends and associates of 'Prof' as he is fondly called under the auspices of 'The March 8th Initiative".

*2021*

Building on the success recorded last year, “Friends of Prof”, a group of friends and associates of the Vice President has announced the commencement of the 2021 edition of its empowerment programme with an expansion in the scope of the programme in honour of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s 64th birthday.

According to the statement, “The March 8th Initiative” is expanding its reach and scope with a view to impacting a broader spectrum of Nigerians in 2021.
It said, “First, the Annual Entrepreneurship Development Programme has been reorganised into 4 categories providing more opportunities for young Nigerians between 18 and 35 years old, giving one-off business grants, ranging from N100,000 to N1,000,000 to small businesses in Nigeria.

“The four categories cover varying stages of small business growth as follows: Big Idea Business Challenge, Business Support Challenge, Catalyst Support Challenge and the Bold Innovation Challenge,” the statement quoted the organizers of the scheme as saying.

Continuing, it said “in addition to the Entrepreneurship Development Programme, the March 8th Initiative will recognise health workers nationwide who, in the face of a global pandemic, demonstrated exemplary courage, compassion, diligence, hard work and professionalism in carrying out their duties.

“Individuals are requested to nominate any health worker who has shown these qualities for a reward of N1 Million under a Health Grant Reward Category that acknowledges their invaluable service to our communities.

“Additionally, the “March 8th Initiative” is undertaking a nationwide Ophthalmological intervention to provide succour in the form of surgeries and other therapeutic care for cataract and other eye defects.”

Entries were open at 12.00am on Monday, the 8th of March, 2021 and closed at 11:59pm on Sunday, the 14th of March, 2021. All entries except those for "My Big Idea Business Challenge" were submitted at _www.march8th.ng_

*2021 Health outreach*

This Intervention kicks off with the Southwest and North west geopolitical zones on the 24th and 27th of May 2021 respectively.

Residents of Gauraka community in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State have blocked the Abuja-Kaduna highway to protest the incessant cases of kidnapping in the community.

The protesters burnt tyres and halted vehicular movement on the highway.

They demanded that the state and Federal Government boost security in the area and end the incessant attacks.

This comes after kidnappers stormed the area on Saturday and Sunday kidnapping at least fifteen persons from the community and killing three others.

There have been speculations about Boko Haram terrorists infiltrating Gauraka community after Governor Abubakar Bello announced that terrorists have hoisted their flags in some communities in Niger State in April.

Gauraka community is about five kilometres away from Nigeria’s seat of power, Abuja.

Residents lament that they have long lost sleep due to the activities of kidnappers who have continued to terrorise the community.

They explained that more than thirty people have been abducted from January to date.

Niger State has come under serious banditry attacks which have left hundreds of people killed, including security personnel, and more than fifteen thousand people displaced who are now taking shelter in temporary camps provided by the state government.

He is on routine check. I love Osinbajo for his humbleness. He doesn’t need to fly to India or UK even when he has the means.

STATEHOUSE PRESS RELEASE

*DEATH IN SERVICE OF ARMY CHIEF, ATTAHIRU, OTHERS REFLECTS DEPTH OF SACRIFICE, SAYS OSINBAJO*

Adds: _"Their gallantry would always be remembered"_

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, received the news of the death of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, and other military officers in an air crash yesterday with great sadness.

According to Prof Osinbajo _"their death while in active service in the defense of our country reflects the depth of sacrifice our military officers, men and women of the other ranks are often prepared to make."_

*Below is the full statement of the Vice President:*

_"I received with great sadness the news of an air crash involving the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, and other officers of the Nigerian military yesterday._

_"Their death while in active service in the defense of our country reflects the depth of sacrifice our military officers, men and women of the other ranks are often prepared to make. We honour the service of the Army Chief and all those involved in this unfortunate accident even as we continue to demonstrate our profound appreciation to all in our military services and in harm's way. The gallantry of this heroes would always be remembered._

_"I join the President and Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces to commiserate with families, friends and colleagues of these gallant officers and men who died in the crash. I pray that God grants them the fortitude to bear the loss. May the memories of the departed remain ever blessed."_

*Laolu Akande,*
*Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity,*
*Office of the Vice President.*
22 May 2021.

Osinbajo was so empathic that some clowns labelled him 'Condolence Minister'. He didn't attend COAS funeral because his boss delegated others and these same clowns come for him.

Ko s'ogbon to le da, ko si wa to le wu
Ko si ona ti o le mo to le fi t'aye lorun o...��������

The nation is mourning but some children of ha*te needs their brains to be corrected and few questions begging for answers...

Why was GEJ as Ag. President not present at the burial of late President Yaradau, his immediate Boss?

Why did Pres. Buhari not attend the funeral of his late best friend and Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari who was buried in Abuja too?

Why was Pres. Buhari not at the burial of Isa Funtua?

Should the Vice President attend if he was not delegated by the President? Mind you, presidency is a single body led by the President himself.

It is simple, these men were buried immediately according to Islamic tradition and for the President of Nigeria to be at any ceremony, there must have been at least 48hrs security report/update or he sends delegate, which Mr. President did by sending his Minister for defence.

May soul of our gallant men rest in peace. If you cannot atleast respect their memory, don't be unfortunate to play politics with their burial.

AXA Mansard Insurance Plc has recorded N25.08 billion Gross Written Premiums, in the first quarter ended March 31, 2021, up 19 percent from N21.09 billion in March 2020.

According to the company, Net Premium Income of N8.34bn, up 2 per cent from N8.21billion in the same year. Investment and Other Income of N1.64 billion, down 32 per cent from2.39 billion; Operating Expenses of N2.52bn, up 23% N2.05bn in March 2020, while profit before Tax of N2.92bn, up36% from N2.14bn recorded in March 2020 and profit after tax of N2.63 billion, up 34 percent from N1.96bn in March 2020.

Commenting on the results, the Chief Financial Officer, Mrs. Ngozi Ola-Israel, said. "Our start to the year demonstrates the continued drive to deliver strong and sustainable results. We delivered 34 per cent growth in PAT and 90 per cent improvement in underwriting performance despite the uncertainties in the current business environment. We remain optimistic that the continued support from shareholders, customers, and the member of staff will continue to spur excellent underwriting, investment, and operating performance as we continue to give utmost priority to providing value to our esteemed customers.

Speaking also on the financials at the end of the first quarter of 2021, the Chief Executive Officer, AXA Mansard Insurance, Kunle Ahmed, said“Although the world is still battling with the pandemic and its effects on various economies, many businesses are cautiously optimistic for a more stable environment.

Thankfully, at AXA Mansard, despite the challenging economic terrain, we were able to grow our premium incomes and recorded strong profitability growth in the first quarter of the year. This profitability cuts across P & C, Life, and Health portfolios. We remain committed to supporting our customers with the right risk management solutions to ensure that their businesses are well protected during and beyond this unstable period."

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

A NEW NIGERIA IS EMERGING FROM THE CLOUDS, & THE ALMIGHTY WILL TAKE THE GLORY - OSINBAJO
REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST EVENT THEMED: THE BIRTH OF A NEW NATION, AT NAF CONFERENCE CENTRE, KADO, ABUJA, ON THE 21ST OF MAY, 2021

PROTOCOLS

I bless the name of the Lord for this prayer breakfast meeting dedicated to the prophetic birthing of a new nation. And I thank the organizers the Coalition of Intercessors, and the Christian Association of Nigeria, and in particular, our leader and father of the Nigerian Prays Movement, General Yakubu Gowon, for the kind invitation and for his continuous commitment and dedication to this nation from his youth, when he was Head of State when he led the fight to keep Nigeria one, to his later years as an elder statesman where his well-seasoned words uttered in Godly wisdom have counseled our nation’s leaders for decades.

The theme of this prayer breakfast “The Birth of a New Nation”, is an important one. It comes at a time of great travail and tribulation for the nation. In the throes of a pandemic for well over a year, leading to a severe economic downturn, loss of jobs and livelihoods, and as we climbed out of the recession, we have been faced with an unprecedented scale of insecurity, in different zones of the nation. But for us who are gathered here today, children of God, we see the invisible we know that every time that a nation where the children of God live is challenged, it is God’s call to His people to take action, it is an opportunity for God to demonstrate that He is God over the Nations, that He is the creator of the heavens and the earth, that He knows the beginning from the end.

But God also wants us to know that He has ordained us to speak concerning the things that we want to see. Most of us are familiar with the scripture in Jeremiah 1:9-10:

“9 Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.”

Everywhere you look in scripture, the destiny of nations is in the hands of his children from Zerubbabel to Nehemiah, we see ordinary men and women building nations at the direction of God and by prophetic action.

Permit me to ground my remarks in a particular story in 2 Kings 2:19-22:
“19 Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.” 20 And he said, “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.” So, they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘I have healed this water; from it, there shall be no more death or barrenness” 22. So, the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.”

So, scripture has consistently shown us that children of God are central to the birth of a new nation, the rebirth of Nations. They must desire the change, they must cry to God, be ready to make the sacrifice of repentance

In this story, the men of the city told the prophet of God Elisha - see this our city is a nice, pleasant prosperous place, but we cannot enjoy this our community because the water is bad, life is unsafe, and the ground is barren. They did not go to an expert on environmental disasters or politicians, they went to God. God directed His prophet who asked for a fresh, new bowl, put salt in it and went to the source of the water, the root of the problem, and poured in the salt, and God spoke. I have healed this water; from it, there shall be no more death or barrenness, and so it shall be for our nation in Jesus’ name.

Let us unpack some aspects of the story, salt is crucial to the birth of a new nation. Matthew 5:13 - “You are the salt of the earth.” So, the salt is actually the children of God. As far as God is concerned, the responsibility for birthing the nation belongs to those who are called by His name which is why He said in 2 Chronicles 7:14:
“If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

The word of God does not agree with logic or with our thinking. God is saying here that it is not the nation that repents. It is His own people who are called upon to repent and turn from their evil ways.

As we are the salt, we are also the light. The light ends the darkness, it marks the end of the night of weeping and marks the glorious sunlight of the morning of joy.

The pouring of the salt into the source of the water, the source of the problem is the prophetic act we perform today. We the salt are also poured today by prayer and prophecy into the source of our nation’s problems.

As we pray and prophecy, a new nation will be birthed, one where like the city to which Elisha went, the land was healed, the people prospered and peace and joy prevailed.

I speak these words also to our nation, “Thus says the LORD: ‘I have healed this water; from it, there shall be no more death or barrenness.’

And after the healing of the land, we are told in verse 22, that the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke. We say the same words for our nation as well that there is a birthing of a new nation, and the nation has already been birthed. There is no question about it.

The way God reveals things depending on who it is can be in pictures, forms or visions. From my bedroom, I can see Aso Rock clearly, but there are times when it is completely covered by clouds, such that if I open my window, I cannot see it at all. As a matter of fact, if I had come into that room on a day when I didn’t know that the rock was there, I would have assumed that there was no rock, big as the rock is.

That metaphor is the same for our nation; the new nation is birthed already but covered by a cloud, but the cloud will clear and God Almighty will take all of the glory for the birthing of this nation.

Thank you very much, God bless you.

Released by:
Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
21st May, 2021

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN attends the afternoon of tributes dedicated to media moguls at The Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos. 21st May, 2021. Photos; Tolani Alli

The Clouds Will Give Way To A New Nigeria, Says Osinbajo At National Prayer Breakfast

*VP joins Gen. Gowon, CAN President, others in Abuja to speak life to the nation

A new Nigeria is in the making, but it is currently covered by the clouds and travails which will certainly give way to a glorious and bright new morn of a new nation, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

He spoke this morning at the National Prayer Breakfast, which held at the NAF Conference Centre, Kado, Abuja.

According to Prof. Osinbajo, “the new nation is birthing already. It is covered by a cloud, but the cloud will pass, and God Almighty will take all of the glory for the birthing of a new nation.”

While he noted that the theme of the Prayer breakfast, the “Birth of a New Nation”, was significant, especially in these times, the Vice President emphasized the need for collective prayers, faith, hope, and action, adding that Nigeria would prevail over the challenges of today.

He said today’s National Prayer Breakfast “comes at a time of great travail and tribulation for the nation: in the throes of a pandemic for well over a year, leading to a severe economic downturn, loss of jobs and livelihoods; and as we climbed out of the recession, we have been faced with an unprecedented scale of insecurity, in different zones of the nation.

“But we know that every time that a nation where the lives of the children of God is challenged, it is God’s call to His people to take action. It is an opportunity for God to demonstrate that He is God over the nations, that He is the creator of the heavens and the earth, that He knows the beginning from the end. But God also wants us to know that He has ordained us to speak to life.”

Referencing the Holy Book, Prof. Osinbajo recalled the work and prophetic actions of men and women of faith who played vital roles in nation-building during biblical times.

“So, the Scripture has consistently shown us that children of God are central to the birth of a new nation, the rebirth of nations. They must desire the change, cry to God, be ready to make the sacrifice of repentance,” he said.

Describing the people of God as the salt of the earth, the Vice President said, “As we are the salt, we are also the light, the light ends the darkness; it marks the end of the night of weeping and marks the glorious sunlight of the morning of joy. So, the pouring of the salt into the source of the water, the source of the problem, is the prophetic act we perform today,

He referenced 2 Kings 2:19-22, and said, “we, the salt, are also poured today by prayer and prophecy, to the source of our nation’s problems. And as we pray and prophesy, a new nation will be birthed; one where, like the city to which Elisha went, the land was healed, the people prospered and peace and joy prevailed.”

Prof. Osinbajo thanked the organizers, as well as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.) whom he described as the “father of the Nigerian Prays movement.”

In the same vein, the Vice President commended Gen. Gowon “for his commitment and dedication to this nation from his youth, when he was Head of State when he led the fight to keep Nigeria one, to his later years as an elder statesman where his well-seasoned words uttered in Godly wisdom have counseled our nation’s leaders for decades.”

The Vice President joined Gen. Gowon; CAN President, Dr. Samson Ayokunle, among other dignitaries who attended the meeting.

https://www.yemiosinbajo.ng/the-clouds-will-give-way-to-a-new-nigeria-says-osinbajo-at-national-prayer-breakfast/

God bless our darling Daddy President Muhammadu Buhari and his amiable Vice president Prof Yemi Osinbajo for all they are doing to make this once battered, raped and looted nation work again.

Haters and enemies of the state call him many different names,
but not even their fathers dare call him a thief!

#INTEGRITY to badt!
a man after God's heart ❤
they want to bury Baba,
they don't know he is a seed!

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE*

*NIGERIA WILL CONTINUE PROMOTING AFRICAN BROTHERHOOD, SAYS OSINBAJO*

*VP receives The Gambian President’s Special Envoy*

*We thank Nigeria for all the support – President Barrow’s Envoy*

Nigeria will continue to support the aspirations and activities of the government and people of The Gambia especially in ways that promote African brotherhood, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this today when he received, at the Presidential Villa, the Special Envoy of President Adama Barrow of The Gambia, Hon. Mamadou Tangara who is also the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad.

The Special Envoy came to personally deliver a message from The Gambian President to President Muhammadu Buhari.

“We strongly remain in support of all of the activities of the government and people of The Gambia and stand with you in all ways,” the Vice President said while receiving the message on behalf of the President.

“The Nigerian government remains committed to its relationship with The Gambia. It is a long-standing relationship of brothers of so many years, and we consider it an important relationship not just within the ECOWAS sub-region but also we consider that as African brothers, we owe a responsibility to ourselves and to the world, to work together for the best purposes and for the best objectives that we have set for ourselves as a people.”

Extending Mr President warm regards to his The Gambian counterpart, Prof. Osinbajo assured that President Buhari will treat President Barrow’s request with “all the urgency it deserves”.

Speaking shortly after presenting President Barrow’s special message, Mr Tangara said he is in Abuja to solicit Nigeria’s support for his country’s quest to produce the next President of the ECOWAS Commission.

The Special Envoy said Nigeria’s support will be instrumental in actualizing his country’s ambition, and noted that The Gambia is committed to serving the commission with dedication and in accordance with the ideals advocated by Nigeria, especially in repositioning the commission for better results.

Appreciating Nigeria’s contributions to the prosperity and progress of The Gambia, Mr Tangara said his country owed much of its growth in the different sectors to the immense assistance provided by Nigeria.

He noted Nigeria’s support to The Gambia in the areas of the judiciary, military, and education, among others, stating that if Nigeria was to withdraw its technical support, for instance, “The Gambia’s judiciary will crumble and be in total chaos… We thank Nigeria for all the support.”

Other members of The Gambian delegation included the country’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Mohamadou Musa Njie, while the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda led other officials from the ministry to the meeting.

*Laolu Akande*
*Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity*
*Office of the Vice President*
*19th May 2021*

AXA Mansard Insurance Plc, a member of the AXA group, a global leader in insurance and asset management has won the PEOPLE FIRST ORGANISATION AWARD and the PEOPLE FIRST CEO AWARD, organized by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), the apex regulatory body for Human Resource Management practice in Nigeria.

This Award was run in collaboration with CIPMs global partner the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), a Chartered Body for Safety and Health Professionals worldwide. The Company competed with 30 other Companies operating in different sectors of the economy and was recognized for putting Employees first in the year 2020 even amidst the global pandemic.

The Company was represented at the Award Ceremony which took place in Abuja by the General Counsel & Human Resources Director Mrs. Omowunmi Adewusi and the Head of Rewards and Performance Management Mr. Adeyemi Aiyeola.

Speaking on the award, General Counsel & Human Resources Director Mrs. Omowunmi Adewusi said. At AXA Mansard, we consider our people our most valuable resource. Their comfort and wellbeing is therefore at the heart of everything we do.

This award belongs to each and every staff of AXA Mansard for the support demonstrated to one another, our partners and the thousands of customers we served at the heat of the pandemic last year. It was only natural for us as a Company to make the extra effort and go the extra mile to ensure our staff were safe and well catered for.”

Worthy to note that during the pandemic, the Company introduced several people-centered policies and initiatives such as Telemedicine Services and delivery of medications at homes of employees and Mental Health awareness and support programme. We also launched remote working pre-Covid, provided resource for free testing and treatment of Covid19 for staff and increased 13th Month pay out to all staff as a palliative amongst others.

Further commenting on the awards, Mrs Adewusi said, our driving force behind people-centricity is our purpose which is to Act for human progress by protecting what matters. At AXA Mansard, we constantly put ourselves in the shoes of our employees and this enables us to listen, think and innovate. We will continue to improve our policies and refine our service delivery to ensure we continuously meet the needs of our valued staff.

These Awards reaffirm AXA Mansards commitment to the Health, Safety and Wellbeing of her staff her number one asset! Undoubtedly, AXA Mansard remains a great place to work.

By FEJIRO JOHNSON 
On May 17, 2021
As an avowed Christian that he claims he is, Tunde Odesola would be quite familiar with the timeless biblical story Jesus Christ told of the wise and foolish builders. 

Just to reference a point, the foolish man built his house on the sand and when the rains came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

According to Odesola, in his piece titled Osinbajo: Law professor in bed with lawlessness, which was published on Monday, May 17, 2021, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo should not have led a government delegation to Uganda for a sixth term presidential inauguration of Yoweri Museveni.

For starters, not only is Odesola’s headline jaundiced, the entirety of his vituperations on Osinbajo’s trip to Uganda was built on the sands of ignorance and the rabid lack of understanding of foreign policy or diplomatic relations.
Just to remind the author that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was one among the several Heads of State and democratically elected Heads of Government that attended the Ugandan President’s inauguration.

It is on record that Museveni was democratically re-elected to a sixth term of office by Ugandans. And whatever the grouse there is against his credibility or age to run for Uganda’s highest office, the East African country’s courts of law and electoral commission are already there to address such concerns.

The author should also know that with Nigeria’s respected role as a big brother on the continent, it equally shares good diplomatic relationships with its African countries, as well as others around the world.

Just like with other African countries, Nigeria shares historical antecedents and has enjoyed longstanding good diplomatic relationships with Uganda. For instance, both countries have signed Bilateral Agreements on Technical Aid Corps, Trade, and on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. Also, Nigeria, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has continued to support Uganda’s democratic and development processes.

As Harold Nicolson stated in his book, Diplomacy, “Diplomacy is neither the invention nor the pastime of some particular political system, but is an essential element in any reasonable relation between man and man and between nation and nation.”

In another way, one can say that diplomatic ties among/between countries should supercede their current political leaders and perceived perceptions.  In bilateral relations, presidents and heads of government of countries will come and go, but their diplomatic relations tend to stretch beyond just one particular leader.

Thus, the essence of good diplomatic ties between countries means that one country should not interfere with the internal affairs of another.  Would the author prefer that Nigeria, against all diplomatic goodwill, interfere in the matters that pertains to the democratic institutions, territorial integrity and constitution of a foreign country?

That the Vice President attended the Ugandan president’s inauguration does not mean the VP condones whatever allegations have been raised against Museveni, who was democratically elected by the people of Uganda. Attending the inauguration of the President of a friendly country is not necessarily a sign of validation of any perceived inconsistent or undemocratic conduct.

To paraphrase Ambasador Allen Holmes, a former career diplomat who served as the U.S. ambassador to Portugal, withholding relations to any nation for a political reason or to correct an undesirable behaviour may handicap a nation’s foreign policy.

According to Holmes, “Having no relations, and the resulting prolonged absence of a diplomatic presence in a country, seriously handicaps America’s ability to achieve major foreign policy and national security goals. Diplomatic relations should therefore always be maintained, unless security requires closing the embassy.

“Those who argue that withholding relations can be used to correct a nation’s undesirable behaviour do so under the belief that the boost in image and standing that comes from relations with the United States will lead the targeted nation to make the necessary sacrifices to regain recognition by the U. S. government. The problem with this line of thinking is that it usually doesn’t work.” Does Odesola even know what Nigeria’s foreign policy is?

Again, the author’s claim that Osinbajo applauded Museveni is hogwash. Attending his inauguration does not mean an applause. The author may have cooked that one up from his Lalaland kitchen.

It is interesting that the author also talks about truth when his diatribe is built largely on falsehood and assumptions. Osinbajo is not blinded by the grandeur of political office and chained by untruth. Rather he is driven by unbridled patriotism, passion, dedication to public service, social good, national development and altruism that is uncommon to many politicians of time past.

That VP Osinbajo is a pastor does not take away the sanctity of his decision to accept the second highest political office in the land. Osinbajo did not seek to become Vice President. Yes, he was nominated by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to become President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in 2015, but the good book and history has taught us that generational leaders do not just happen, they are placed at particular times in their nation’s history to drive change and transformation.

That a Pastor, Professor, lawyer, and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, a man who has continued to defy critics by his integrity and dedication to national duty, is Vice President at this time of our nationhood, is not happenstance. Despite the argument of any critic, it is clear to Nigerians that Osinbajo is driving significant and needed changes in government and Nigeria’s political terrain.

The author has the right as a citizen to criticize the Buhari government for what he believes it has not done right. But it goes without saying the at least, he would be running away from the naked truth to deny that this government has gotten some things right. Nigeria may not be where it is supposed to be, but it sure is on a destination to even better things.

Osinbajo remains a champion and strong advocate for the rule of law, justice and good governance. He has shown that consistency throughout his career and now, as Vice President.

FEJIRO JOHNSON is a public affairs analyst and social commentator, based in Abuja, Nigeria


https://tribuneonlineng.com/odesolas-knee-jerk-reaction-to-osinbajos-uganda-trip/

In today’s world, fake news, misinformation and disinformation appear to be the order of the day and platforms, especially the media, that are supposed to protect and share the truth, have become the purveyors of fake news. The Punch media outfit is a classic example.
The latest offering on the platform of Punch Newspaper comes from a certain Tunde Odesola whose attempt to put his murky thoughts into words makes for a torturous read. But this is what is expected of bloggers, most of whom lack the basic ethics of journalism. Even Odesola, who used to be a reporter has certainly forgotten that facts are sacred. Or did he just chose to lie?
Not only did this Odesola fellow fail to convey his thoughts but he also used the opportunity to beat around the bush including apologising profusely to Pastor E.A. Adeboye and his family on behalf of Sunday Ighobo. But again, show me your friends and I will tell you who you are.


But more importantly was that Odesola showed how callow and sparse his knowledge of government, even worse was his lacklustre position on foreign policy and relations.
A student or Elementary Government in the Junior Secondary School level will exude more understanding of this subject matter.
For the sake of continental and global readers, it is expedient that I spell out the difference between Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s profession as a lawyer, and his role as the Vice President.
For starters, the Vice President never applauded President Museveni, this was made up due to Odesola’s desperation to tell lies. If this is not true, Odesola should provide proof of where the VP said anything like that.
This lie defines him as a political hack pretending to be an independent, even, constructive critic, an impression he labored rather desperately to create but failed sumptuously at it.
The Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has often represented Nigeria at the inauguration of continental leaders. He represented Nigeria in Liberia for the inauguration ceremony of George Weah; In South Africa for the inauguration of Cyril Ramaphosa; in Gambia for the inauguration of Adama Barrow and very recently he represented Nigeria at Sierra Leone’s 60th anniversary, to mention but a few, all in his capacity as Vice President and not as a law lecturer or Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Secondly, Uganda is a sovereign state and the elections that gave President Yoweri Museveni his fifth-term as President was not conducted by Nigeria or the Independent National Electoral Commission, so in what capacity should the Vice President have acted differently?
Attending an inauguration of a friendly country is not necessarily a sign of validation of any perceived inconsistent or undemocratic conduct, there is a good age-long relationship between Nigeria and Uganda that overrides current political leaders and their perceived impishness.
As a student of history, may I point out to Odesola that it was Ugandan legislators who voted to amend the country’s constitution to allow 73-year-old leader Yoweri Museveni to extend his rule, potentially guaranteeing him a life-time presidency the same way Russia passed a referendum allowing Vladimir Putin to remain in office until 2036 after serving for more than two decades, we also have some African leaders who served for more than three decades, the likes of Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea who is referred to as the longest serving president having served for 41 years, President Sassou Nguesso of Congo who spent 36 years in office.
I don’t understand why Odesola is fuming about why Osinbajo attended Uganda inauguration which he attended on the directive of his boss and as a result of the diplomatic relationship that exists between both countries and not their leaders.

At this point, I find it humanitarian to educate the writer; Prof. Osinbajo is currently the Vice President of Nigeria. He is not a law or election analyst and it is not in his functions that he should comment on the election of other countries.
We have had Vice Presidents in the past and they all had careers before they became Vice President but no one ever asked why they did not speak or act based on their profession.
The main contender of the 2019 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was a former senior Customs Officer but hacks like Odesola never thought it opinion-worthy to ask him why he never condemned the Customs when he was Vice President for eight years.
What about Goodluck Jonathan who is an academic or Namadi Sambo who is an architect? The question is simple, where is the ignorance coming from and why is Punch newspaper the vehicle? Or is this a deliberate attempt by half-baked bloggers to tarnish the reputation of a good man?
Any in any case if Odesola feels Osinbajo has let him down, let him look beyond his nose and discover that over 500,000 Npower beneficiaries in this country, millions more who were blessed by the Social Investment programmes of this government and the hundreds of thousands of MSMES thank God for the VP’S role in the government. Let us also remind Odesola, the once upon a time reporter that Osinbajo stood firmly on the Rule of Law when he condemned police brutality even as number 2 way ahead of EndSars. Pray we ask him what was Osinbajo doing when he ensured that judicial panels are sitting all over this country on the matter of EndSars and redressing other forms of human rights violations against Nigerians.
Nigerians must be wary of wolves in sheep clothing who will not only sell their souls but are willing to drag others on their way down.
Mr Olatunji, a political commentator writes from Abuja.
https://www.chronicle.ng/2021/05/the-political-hack-tunde-odesola-osinbajo/

Odesola’s illiterate reading of Osinbajo’s Ugandan trip

By Segun Orimogunje

I have always argued that mere mastery of literary devices is not to be conflated with intellectual depth or scholarly fecundity. I feel vindicated yet again after reading the latest article by Tunde Odesola, a columnist with Punch, with the title “Osinbajo: Law Professor in bed with lawlessness” published in the Monday edition (May 17, 2021) of the Lagos-based newspaper.
Any regular reader of Punch newspaper on Mondays and inescapably follower of Odesola’s musings will attest his exquisite use of assorted poetic idioms. Well, with the liberalization of the media space in the contemporary age, we are left with little or no choice but to endure the avalanche of pseudo commentators and analysts, most of whom only end up assaulting public sensibilities with their sheer illiteracy worsened by foul verbiage. (But that is not to deny those who make sense, thereby helping to enrich the national conversation.)
Hard as he always tries weekly to punch above his weight, Odesola’s own shallow thinking - this abject squalor of intellection - is laid bare in the next breath after every frenzy of misapplied metaphors. Yet, Charles Pierre Peguy had graciously forewarned on the perils of ill-conceived peroration. It is better to keep silent and leave folks wondering, according to the thoughtful French bard, than open your mouth and remove all doubts about your idiocy.
Apparently, such sagely counsel from an illustrious ancestor in the literary community meant nothing to upstarts like Odesola. Or how else can we contemplate or situate the idiocy of the columnist’s virulent attack on Vice President Yemi Osinbajo over the latter’s official trip to Uganda last week to represent President Muhammadu Buhari at the inauguration of President Yoweri Museveni.
Throwing common decency to the winds, Odesola went petty, vicious against the Vice President, mocking his political judgment, impugning his professorial pedigree, and questioning his Christian faith. Haba! As we say in Yoruba, “Kila gbe, kile ju” (an attack is grossly disproportionate to the offence).
(Well, I believe the like-able Vice President, the erudite Professor of law has able publicists who can wrestle fawning Odesola down by, if need be, recalling their principal’s sterling accomplishments whether in the academia or legal practice or Christian evangelism or family institution, to right-thinking members of the public already sold undoubtedly on Osinbajo’s high personal integrity and exemplary commitment to the common good amply demonstrated in the last six years.)
However, my own intervention is intended to fumigate the public space against the toxic fumes so flippantly disgorged by Odesola’s uneducated reading of Osinbajo’s outing in Uganda. It bears restating that that state event is unlike a typical raucous village meeting where Odesola can pick and choose who to share palm-wine with or where the sitting order is dictated by the seething bitterness of ancestral feuds by contending partisans.
First, Odesola ought to know that the Vice President didn’t gatecrash the occasion; he was so directed by his boss, President Buhari. By whipping sentiments on the propriety or otherwise of Nigeria’s attending Museveni’s commencement of the sixth term of office, the columnist clearly betrayed a laughable ignorance of the custom and tradition that undergirds international law.
Of course, there is the principle of non-interference in internal affairs among nations that constitute the international community. It is premised on the respect for states’ sovereignty and territorial integrity in conformity with the letters of the spirit of the UN Charter.
This arrangement is, in turn, based on the doctrine of equality of states irrespective of size or power and therefore have the same juridical capacities and functions. As expressly stated in the 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law, a nation is obliged to respect the personality of other states among other provisions.
Without referring to it in the said miserable article of Monday (May 17), one can wager that Odesola’s poor understanding would also have led him into taking umbrage at the spectacle of President Muhammadu Buhari rolling out the red carpet to receive the new Chadian leader, Lt. General Mahamat Idriss Deby, and later running amok over the newspaper picture of the Nigerian leader standing by while the visitor (a thirty-something) sat down magisterially while signing the visitor’s register. After all, he would likely say, the Chadian leader is young enough to be our president’s grandson. Such village mentality!
While firing from all his antiquated cylinders, as usual, it would not occur to Odesola that on display was the principle of equality of state, regardless of whether the man representing Chad is a pigmy or an albino. Of course, enlightened self-interest would dictate that Nigeria plays a good host. For, the exigencies of the ongoing national war against Boko Haram and marauding insurgents put us at the mercy of neighbours like Chad to help us push back.
Now, back to the Kampala event, Odesola could only make a point if Museveni’s inauguration lacked the backing of Uganda’s municipal law. It must be understood that whatever argument is made against Uganda’s leader seeking a sixth term of office can only be sustained in a moral court; not in the eye of international law. So, it can be seen that Odesola’s vitriol against Osinbajo’s presence in Kampala is baseless and malicious.
There is even a subjective argument to further back Nigeria’s presence at Museveni’s inauguration last week. Those who think otherwise could only be classified as outliers in international politics and diplomacy. The truth of the matter is that morality is secondary when your national or regional interests are involved. Contrarians like Odesola could not be said to have learned any lesson from the carnage Libya now poses to sub-Saharan Africa and, by extension, the international community.
The point to be made actually is the primacy of regional stability. Once upon a time, some uninformed commentators, obviously brainwashed by relentless propaganda by the west, also railed against Moemer Gadaffi of Libya. They conveniently turned a blind eye to the good the Libyan strongman for doing for his people and the stability he was helping to foster for sub-Saharan Africa. Rather, negative stories, mostly orchestrated by neocolonial interests in the west, were regurgitated and played up in Africa’s discourses.
The common talk then was that Gadaffi was a sit-right tyrant. Of course, the Arab Spring which erupted in 2010 later provided a perfect alibi for regime change in Libya in 2011, tele-guided by the same western powers who had hunted for Gadaffi’s scalp for ages. Whereas it could be said that those imperialist forces eventually had the last laugh, it surely has been unending grief for Africa since the brutal dispatch of the Libyan strongman. While he reigned, Gadaffi was able to police the Libyan corridors against the infiltration of Islamist extremists and jihadists to the rest of West Africa. Without Gadaffi, Libya has since become a no man’s land, with different warlords controlling sections of the country, and illegal arms flowing easily down through the entire Sahel.
Today, Nigeria is paying a heavy price prosecuting an asymmetrical war in the Northeast, substantially fueled by the instability in Libya. I am sure ignoramuses like Odesola must have also joined the orchestra of Gadaffi-must-go years back.
So, when those who have the privilege of access to newspaper space choose to dabble in public issues, we expect them to bring to bear deep knowledge reflecting the nuances from both regional and continental perspectives; not the sort of provincial illiteracy Odesola blissfully advertised in Punch of Monday (May 17).

* Dr. Segun Orimogunje, an expert in International Law, wrote Lekki, Lagos.

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

2023 PERMUTATIONS A DISTRACTION, OSINBAJO HAS NOT DECLARED INTEREST IN PRESIDENTIAL RACE

The attention of the Office of the Vice President has been drawn to a website:supportosinbajo.ng that is calling on Nigerians to join a volunteer group mobilizing support for Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Details of this website and the solicitation of the group are currently trending on WhatsApp with a suggestion that Prof. Osinbajo has "quietly" declared interest in the 2023 election.

The Office of the Vice President is not in any way connected to this website or the group behind it and considers such an enterprise an unnecessary distraction. Prof. Osinbajo has not declared any interest whatsoever in the 2023 election, but he is rather focused on working in his capacity as Vice President in the current administration to address all the compelling issues in the country and concerns of Nigerians, including finding effective and lasting solutions to the security challenges.

Therefore, we ask that people desist from such unhelpful permutations while we all deal together with the challenges confronting us as Nigerians, and resolve them for the benefit of our people, peace and prosperity in the land.

Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
17th May 2021

With insecurity pervading almost all parts of the country, heightened by atrocities of Boko Haram terrorists in the North East, kidnappings, banditry and other crimes in other regions, these certainly are worrying times for Nigerians at home and abroad. Police stations, which used to be safe havens, have become the subject to attacks with police officers scampering for safety.
 
Abductions and killings of school children have risen beyond comprehension. Boko Haram has become more vicious and daring. Terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping, maiming, looting and raping have taken a turn for the worse. This is just as clashes between herders and farmers in some communities are taking new dimensions.


Amid these, calls for secession and self-determination persist in some sections of the country, posing challenges to Nigeria’s democratic rule and unity. And having made a minimal success of dousing the tension across the nation, it naturally ought to be a herculean task for anyone in government to speak or appeal to the citizen on insecurity. Yet, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has remained optimistic about the country emerging from its current challenges ‘a greater and more united Nigeria,’ adding that, ‘God’s promise of greatness for the country will certainly come to fruition.’ 
Osinbajo has not just been speaking out with firm, but assuring messages of hope and assurance of government’s unrelenting efforts to tackle the security challenges, he has also held Security Council meetings with Service Chiefs and chaired a National Economic Council meeting with all governors in attendance where he urged them to immediately commence widespread dialogue and consultations to ensure resolution of the crisis in their domains.
 
The Vice President has repeatedly called for the implementation of state and community policing across the country if Nigeria is to achieve effective policing. He remains resolute about the nation getting over the myriad of challenges confronting it and optimistic it will rise above its trials and come out stronger.


To douse tension, Osinbajo has been taking the message of hope to the most troubled areas in the country, especially the southeast where some unidentified persons, suspected herders and secessionists have repeatedly been killing scores of people, attacking police stations and other public buildings, including correctional homes where hundreds of inmates were set free in Imo State. He has appealed to separatists in the southwest, where agitation for the Yoruba nation is gathering momentum to have a rethink, just as he has called on the people of the north to remain united in the fight against insurgency.
 
With the activities he is championing, many Nigerians have come to see Osinbajo as the face of the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, especially with the impact he has to continue to make nationwide and beyond, in the discharge of his duties. Over time, not only does it seem that Nigerians have come to see him as the go-to leader, he seems to be brought into the spotlight whenever issues – good or bad – arise with the performance of the Buhari-led government. 
 
President Buhari also seems to have placed so much faith in Osinbajo, much so that many achievements and significant milestones recorded under his administration have come from programmes and policies championed or driven by the Vice President. These include the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) before they were domiciled in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.


In 2020, the VP was saddled with the responsibility of chairing the Economic Sustainability Committee, which eventually drafted the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) of the government to mitigate the socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic on Nigerians. Since then, the ESP has helped to save millions of jobs and hundreds of thousands of businesses while providing a boost to the economy.
 
The impact of ESP goes beyond the economy to security, in the sense of securing livelihoods of Nigerians, even as it helped to stem likely uprisings that may have emanated from Nigerians who may have faced even more adverse effects from the fallout of the pandemic if not for the Sustainability Plan. Interestingly, ESP was credited as one of the major reasons Nigeria exited recession faster than other countries at the height of the pandemic.
 
Speaking at the 108th annual convention of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, Prof. Osinbajo reiterated his optimism that ‘Nigeria will become an oasis of peace, security and prosperity in Africa and beyond, despite its current challenges.”


According to the VP, the nation might be currently going through storms and adversity, but it will ‘overcome its challenges and realise its aspirations because of the promises of God regarding the outstanding greatness ahead…’ 
 
The VP, who spoke on the theme: “Moving Forward: Finishing the Race with Joy,” said: “This nation will be the epicentre of the astounding economic and scientific developments of the 21st century. We will create here in Nigeria, an oasis of peace, security and prosperity such as has never been seen before on this continent and beyond. 
 
“Today, the clouds are overcast, the promise seems impossible as it was with the children of Israel after leaving Egypt to the promised land … but I am completely convinced that nobody, no group, no ideology, can defeat the promise of God for the greatness of Nigeria. I can see it clearly; I know it like my own face.” 


Expressing optimism in the nation’s greatness, the VP, however, appealed to Nigerians to avoid allowing the current situation to shape their utterances or perception. 
 
Also speaking with the All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders from the Southeast, particularly chieftains and members of Anambra State, he said Nigeria cannot afford a war and that elites in the country should rise and speak the truth against the forces of division to preserve the nation’s unity.
 
According to him, “we cannot afford a war in this country… it is the political elite that will determine what will take place. If we keep quiet, if we say nothing and hope that things will just normalise, we may be wrong. And we may find ourselves heading for something worse than we are seeing today.
 
“If the political elite does not speak up, if we allow it to continue to slide, we will endanger ourselves and endanger the future of our country. I know that every conflict is a result of elite’s failure to speak up and tell the truth to their communities; that is the cause of every civil conflict.”


Prof. Osinbajo recalled a personal experience he observed in Somalia in the 90s when he went there to work with the United Nations. He said, he saw a Supreme Court Justice whom he had known before queuing up for food in the aftermath of civil conflicts in the country.
 
He added: “Everyone who thinks they can go and hide somewhere; you won’t even find a place. In the end, everyone will suffer. Parents, children, young people and old people will suffer.”

Osinbajo’s approaches and interventions in national issues have interestingly been drawing plaudits, especially from youths on social media.
 
A Twitter user, identified as @ekpesfrancis retweeting what President George Weah of Liberia said of Osinbajo said: “You kept your country together in peace, while President Muhammadu Buhari was away. That is a good model for other Vice Presidents to follow.”


Also reacting to Osinbajo’s stance on national development, another youth identified as @PhilipsJames15 said: “Osinbajo’s ideas and initiatives have had impacts on the lives of many Nigerians.” 
 
On his part, another user, @SugarG22, said: “What I like most among the many roles of the VP is that His Excellency, Yemi Osinbajo, knows how to address, intervene and successfully resolve volatile issues in a peaceful way in which all parties involved are happy.”

PhilipsJames15, said: “Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is the best VP ever. And his ideas have had great impacts such as the ESP that helped us out of recession.”
 
@KObambon: “Vice President #YemiOsinbajo is the only force sustaining Nigeria’s unity. Underrating him is like trying to break the last straw of Nigeria’s nationhood.”


Vice President Osinbajo knows how to walk the talk; undoubtedly his impact in the Buhari-led administration has been far-reaching. Despite the challenges in some areas, only a few Nigerians would doubt that Osinbajo keeps on delivering in his capacity as Vice President, all for the benefit of Nigerians and the country.
 
“We believe that we now have an opportunity to increase the numbers of new tribes of Nigerians; a tribe of men and women of all faiths, committed to a country run on high values, integrity, hard work, justice and love,” Osinbajo said at the 12th Bola Tinubu Colloquium recently.
 
Many analysts believe that the hope personified and expressed on different occasions about the great future of the country by the Vice President is one of the major things Nigeria needs, especially at a time like this when some say the country may be teetering at a fragile point of nationhood.


https://m.guardian.ng/politics/why-osinbajo-sings-hope-despite-insecurity-economic-hardship/amp/