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August 25, 2020

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Bayo Oluwasanmi

By ‘Debo Oluwaseun

To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe. – Marilyn vos Savant

For any discerning mind, reading Bayo Oluwasanmi’s opinions must be a torrid exercise. One thing that shouts at you is the fact that he knows very little about the topics he sometimes writes upon and there is need for him to return to Evening School to brush up on his education.

His latest attempt to comment on Community Policing almost made me nauseate. His article was once again devoid of logic, facts and even common sense but more importantly, it showed that he has no knowledge of what he was writing on. Put simply, reading his article was a waste of valuable time.

The man calls for the Nigerian Police Force to be dismantled, scrapped, and proscribed. In his skewed understanding of how policing works, he proffered a solution, which is that each local and state government will set up its own police. This is ludicrous to say the least.

While leaders from all walks of life have advocated for Community Policing as a panacea to Nigeria’s security crisis, this self-styled security expert, claims the community policing initiative is a ploy, a ruse, and unnecessary distraction.

Without a shred of evidence or fact, he repeatedly labeled Community Policing as a Fulani ploy, adding that, the Fulanis hate the modern police system made up of local and state police. Here’s how he puts it, “The N13bn will be shared among the ruling thieves. At the end of the day, there will be nothing that resembles community policing. The NPF will still remain a defective, centralized, and mismanaged police outfit run by primitive Fulani IGP. As usual, the proposed community policing will end up as a ridiculous sham!”

I am not holding brief for the Nigeria Police Force and like most citizens, I agree that there is a lot of work to be done in the police force but the assertion by this incompetent fellow is in complete contrast with the reality. He vainly compares Nigeria’s police force to that of the US where despite their level of advancement and modernization, we have seen repeated assaults and shootings of civilians who are unarmed; we have seen the nationwide protests against numerous US police departments.

RE: Osinbajo: Serial liar, Buhari’s brain, propagandist, interpreter of maladies

Community policing is a right step in the right direction. Only this morning on Channels TV’s morning show, Sunrise Daily, the DIG Research and Planning, Adeleye Oyebade explained the plans for community policing in Nigeria and how they will help the police force in intelligence gathering but I don’t expect Oluwasanmi to watch such insightful programmes.

Wadding in his ignorance, he labeled the Vice President as Pastor RUGA, another pointer that shows clearly how uneducated and uncouth he is. RUGA was sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture under Audu Ogbeh but he falsely ascribes it to the Vice President, Prof. Osinbajo who propositioned The National Livestock Transformation Plan. If only he had a 30% proficiency in the use of Google’s search engine, he would have known the difference between the two and saved himself and his entire family this humiliation.

The rest of his article was of course a rumble; he struggled to grapple at anything and everything just to take space in the article. The poorly-written and heinously scripted regurgitation only reiterated why President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesperson, Femi Adesina binned his CV when he begged desperately to work in the Buhari government.

It is safe to say he is still reeling from the expose that was Femi Adesina’s article titled, “The Scoundrel Called Bayo Oluwasanmi”. Hopefully, this article as well, would spur him to at least read a thing or two before his next horrific article. Like it’s often said in Nigeria, empty barrels make the loudest noise.

Zeemam:
By ‘Debo Oluwaseun

To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe. – Marilyn vos Savant

For any discerning mind, reading Bayo Oluwasanmi’s opinions must be a torrid exercise. One thing that shouts at you is the fact that he knows very little about the topics he sometimes writes upon and there is need for him to return to Evening School to brush up on his education.

His latest attempt to comment on Community Policing almost made me nauseate. His article was once again devoid of logic, facts and even common sense but more importantly, it showed that he has no knowledge of what he was writing on. Put simply, reading his article was a waste of valuable time.

The man calls for the Nigerian Police Force to be dismantled, scrapped, and proscribed. In his skewed understanding of how policing works, he proffered a solution, which is that each local and state government will set up its own police. This is ludicrous to say the least.

While leaders from all walks of life have advocated for Community Policing as a panacea to Nigeria’s security crisis, this self-styled security expert, claims the community policing initiative is a ploy, a ruse, and unnecessary distraction.

Without a shred of evidence or fact, he repeatedly labeled Community Policing as a Fulani ploy, adding that, the Fulanis hate the modern police system made up of local and state police. Here’s how he puts it, “The N13bn will be shared among the ruling thieves. At the end of the day, there will be nothing that resembles community policing. The NPF will still remain a defective, centralized, and mismanaged police outfit run by primitive Fulani IGP. As usual, the proposed community policing will end up as a ridiculous sham!”

I am not holding brief for the Nigeria Police Force and like most citizens, I agree that there is a lot of work to be done in the police force but the assertion by this incompetent fellow is in complete contrast with the reality. He vainly compares Nigeria’s police force to that of the US where despite their level of advancement and modernization, we have seen repeated assaults and shootings of civilians who are unarmed; we have seen the nationwide protests against numerous US police departments.

By ‘Debo Oluwaseun

To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe. – Marilyn vos Savant

For any discerning mind, reading Bayo Oluwasanmi’s opinions must be a torrid exercise. One thing that shouts at you is the fact that he knows very little about the topics he sometimes writes upon and there is need for him to return to Evening School to brush up on his education.

His latest attempt to comment on Community Policing almost made me nauseate. His article was once again devoid of logic, facts and even common sense but more importantly, it showed that he has no knowledge of what he was writing on. Put simply, reading his article was a waste of valuable time.

The man calls for the Nigerian Police Force to be dismantled, scrapped, and proscribed. In his skewed understanding of how policing works, he proffered a solution, which is that each local and state government will set up its own police. This is ludicrous to say the least.

While leaders from all walks of life have advocated for Community Policing as a panacea to Nigeria’s security crisis, this self-styled security expert, claims the community policing initiative is a ploy, a ruse, and unnecessary distraction.

Without a shred of evidence or fact, he repeatedly labeled Community Policing as a Fulani ploy, adding that, the Fulanis hate the modern police system made up of local and state police. Here’s how he puts it, “The N13bn will be shared among the ruling thieves. At the end of the day, there will be nothing that resembles community policing. The NPF will still remain a defective, centralized, and mismanaged police outfit run by primitive Fulani IGP. As usual, the proposed community policing will end up as a ridiculous sham!”

I am not holding brief for the Nigeria Police Force and like most citizens, I agree that there is a lot of work to be done in the police force but the assertion by this incompetent fellow is in complete contrast with the reality. He vainly compares Nigeria’s police force to that of the US where despite their level of advancement and modernization, we have seen repeated assaults and shootings of civilians who are unarmed; we have seen the nationwide protests against numerous US police departments.

The story of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is similar to that of King Saul and David on many fronts.

In 2014, Prof. Osinbajo was going about his business and was not scheming to become Vice President but God had picked him. He had anointed him, like he anointed David while he was tending to his father’s flock.

The Vice President was also tending to his father’s flock in Lagos at the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Like David, he too was surprised that he had been anointed but because he knows the God that he serves he humbly accepted.

Since then, his story has even become more similar, almost a mirror of David’s life. In 1 Samuel 24-28, David had the chance to kill Saul but he didn’t because Saul was God’s anointed. This was similar to when Osinbajo was acting President and many people pushed him to take Buhari’s throne but he rebuked them.

Instead he continued to do is work waiting for his boss’ return to Nigeria. And when his boss returned he was happy to see his deputy who had held on firm to stir Nigeria on the right path.

The Bible told us how Saul went after David and tried to kill him and we have seen those that are close to the President go after his Vice President. Maybe it was for sacking of Lawal Daura or for the appointment of Walter Onnoghen or to link him to corruption, they have tried and tried.

Again, God has stood with Osinbajo like he stood with David. Many have asked Osinbajo to resign, to speak up, to hit back but he has done none of such because he is a man after God’s heart and he knows the ways of his Father in heaven.

Like David was very loyal to Saul, never speaking ill of his master, Osinbajo has been loyal to Buhari never speaking ill of him. Those who told Osinbajo that Buhari had died in London and who were lobbying to become his Vice President, were the same people who hurriedly rushed to Buhari on his return that Osinbajo was scheming to become President.

In the end, David became king. Like Osinbajo never schemed in 2014, he does not have to scheme in 2023. The wisdom of God is upon him and if God has anointed him to become President in 2023, nothing and no one can alter it.

The man does not have to speak because the God that he serves speaks for him. Like David turned the fortunes of the Israelites and won wars after wars, Nigeria may be on brink of greater success. Remember, the I Am That I Am rules in the affairs of men.

-Lucky Osahon

A social-political group, The Progressive League (TPL) has described the subtle attempt to link the name of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to corruption as an exercise in futility. This was contained in a statement signed by the National Secretary of the group, Dr. Oyedokun Alli.

According to the group, the fabricated lies and coordinated media onslaught against the person and office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in recent weeks is highly unfortunate, disgraceful, and condemnable.

It is embarrassing enough when leading National newspapers are tendering apology on outright lies published without due diligence against the person and the office of the vice president.

More so, the new attempt to use credibility-deficient blogsites to continue to spread lies against Prof. Osinbajo will also fail like the traditional newspapers did in the recent past. Attempts to link the incorruptible vice president to imagined and perceived corrupt practices by the bloggers is very amateurish and will further discredit whatever little credibility remains for such blog sites.
According to Dr. Oyedokun; “at a time when all hands must be on deck to create enabling environment for citizens to thrive in this Covid-19 era, political jobbers have now made it their past time to be planting false information against one of the leading lights of the current administration.
“They keep waging a war against an imaginary enemy over their 2023 presidential ambition. It is highly condemnable trying to destroy a man because they see him as a threat to their inordinate ambition.

In his words; “Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s incorruptibility can be traced to his uprightness way back in his university days as a don, and then as Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Lagos State and now as the vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“His loyalty is uncommon, his commitment great, and his effort against corruption is well documented. So how on earth will anybody be trying so hard to soil Osinbajo’s name? He asked rhetorically.

The group, therefore, warned that any further attempt to soil the VP’s incorruptible records will be resisted and those behind the dastard act exposed to public ridicule.

No man can bring Osinbajo down

Nigeria newspaper, The Sun has apologised to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for publishing unconfirmed and false news against him.

The Sun assured the Vice President that such an error will not re-occur in the future.

The story published by The Sun was a fake news shared by a former aide of former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, that the Vice President withdrew N10 billion from the Treasury Single Account.

The Sun apology

“On August 9, 2020, we published a story in our online platform titled: “Ex APC Spokesman asks Buhari to probe Osinbanjo, AuGF over alleged N10 billion withdrawal from TSA,” wherein some allegations of corrupt practices were made against the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

“The publication was based on a press statement, which we regrettably assumed to be reliable at the time of publication. Since the publication, however, we now have reasons based on some fresh facts to believe that the story was not duly verified to be correct before the publication.

“In view of the foregoing, we hereby tender our unreserved apology to His Excellency, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, over the said publication, even as we regret any distress, embarrassment or inconvenience which the publication may have caused him.

“We hold Prof. Osinbanjo in high esteem and assure him that such oversight will not re-occur in future.

*Our children must know where they are coming from… Vision is important, so too is memory”

Though the reintroduction of history into the curriculum of primary and secondary schools across the country last year by the Federal Government received commendation from many, the decision was not just borne out of the need to restore the subject in schools but in recognition of its contribution to the socio-political, economic and cultural development of Nigeria, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Monday at the inauguration of the Nigeria History Fund by the James Adekunle Ojelabi Foundation. The fund is dedicated to, among other things, supporting history students with a scholarship scheme.

According to the Vice President, “when the Federal Government decided to reintroduce history into the curriculum across primary and secondary schools last year, it was a decision borne out of the recognition that first our children must know where they are coming from and have an understanding of the life that preceded them.

“History is far too essential for us to deprioritise. It encourages us as individuals to not restrict ourselves to thinking in the short-term, but to remember that we too are living histories.”

Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo said “…we cannot sure-footedly chart a course forward without understanding where we are coming from. Vision is important but so too is memory. Nation building requires us to develop both faculties of imagination and remembrance. Indeed, this stewardship of national memory is a cardinal civic obligation.

“The future of a Nigeria that works for all of us, regardless of religion or ethnicity, depends on full and accurate knowledge of our histories.”

Speaking on the role of history in harnessing Nigeria’s rich cultural diversity, Prof. Osinbajo said the nation’s diversity as a unique strength for promoting national development would not be realized without a thorough understanding of its different cultural practices and social norms which are embedded in history.

He said: “We are blessed to belong to a nation that possesses such a rich history of art, technology, trade, metallurgy, political administration among many fields of human endeavour but this bountiful inheritance is often underexplored and underappreciated.

“History is a vast reservoir of cultural, spiritual and social capital waiting to be mined by a generation that will not neglect the ancient landmarks of our odyssey as a people.

“Whilst our ethnic diversity is a great strength, one of the biggest challenges to nation-building is this same ethno-religious diversity which can also engender detrimental social conflict.”

Describing the Nigeria History Fund as a befitting tribute to the late historian, James Adekunle Ojelabi, the Vice President said “as black people, as Africans, as Nigerians, we must reclaim our histories and nurture academic environments that make that possible.”

Commending the late historian, Prof. Osinbajo said “…as someone for whom so much of his life was dedicated to ensuring that the stories of our past were given the attention they rightfully deserve, supporting history students with a scholarship scheme is a thoughtful tribute to his legacy. I am also delighted to hear that the fund will keep conversations alive about the importance of history for modern day Nigeria.”

In his remarks, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of the Trinity House, Lagos, who was Guest Speaker at the occasion, underscored the importance of history in the development and affirmation of people and their communities.

The event which coincided with the first anniversary of the James Adekunle Ojelabi Foundation featured presentation of awards to deserving individuals, including notable historians, like Prof. Bolanle Awe, Prof. Banji Akintoye among others.


Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
17th August 2020

Following the Executive Order on Ease of Doing Business across the nation’s seaports that was signed by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Oshinbajo in 2017, heads of federal government agencies in the maritime sector have resolved to implement actionable plans towards a 24 hours port operations.

The agencies, which include Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), disclosed this at the second meeting of all the heads of maritime parastatals in the country in Lagos, recently.

They believed that port efficiency and effectiveness cannot be achieved without integration and synergy of stakeholders in the maritime sector.

Speaking at the meeting, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh said the agencies acknowledged the significance of having a workable multimodal transport system across the Nigerian seaports.

The meeting, he said, affords the chief executives of the federal government agencies the opportunity to deliberate areas where they have common challenges and to move the industry forward, while looking at ways to improve the safety of the waterways.

He intimated that the agency was in process of ensuring that floating duck are utilised in moving cargo out of ports into various dry ports location and the eastern part of the country.

“Part of the issue we deliberated today is on the issue of port community systems; what we did is that we agreed that we are going to have a committee that would look into the operationality of the port community systems, whereby the community would have a say in what we do in the Nigerian maritime domain.
“That committee would look into possibility of reaching out to ports operators and stakeholders alike and by extension look into the issue of 24 hours of the operationality of Nigeria’s port systems.

“The committee of the chief executives observed that port efficiency and effectiveness in any country cannot be achieved with 24 hours ports operation systems.”

On her part, the Managing Director, NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman, reiterated the need for urgent implementation of the report of the Presidential Council on ease of doing business across government’s agencies.

According to her, “The NPA and some government agencies set about to commence 24 hours port operations, but as you know port operations cannot be done in isolation all agencies of the government and other stakeholders must come together.”

She said the CEO’s noted the need to give incentives for people to come and clear their cargo within 24 hours.

“This involves trans versing port locations at night, moving your cargoes outside all this location would enable consignees to be comfortable in coming to pick their cargoes within 24 hours, “she explained.

Commenting, the Executive Secretary, NSC, Hassan Bello, said for the Nigerian port to be a hub is a function of efficiency, infrastructure and attitude.

“The country must make multimodal means of transport an economic issue; if for example I deploy train as we are doing to evacuate cargo for every train trip 38 trailers or trucks are taking out of the road. If we deploy our barges it mean about hundred trucks are also off the road. So the kiosk of gridlock is a function of inefficiency and lack of planning, “he said.

Accepting the challenged to come up with plan to commence delivering cargo via inland water ways, the Managing Director, NIWA, Dr. George Moghalu, said it has issued an order to ensure all operators comply with necessary laws regarding safety in view of recurrent accidents in the nation ‘s water ways.

Impressive

Business Day newspaper has apologised to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo after it discovered that it published a fake news against him in an online publication.

The newspaper also said it had sent a letter of apology to the Vice President after it pulled down the story from its website.

Business Day said, “On 9th August 2020, businessday.ng published a story titled “Ex APC spokesman asks Buhari to probe Osinbajo, AuGF over alleged N10bn withdrawal from TSA.”

“That story failed to meet the editorial standards of Business Day Newspaper, as we have since discovered that the story was baseless, unfounded and unsupported by any factual substance.
“We hold the Vice President in very high esteem and appreciate his enormous worthy and enviable achievements in the private sector as a respected Professor of Law – of multiple decades standing and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, amongst others; and the worthy and enviable strides he has made in public service as the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Lagos and presently Vice President of Nigeria.

“We hereby convey our sincere, profound and unstinted apology for allowing our newspaper to be used as a platform by which the said news item was conveyed. The said publication is highly regretted by us and we urge our esteemed readers and the general public not to ascribe or attach our reputation for disseminating accurate information that we expect the public to trust to it.

“A letter conveying our unreserved apology has since been sent to the Vice President,” Business Day said.

Good for them

VP adds: “With tech innovation, democratization of law and justice now on fast-track”

Technology and the innovations it entail has defined a new way of life, taking technology away from the realms of luxury into the arena of everyday endeavours whether in the professions or in matters of lifestyle generally.
 
In fact, the advance of technology is now fast-tracking the democratization of law and justice in Nigeria, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
 
Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Thursday in his keynote at the Virtual Law Pavilion Technology Conference with the theme “A New Paradigm in Justice Delivery”. Also at the event, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed; the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Paul Usoro, SAN, and others addressed the theme of the 2020 Legal Tech Conference.
 
According to him, “No one believed the day would come when the Supreme Court would, as it has now done, endorse Virtual Court Proceedings. Or that the day will come when e-filing of court processes will be considered medically safer than physical filing of court processes.
 
“Today, even judges, especially older ones, will of course prefer virtual processes to in-person proceedings. Technology and the fourth industrial revolution, are no longer luxuries but they are the inevitable substructure of our new way of life.
 
“For the administration of justice system, change has surely come and I am personally excited to see how easily our entire judicial system is willingly adapting to innovation.”
 
Speaking further on the impact of technology, the Vice President said with technology and innovation, the democratization of law and justice is now on fast-track.
 
According to him, “Tech companies must now innovate even more. We must now have purpose-built virtual-proceedings software that take into account the various needs of trials and other court proceedings.
 
“There will be opportunities for retraining of judicial personnel, lawyers, and paralegal staff, the new normal calls for new skills and new ways of doing old things and doing away with many old habits.”
 
On the need for the entirety of Nigeria’s justice sector to embrace “the new normal”, the Vice President said though no one had predicted that a time would come when authorities would endorse virtual court proceedings, the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the adoption of technology for all court processes.
 
Referring to the Chief Justice of Nigeria at the event, the Vice President noted that “already, my Lord, the Chief Justice has set the example of adaptation to the new paradigm.”
 
Prof. Osinbajo urged lawyers and stakeholders in the justice sector to be prepared for the times ahead by finding alternative and better ways of delivering legal and associated services.
 
He said “the next few years will see even more changes. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a bigger role in our court systems, I am told that Law Pavilion is already pioneering an AI-Powered-Speech-to-Text- Transcription System to replace writing in long hand and even the traditional slow stenographic recording.
 
“There is also the AI-Powered Document Review System that helps judges quickly extract authorities and laws cited in any legal documents, outlines and analyses the principles relied upon automatically, in seconds. This is aside from the comprehensive court proceedings software that they have now perfected.”
 
Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo said “…nothing can ever be the same again. Legal practice is also in a flux. Artificial Intelligence will make research a million times faster, the lawyer may no longer be required for several categories of legal advice.
 
“There are already apps updated to the latest positions in legislation and case law. The lawyer must become a multi-disciplinary, multi-tasking tech savvy person of affairs,” recalling a description he gave to students of law at a recent function.
 
He restated the commitment of the Buhari administration to support technology companies to drive the gradual shift of systems, in the country, to the ‘new normal’.
 
In his contribution, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed said the judiciary which plays a crucial role in the economic development of Nigeria, must embrace changes within the environment so that it will continue to remain relevant in the scheme of things.
 
The Legal Tech Conference is organized by the Law Pavilion in partnership with TELNET Nigeria Ltd. The conference is a 2-day virtual event featuring other speakers including Supreme Court Justice, Olukayode Ariwoola; Ondo State Chief Judge, Olarenwaju Olutoyin Akeredolu; Borno State Chief Judge, Kashima Zannah; Ekiti State Attorney General and Justice Commissioner, Olawale Fapohunda; and Mr Dapo Akinosun, Partner, SimmonsCooper, amongst others.
 
*Laolu Akande,*
*Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity,*
Office of the Vice President.
13th August, 2020.

Well said sir ���

I was on that road two days ago and there was no traffic there

The Amalgamation of Container Trucks Owners Association of Nigeria (ACTOAN) and other stakeholders in Apapa have said that the ongoing road constructions in Lagos metropolis and within Apapa environs is responsible for the recent slow pace of movement into Apapa.

The truck owners, residents and other stakeholders in Apapa also lauded the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo-led Presidential Taskforce on restoration of law and order.

They said the timely intervention by the Osinbajo-led team has restored sanity, saying that the recent slow vehicular movement into the Apapa was caused by the massive road construction and rehabilitation on major access roads. They lauded the enforcement of law and order in the movement of tankers, trucks and other heavy duty vehicles in Apapa environs, in spite of the road construction-induced challenges.

Speaking on the development in Apapa, the ACTOAN Chairman, Chief Olalaye Thompson, said there was no traffic in Apapa anymore following the intervention of the task team, saying the call-up system introduced had been effective in the movement of trucks and other vehicles within Apapa.

According to Olaleye, who spoke on a telephone interview, the current transportation challenges were due to ongoing construction works in and around Apapa, adding that construction works on the Third Mainland Bridge, Marine Bridge and Mile-2-Tin-Can axis were responsible for what appeared to be a slow pace of vehicular movement in Apapa.

“Most of the reports you see on Apapa are not the true reflection of the happenings. We don’t know people who are those responsible for the campaign of calumny in the media. There is no traffic in Apapa except for the ongoing construction in and around Apapa. Construction work on Total Bridge (popularly known as the Marine Bridge) has forced over a thousand trucks to use one lane with other vehicles before they can access Apapa. Also, from Mile 2 to Apapa, there is no road currently due to massive ongoing construction which has also restricted movement on that axis. A couple of roads are also being repaired. There is no way, we won’t experience little hitches but it is not as bad as people painted it outside, “he said.

Also speaking, a resident, Wahab Jimoh said more private cars now ply Apapa more frequently due to the restoration of law and order on the axis.

According to him, “there was no resurface gridlock at all. No truck sleeps on the road, it has never happened. So where is the gridlock, so we should be talking about the whole Lagos gridlock then? There is more car traffic in Apapa than any other time. Moving truck traffic on one lane while cars are moving freely on the other lane can’t be seen as gridlock,” he said.

On his part, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Presidential Task team on restoration of Law and Order in Apapa, Comrade Kayode Opeifa insisted that there is no gridlock in Apapa as being speculated.

Opeifa, who spoke in Apapa, said that most of the roads within and round Apapa that are currently under construction were either abandoned or left in deplorable conditions by the previous administration, adding that Buhari-Osinbajo-led federal government awarded road construction projects as part of the moves to completely restore sanity in Apapa.

He said: “People need to understand what is going on, not just sit down and read misleading news headlines. Headlines don’t always reflect the true story. We should also refresh our memories by comparing what happens now to what we used to experience before. Is this not far better than what happened before? Is this situation not 100 percent better at a point than what we use to experience?

“We need to understand what is going on. The federal government has shut the Third Mainland Bridge for repair, Marine Bridge is being repaired, an arm of Eko Bridge is also closed down for rehabilitation all within Apapa, and we have asked the trucks to use the same roads with tankers, other trucks and cars, so it is expected. These are non-recurrent, they will happen over the period these construction and rehabilitations are ongoing.

“People also need to know that the other entrance into Apapa is Tin Can axis through Mile 2 but because of restricted access due to ongoing construction, a lot of truckers now access Tin Can by coming through Apapa Wharf and all these increase the volume of work truck capacity in this place and from here they link their destinations.

“Creek road too is under construction, so there are so many construction works which are affecting the movement into the axis. Apapa is now receiving 50 percent of the number of trucks it should ordinary receives, it is getting extra and there is no perfect access road yet”.

Better

Reverend Ladi Thompson, the founder and Senior Pastor of Living Waters Unlimited Church has said that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is a vessel prepared by God unto honour.

In a message posted on his Facebook page, the international coordinator of “Macedonian Initiative” said that there are many Osinbajo’s that will come after the incumbent Vice President.

“Prof Yemi Osinbajo goes beyond being an individual, he is a prophetic dart thrown into the fray for the light to begin to shine,” Rev Thompson said.

He added that, “At this point in time you need to rise above politics, pettiness, ethnic and tribal inclinations and all the silliness that anyone may choose to inject into this narrative, but if you know the man, you know him.
He then stated that, “He is a vessel prepared onto honour , he’s just a prototype, there are thousands of Osinbajo’s who are coming up after him and this nation is going to be the most righteous that you have ever heard of, watch as we begin to unravel the end times of the end times.

“Nigeria is going to take its place where God has wanted it to be all along, now let me just close this by saying something this; recall the Bible verse that says: “He came unto his own but his own did not recognize him”.

“Many are yet to realize that, Professor Osinbajo is actually a living sacrifice. He’s a living sacrifice and when all these modern gospels and all these funny games that are being played have been brushed into the dustbins of history and the eternal gospel resumes in Nigeria, many of you who are sitting out there who have already known it in your heart will receive the boldness to stand up for righteousness.”

Osinbajo the fixer

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for sponsoring attacks against Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The ruling party in a tweet on its APC Commentary and Support handle on Sunday said the plot against the Vice President has failed because of his long standing history of integrity.

“Another fake, vague and unprovable corruption “allegation” from Atiku’s henchman, Timi Frank against VP Osinbajo.

The APC then quizzed the motive for such desperate action. “Is it idleness or ambition that makes Atiku and PDP chase shadows?

“A meritocrat like Osinbajo serves, while others plot failed schemes,” APC added.

Political observers note that on numerous occasions a number of attempts have been made especially on the social media seeking to link the Vice President to audacious but largely unproven corruption claims. In the past some major newspapers and radio including Vanguard and Wazobia, in the past have had to retract such stories when it turned out that promoters of such stories could not muster the facts to back the corruption claims.

In the past one week, investigation reveals a tussle on WIKIPEDIA when some users tried to add unproven corruption allegations to the Vice President’s Wikipedia entry. The online platform later protected the entry after series of posts and reposts by users.

In another attempt on Saturday, a blogger Jackson Ude claimed that the Vice President and the Auditor General drew N10 billion from the Treasury Single Account, a claim not supported by even the documents presented by the blogger.

In the official TSA account, it was discovered that the Accountant General of the Federation on 28 December 2016 made a N10 billion to Consolidated Revenue Fund and not the other way around as suggested by the blogger. It means the blogger took a credit for a debit.

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
PRESS RELEASE

OSINBAJO TO PRIVATE SECTOR: LET’S IMPLEMENT ESP TOGETHER

*Adds: “Govt cannot do it alone, public-private sector collaboration crucial

As the Federal Government consolidates efforts designed to ward off a deep recession and effect significant changes in the economy, opportunities abound across different sectors in the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) for the private sector to lead the charge for Nigeria’s economic growth and development, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo made the call on Friday at the virtual edition of the Presidential Policy Dialogue of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).

The Vice President said the ESP which is now being implemented by the Buhari administration is driven by the desire “to adapt to the challenges and make required changes in order to come out stronger than before”.

According to him, “I take this opportunity to encourage the private sector to be proactive in leading the charge against recession and poverty in our country. The Federal Government is not under any illusion that it can do this on its own. The opportunities that now exist in the short term in agriculture, infrastructural development, housing construction, in renewable energy, digital technology development, mining, financial inclusion, healthcare and pharmaceutical manufacturing, call for the private sector to take the bull by the horns and make them a reality.

“The priority of the Federal Government in response to the economic challenges caused by COVID-19 is to ward off a deep recession by an admixture of stimulus measures to support local businesses, retain and create jobs and ameliorate the circumstances of the most vulnerable.”

Continuing, the Vice President said though the stimulus package is just about 1.5% of GDP, it is the best the government could do given existing realities in the economy.

He said “government developed the Economic Sustainability Plan with a stimulus package of N2.3trillion to give fillip to the economy across various sectors. The size of this stimulus which is just about 1.5% of national income is not as large as we would have liked it to be but it was the best we could do given existing fiscal and monetary constraints. Based on the assumption of the price of crude averaging out at $30 per barrel throughout the year, we anticipate an economic growth of about -0.59% in 2020.

“You would already be familiar with details of the Economic Sustainability Plan. In essence, it is intended to boost production, prevent business collapse, and provide liquidity. It will also promote the use of labour-intensive methods and direct labour interventions in key areas like agriculture, light manufacturing, housing construction and facility maintenance while increasing infrastructural investment in roads, bridges, solar power, and communications technologies. It is intended to do all this while extending protection to the poor and other vulnerable groups in our society.”

Speaking further on the plan of government to address the disruptions on the economy by the COVID-19 pandemic and the role that the private sector can play, the Vice President said, “these opportunities are the building blocks that will enable our medium-term goals to be achieved and make our long-term goals achievable.”

According to Prof. Osinbajo, “this is a drive we hope to continue into the medium term as we build up the economy over the next few years. We do need foreign direct investment to complement our domestic efforts but it is the success of our own investments that will attract such inflows. Investors are already aware of Nigeria’s huge market and its great potential, but they will only ‘want in’ when government by its own positive interventions and the private sector by its success stories show them what is possible to do here.

“No doubt, the task ahead is challenging. Nevertheless, government is focused on doing its bit so I call on the private sector to play its part and join us in this noble venture. We know that this will be a difficult year but expect that with our combined effort growth will resume to the order of about 3 percent by the end of next year. We can do this working together.”

On the Ease of Doing Business reforms of the Federal Government, the Vice President maintained that the commitment of the Federal Government to providing an enabling environment for business to thrive remains strong.

“In this regard, we have made some strides in improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria. Through the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), a lot has been achieved to fast-track processes, reduce bottlenecks and improve transparency across Government MDAs.

“As a result, we have moved 35 places upward in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings. We have continued to scale up our business reform initiatives across regulatory agencies.

“Of course, there is still a lot more to be done. Our aim is to continue to improve our national ranking in the World Bank Doing Business Index Ranking to below 100 in the coming years. It is also very important to reduce the harassment and extortion of businesses by various government agencies,” the Vice President added.

In his remarks, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, said the current focus of the Federal Government in the manufacturing sector “is on prioritizing local production especially in the importation of machinery that utilize local materials.”

Earlier, the LCCI President, Mrs Toki Mabogunje commended the Federal Government’s “spirited effort” regarding its managing of the Nigerian economy, adding that members of the chamber and private sector players are willing to collaborate with the Buhari administration.


Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
7th August 2020

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT 

PRESS RELEASE

OSINBAJO TO YOUNG NIGERIANS: REVERSE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC THROUGH INNOVATIONS

*VP details FG’s economic response to pandemic at Law Students Townhall Meeting
*Adds: “Today’s lawyer must be multidisciplinary, multi-tasking, digitally strong men or women of affairs 

Though the COVID-19 pandemic presents the most challenging times in recent history, it can also be a turning point for innovative thinking especially towards resolving the numerous challenges faced by humanity, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.   

Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Thursday at the virtual Townhall meeting of the Law Students Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN) themed “How to build the right mindset for a better Nigeria, post COVID-19”.

According to the Vice President, “We are faced with a two-fold global crisis. First is a health crisis and then there is an economic crisis and the combined effects have resulted in possibly the greatest socio-economic crisis in recent history.

Continuing Prof. Osinbajo noted “…at the moment, we are also at a turning point with new opportunities to turn under-consumption into thriving business models if only we effectively innovate. We are seeing some of this emerge already.”

Below is the full text of the Vice President’s remarks:

KEYNOTE REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AT THE LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA TOWNHALL MEETING ON THURSDAY, 6TH OF AUGUST, 2020.

Let me just express my sincere thanks to the Law Students Association of Nigeria for the very kind invitation to be here today and to speak to you on this very important subject. I was specifically asked to speak within the context of this summit on the topic ‘How we can build the right mindset for a better Nigeria, post COVID-19’. 

I must say that amidst the very depressing forecasts pervading the airwaves, it is a major task to talk about how exactly to get to the right mindset. But one thing that is clear is that the forecasts are quite bleak. And I don’t think there is a way of diminishing some of the economic forecasts and even some of the forecasts regarding what the social situation may be.

We are faced with a two-fold global crisis. First is a health crisis and then there is an economic crisis and the combined effects have resulted in possibly the greatest socio-economic crisis in recent history. We are convinced that this is the case, there are many who would say that nothing like this has ever happened to the world.  

The crash in global oil prices is particularly a problem for us, the Nigerian government because revenues have plummeted, foreign exchange earnings, in particular, are very depressed on account of the fact that the prices of our major source of forex which is oil, are much lower than ever before. So, we are looking at a 40% loss in revenue than what we had projected. Even what we had projected in itself, we were going to have some difficulty funding it, but now there is a 40% loss in revenue. 

So, we see the impending slowdown in the economy shrinking our GDP. 
However, I think that where the needle will ultimately fall will depend on how well we respond to these crises; how well we work within the current circumstances; and how well we manage to adapt to these changes, as opposed to wallowing in trepidation and worry. 

Because we don’t realistically know when this pandemic will end, speaking of a ‘post-COVID Nigeria’, is not actually of much use. The better approach, in my view, is to ask ourselves where the opportunities in this global crisis lie. 

I think it was John F. Kennedy, who said, “When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity”. Although I am told that linguistically, this isn’t completely true, there is a valuable lesson here for how we must reset and what our attitudes ought to be in times of crisis. 

The good thing about this particular crisis is that no one has been this way before and everyone is searching for answers. So, there are no experts. No one can say ‘I am an expert on how to resolve socio-economic crisis in a pandemic. All over the world, people are literally scrambling for answers. Even in the most developed economies of the world, they are still scrambling for answers. So, I must say to you that there is no minimum age to seek solutions to the problems of these times. And you are certainly welcome to begin to think through what the solutions should be and how we should be responding. 

As a government, this reality dawned on us much earlier on. And faced with the prospect of unprecedented unemployment figures and business closures, we had to get creative about solutions: to build resilience into our economic growth structure and to take bigger and bolder steps in our approach to creating wealth and opportunity.

So, for about two months, at the direction of Mr President, I led an inter-ministerial team mandated to look specifically at how to resolve some of the issues around the pandemic, its impact and draw up a response plan.

That response plan is what we call the Economic Sustainability Plan and we have a committee called the Economic Sustainability Committee which is to implement this pIan and I also have the privilege of chairing this committee. What we tried to do in the Economic Sustainability Plan was to design strategies that will save jobs and create new opportunities. And we looked at certain broad areas. We looked at mass housing and mass agriculture where we are focused on using local resources and innovation. 

The whole point of mass housing and mass agriculture is that this will provide jobs. They provide jobs for small groups of engineers, architects etc. And of course, local production of some of the raw materials will also be an advantage. We are looking at both mass agriculture and mass housing as opportunities to create significant numbers of jobs. 

We have also looked at technology as a major opportunity for providing several jobs. We also considered the huge deficit in our power sector at the moment especially the deficit in the availability of power to millions who have never been on the grid and have never had power. So, we focused on renewable energy and solar power in particular because high radiation, as you know, is a resource that we have in abundance. We thought that this crisis will be an opportunity to do something more significant about solar power – to provide solar power through the private sector, and second to increase local capacity to assemble, to repair, and to service solar equipment. 

So, Solar Home Systems which is part of the Economic Sustainability Plan will power up to 5 million Nigerian households, who previously had no power. The systems will be provided by local private solar companies who have also worked out digital metering and payment methods.

So, to give another example of the sort of things that we are trying to encourage, Nigerian companies such as LifeBank and 54gene have been making waves in health technology for some time now. However, it has taken a global pandemic as we have now, for the government to develop truly collaborative solutions building on existing work that they had already done. 

So, 54gene and LifeBank are both running NCDC-licensed COVID-19 testing centres across the country. LifeBank is also delivering emergency oxygen equipment and working with the government to create a database of available ventilators and respirators across the nation.

The infectious disease centres that we have both government and private sector, have come together to build some of them. Many of them will outlast the pandemic and thus, ensure that we have durable healthcare infrastructure provided for our future. 

We might not have experienced the depth of such collaboration had it not been for the urgent needs created by this crisis. Today we have well over 54 testing centres across the country, we are converting the testing machines that were used for Tuberculosis and the machine used for testing AIDS, changing the cartridges and introducing the reagents for testing COVID-19, so there is a lot of innovative solutions going on at the moment. 

The thing that we will always keep in mind is that this is a huge country. So, sometimes when things are done, you hear people say ‘I don’t even know that things are being done.” So, you will always have a situation where it will never seem like it’s covering the entire country. 

I give you another example. When we decided that we were going to provide micro-credit for two million traders across the country, in fact, we did, eventually, over two million. So, in a country of this size, many will even say, we didn’t get anything. 

So, every time you think, in terms of solving the problems of Nigeria, we have to think in terms of scale, scale is it. You can do 200,000 of anything and it won’t make a difference in Nigeria. So, scale is very important as you think through solutions.

As you are also thinking of solutions, in innovative ways, I feel that one of the things that you must be thinking about is how to ensure that you are thinking on scale. 

One of the things that we experienced in the 1990s was mobile phones. In the 1990s, mobile phones were limited to more affluent who could afford them. The unmet need that existed amongst the rest of Nigerians then was seen as an opportunity for entrepreneurs to introduce business models that would make owning mobile phones affordable for the average Nigerian. 

So, today, it has not only connected us with the rest of the world, and provided millions of jobs in the process, but it has even become a medium for us to effectively engage other industries such as mobile banking and the likes. Because there was a need, there was a problem with the telephony system in Nigeria, entrepreneurs got into it, thinking people got into it and today we have mobile phones and we have one of the largest in terms of mobile phone ownership across the world- something in the order of 114 million mobile lines in Nigeria and that is increasing practically every day.    

This is a story of innovation and I just mentioned that because at the moment, we are also at a turning point with new opportunities to turn under-consumption into thriving business models, if only we effectively innovate.

We are seeing some of this emerge already and I can refer to a few examples to demonstrate a real basis for hope. The closing of schools, for example, with the lockdown has forced us to get creative about how we can replicate learning environments outside of the classroom. So, we have a lot of Edtech startups like uLesson – one of the new startups, leading the way, merging online and offline features to ensure the provision of a learning experience that spans the digital divide. Those kinds of innovations are crucial. 

E-learning isn’t new, many of us are familiar with e-learning but the challenge in Nigeria is how do you do e-learning on scale especially when you don’t have broadband technology across the country. So, there is a need to take e-learning offline, there is a need to take e-learning so that it can be used on our devices without necessarily having access to broadband all the time and there is a need to do it on scale. 

So, the challenges we have are slightly different from the challenges more developed economies may have. We have millions of people who need to access education. The real question is how do we get this education across to them, especially without in-person learning and where you may not have broadband technology. 

Some have done well with the use of radios and many are using all sorts of offline type devices. For those without, we know already that states are incorporating radio, TV lessons, and some schools are even delivering work to their students by WhatsApp. With regards to accessibility to the internet and technology as a whole, there are abundant opportunities, in my own opinion, for what can be done.

But these are broad areas that we must all be thinking about. And as I said, no one can say I am too young to think about this. All over the world, solutions are thought through and being implemented by young people. It is very difficult to find a 63-year old man like myself that will say I have discovered a new app that can teach law to law students across the country without the use of broadband technology. 

But perhaps of importance to us as lawyers or lawyers in the making is what these times mean for lawyers and where the opportunities lie. And I think we have to think through this especially like yourselves who in the next couple of years will be out there in practice. A few examples will tell you that you are living in the most interesting period in the history of our profession. 

So, the Supreme Court has recently endorsed virtual court proceedings. This means that there will be plenty of opportunities for new technologies adapted to the dynamics of the courtroom. You can share documents on Zoom but for courtrooms and for practice, you need more nimble technology to tender documents or cross-examine a witness from a remote location on a bundle of documents. So, Zoom will not be the best technology for court proceedings although it is being used now but it is not the best technology because sometimes you have a bundle of documents to tender and that may be difficult. So, there is room there for innovative technology that will be suitable for use in the courtroom and I know that there are so many ideas that people are coming up with but there is plenty of room for thinking that through. 

We also have to think about what the new rules for protocols will be. Virtual court proceedings are not the same as in-person or live court proceedings. When you are sitting in your office, conducting a case, the record-keeping will be totally a different issue. What will the protocols be for cross-examination, for making submissions? How does the judge look at the question of demeanour? It is a bit more difficult to look at people’s demeanour when you are using virtual processes such as we are using today. So, we need to be able to define what the rules will be.   

What sort of pre-trial advice do you give clients now? When witnesses are giving evidence from outside Nigeria, maybe from the US, from Greece, which is possible now if we use virtual court proceedings. In the past, a witness had to be physically present in Nigeria, but now with virtual court proceedings, a witness can sit in Denmark and give evidence in Nigeria. 

So, the question that will arise is, what are the jurisdictional problems? Do we need to change our rules as regarding jurisdiction? Can the witness truly without being present in Nigeria, give evidence?  How do we assess that in terms of current legislation? 

How about the future of the law firm itself? We know that the law firm is one of the busiest places you’d find. Lawyers are always seen cramping all over the place but the workplace is changing. With COVID-19, most law firms are working off-site and working from different other locations. What will remote working mean for a law office? What sort of technology will work best?  We, lawyers, deal with documents all the time; we are forever re-drafting, sending drafts back and forth. What technology will be nimble enough to handle all of that traffic? I think there is plenty of room for us to do so much around that area. 

What are the changes required in employment laws and in the practice of remote work? Everybody is working from different locations, are employment laws fit for purpose today? Or do we need to change something around it? These are the kinds of thoughts and ideas that we have to be thinking about.

How about cybersecurity in this new world where sensitive documents will be constantly moving around on the internet? How do we ensure that documents going back and forth are safe?

I want to say that innovation is itself, a mindset, and this is the only mindset that is going get us through this time of crisis in a manner that puts us ahead, rather than behind. Innovators, by their very nature, build much out of seemingly little and I believe that there is a bigger lesson here for all of us that we can make a difference ourselves.

I must say for lawyers, especially the young law students listening, I believe there is already a paradigm shift in the very concept of who a lawyer is today.  In my own day, a lawyer was a person who understood the law, read the law, citing the sections, he was more or less a legal technician.

Today, a lawyer that would be fit-for-purpose must be multidisciplinary, multitasking, digitally strong man or woman of affairs. By that, I mean that a lawyer can no longer be a legal technician.

He must be a person capable of understanding the broad dimensions of everything; business, technology, the environment and various things that are at play today.

Such a person is comfortable in the board room, he is also comfortable talking to people who want to sell music on digital platforms, or advising on the regulatory environment for FinTech companies. Such a person is not restricted to “all I can do is go and argue a motion in court”.  


So how do you prepare yourself, aside from your regular law curriculum for this new world?  I think you must educate yourself in new ideas, read widely, take up the enormous resources available online on practically any field of human endeavour. 

You must be intentional about understanding technology, information systems and artificial intelligence. This sort of radical versatility is the new normal, you can’t be a lawyer such as we were. You are in a completely new world. 

If I come to you and I say that I just recorded a new gospel song, and I need advice on how to sell, smartly, you the lawyer ought to be able to tell me that there are jurisdictional issues; I know the copyright issues that are involved in this, I know if we have to market and how it will be done, the exposure needed. There are a variety of questions that a lawyer today must be able to answer.

I think it is a brilliant challenging new world that we have out there and I am sure you young people know that the days ahead are exciting, we are in the best moment in history, you have all the resources.  I always say that never listen to the people who tell you of ”the good old days”, they have memory loss. There is no such thing as good old days, today is the very best day possible. 

Every generation has its own challenges; the next 20 years, there will be different sets of challenges. You can’t say that my father told me that when he got out of school, he didn’t need to look for work. You’d need to ask him how many people were in Law School at the time? In my set, we were only 300 in the entire country. If I come out of school and say I found a job, so what? Today, there are thousands of people but there are also thousands of opportunities and the world is open.

In my day, I couldn’t seat in my office and talk to you, I didn’t have a mobile phone and even our regular phones were not working. 

So, the days ahead are exciting and I hope this interaction will be one that will give you greater insights into the opportunities they are and I noticed that there are going to be many speakers even from the private sector. 

I thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity and to say that I wish you all very well and I hope we get another chance sometime soon to talk again.

Thank you and God bless you.

Released by:
Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
7th August 2020

I wish him the best

The door to success will always be open to those bold enough to take that bold stride. Imbedded in boldness are Genius & Power.

VP Osinbajo is a Genius that has boldly taken that spirited stride using his ingenuity & voice to steer the country on the path of Economic Development.

#osinbajoisactive #OsinbajoTheFixer

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The Federal Government intends to examine every possible option in the development and distribution of a vaccine against the COVID-19 disease, and the health and safety of Nigerian citizens is the priority of the Buhari administration in that matter. This was disclosed earlier today by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, during a virtual meeting with representatives of the BNT162 COVID-19 vaccine candidate on the progress of the vaccine development around the world, including Africa. The meeting was attended by the Health Minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire and the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib with representatives of Pfizer and Biotech, the international pharmaceutical firms promoting the BNT162 vaccine candidate. According to Prof. Osinbajo, the interaction between the FG and the promoters of the vaccine candidate “is an important conversation and it is important for us that we are prioritized-as the largest country in Africa-in the distribution of the best COVID-19 vaccine when it’s eventually ready. “Our priority is the health of the Nigerian citizens. We continue to engage and intend to look at every possible option -from all manufacturers- of a good vaccine.. We want to do the very best for our people in this regard.” During the meeting the Vice President asked several questions about the the COVID-19 vaccine candidate including how quickly can Nigeria get the vaccine once it’s safely ready. Responding, the Pfizer Country Manager and Representative in Africa, who spoke for the promoters, Mr. Subair Olayinka disclosed that “Nigeria will be priority,” for the vaccine supply to Africa. Although the vaccine trials are not going on in Nigeria currently he said the trails are ongoing in parts of the African continent and it would be entering the third phase, having concluded the first two phases successfully. Also speaking the Health Minister noted that the FG would consider quality, appropriate volume and how well and quick a vaccine can be delivered to Nigeria in deciding which manufacturer to make the supply.

Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity,
Office of the Vice President.
5th August 2020.

Read more at: https://prnigeria.com/2020/08/05/covid-19-vaccine-pfizer/

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