Professor Yemi Osinbajo
By Babatunde Obele
Browsing through the internet via my mobile phone this morning, I came across an opinion article written by Farooq Kperogi, which he titled “10 Reasons Osinbajo Will Ignite a Religious Civil War.” In the said article, he stooped so low, —disregarding moral decorum,—in his struggle to paint Professor Yemi Osinbajo as a religious bigot with overpowering anti-Muslim prejudice. But, facts in public domain, contradict his misleading claims.
While struggling to do the bidding of his paymasters, he forgot that he, like every other public intellectual, owes it to our nation to use his gifts to promote those things that unite us, rather than sowing seeds of discords. Had Kperogi followed his conscience, he would have had the understanding of the times and what is at stake as we move closer to 2023. Any careful observer who reads that piece will note that Farooq Kperogi was simply executing his cash and carry journalistic trade which lacks basic ethical standard.
As the count-down to 2023 begins, one is not surprised to observe a rise in public intellectual dishonesty, especially amongst those who have sacrificed their conscience on the altar of materialism. While most informed minds would not give Kperogi’s gibberish an honour of a rebuttal, I felt that it has a tendency to deceive less- discerning readers into accepting those lies as truths, and I owe it to my conscience to expose his lies against the person of Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
To begin with, anyone who has earnestly followed the life and deeds of the Vice President would know that he is not one given to any form of prejudice in any definition of the word. At every position in his life’s trajectory, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has shown — and continues to show — that he is a strong personality and exemplary leader not swayed by extraneous emotionalism and parochial cant. That explains why his detractors are finding it very difficult to de-market him.
The famous American poet and essayist Maya Angelou, rightly observed that “nothing can dim the light that shines from within.” Angelou’s captivating insight into the existential challenges that confront great minds succinctly captures the life story of Prof Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo, SAN, GCON.
Having stated the above, let us now look at the myths and juxtapose them against the facts: One of the major myths being peddled by those who are worried about Osinbajo’s rising profile and wide acceptability amongst millions of our citizens is that he has a hidden Christianization agenda which is seen in how he makes appointments.
The fact, however, is that the President, according to the Constitution, is empowered to handpick presidential aides and by virtue of that, President Buhari appointed all the Aides working in the Office of the Vice President, many of whom are Muslims, including the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Ade Ipaye. The positions following the Deputy Chief of Staff’s in the order of hierarchy, are the Special Advisers in the Office of the Vice President and VP has 5 Special Advisers and 3 are Muslims: *Senator Babafemi Ojudu from Ekiti State *Mrs Mariam Uwais from Kano State, *Engr Ahmad Zakari from Jigawa State.
The Senior Special Assistant on Legal Matters in the VP’s Office, Dr. Balkisu Saidu is also a Muslim. She was once quoted on BBC Hausa as saying that, “If you look at the senior positions in office, most of them are in the hands of Muslims from the North. The Director of Protocol and also Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs is Ambassador Abdullahi Gwary from Yobe State; those in charge of welfare and health in the Office of the Vice President are mostly Muslims and from the North.
Infact, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) have said they have confirmed that some of the names listed as Muslims working in the VP’s office are not fictional, adding that the most senior staff working with Osinbajo, a senior pastor in RCCG, is a Muslim. “An innocent man should not be crucified simply because he is a Christian. We insist on truth, fairness and objectivity.” MURIC, known for its no- holds -barred defence of anything related to the Islamic religion and Muslims, said.
Another undeniable fact is that VP Osinbajo has been invited by the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), the highest Muslim Council in Nigeria, to speak on a number of occasions. Infact, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, publicly stated that “Osinbajo’s leadership is divine.” In the same vein, Emirs and Muslim leaders have spoken glowingly of Osinbajo, with the Emir of Daura labelling him a symbol of loyalty and trustworthiness, “When you, VP Osinbajo talk about loyalty and trustworthiness among the political class, you stand as an example worthy of note.” Speaking in the same manner, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) stated that “the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is the pride of Nigeria”
If the above does not convince Kperogi and his kinds of Prof Yemi Osinbajo’s sincerity of purpose and love for all our citizens, irrespective of tribe, religion or political leanings, maybe we may need to remind him that it is on record that in celebration of his 60th birthday, VP Osinbajo and some of his friends established a school for 1,500 orphans in Borno State. Is that how bigots behave? Also, in October 2019, the UAE Embassy in Nigeria organised an Interfaith Tolerance Dialogue and invited VP Osinbajo to speak. Would a known bigot or a person with a Christianization agenda be invited to speak on such an important subject?
In this digital age, religious extremism on VP Osinbajo’s part would have been exposed, but there is nothing to see with a man that is most accommodating of views and faiths. We can only pray that God grants Farooq Kperogi the courage to rise above the temptation to sell his conscience and join millions of our citizens who are desirous of seeing our nation live up to the ideals of our old national anthem, which states that “though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand”. That is what Osinbajo exemplifies and that, perhaps, explains why many are urging him to run.
