EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report is pieced together by the IdentifytheRightLeader group with the sole purpose of contributing her quota to
salvage our common heritage, which in this case is Nigeria. IdentifytheRightLeader is a political cum civic organisation that is geared towards examining various front-runners in Nigeria’s political space with the sole aim of identifying their impacts in both private and public undertakings. Based on their track record, we then recommend them to Nigerians, solely on their merit. From an expert point of view, the IdentifytheRightLeader Group argues unequivocally based on verifiable and uncontestable impacts that Professor Yemi
Osinbajo without fear or favour is best positioned to lead Nigeria in 2023 if empowered.
Being President of Nigeria should not just be an Osinbajo ambition but a goal every well-meaning Nigerian should strive to achieve so as to exhume the country from the labyrinth of underdevelopment and waste in governance. This report is a call of duty to Nigerians to wake up and see how we have been shortchanged as a people in terms of leadership. If one man can achieve all these impactful feats embedded in this report,
while serving in subordinate roles, imagine how much he will do when he is in charge. Power in the hands of Osinbajo will indeed be a shining torch that will illuminate the country.
This report establishes that Professor Yemi Osinbajo has distinguished himself in public service, hence, he is the kind of leader Nigeria needs to steer the country off the trajectory of waste and inefficiency in governance. The report identifies that the country cannot afford to be
sentimental about who should lead the country but rather decisions should be based on track records. When one considers the impact Yemi Osinbajo has had throughout his sojourn in public office, it is safe to say that Nigeria needs him more than he needs Nigeria. It is discovered that the Office of the Vice President constrained Yemi Osinbajo’s capacity to perform owing to his constitutional limitations, but his intellectualism and capacity were best expressed as Attorney General of Lagos State and as Acting President of Nigeria. The many impacts made in active service as a public office holder were documented but his policies and impact both locally and internationally are inexhaustible and this report only scratches the surface to display how much one good leader can achieve silently, without fanfare and billboards to blow it up in people’s faces.
The findings in this report should be a guide in helping politicians, opinion shapers, the populace, and elites to make up their mind that 2023 is not a time for politicking but a time to salvage and save the soul of Nigeria. Yemi Osinbajo has displayed capacity to return Nigeria to its glory days as a giant indeed. The onus now lies in our hands as a people
to decide what it will be in 2023; ‘business as usual’ or a ‘turning point where things really turn for good.’
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Putting this report together was quite challenging. Being the first of its kind, this impact report, sourcing information proved difficult to come by.
The IdentifytheRightLeader Group with her team of experts consulted, researched, and interviewed both the common man and elites to gather data that led to the conclusions reached in this report.
In order to present a balanced, exhaustive, factual, and well-rounded account, we also relied on a number of government sources, academic materials and newspaper publications for much of the information
contained herein, without which the rich tapestry of an exemplary public service career would have been incomplete.
Our immense gratitude goes to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS),
the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, various news outlets, government sources, and public databases —
Nigerian Security Tracker (NST) and Nigeria Watch (NW) — from whose official statistics and digital materials we mined data.
It would be remiss of us to not mention and also thank specific newspaper companies — Vanguard, The Punch, Daily Trust, and some
online news outlets —- who gave us free access to their archives and libraries which proved to be repositories of a treasure trove of information on our subject.
We cannot but also express profound gratitude to Today Community Newspapers (TCN) for providing us moral and logistics support during the project’s development, particularly for providing the physical site for the numerous meetings and editorial conferences which often extended into the wee hours of many nights.
Our heartfelt appreciation also goes to the design whiz, Ogbenyi Egbe, who gave life to this project by transforming mundane data and boring statistics into the aesthetically enchanting montage presented herein.
And last, but not the least, we must recognize and appreciate the able and committed research team, who burned the midnight oil to bring this work to fruition and to whom, ultimately, the bulk of the credit must go:
Abimbola Oyarinu (PhD), Mr. Olalekan Adigun, Mr. Eniola Opeyemi, Mr. Dayo Akintobi, and Mrs. Temilade Okesanjo – the team lead, who directed the efforts painstakingly and marshaled the troops into
producing a top-notch work in the tradition and penchant of the subject, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, whom we also thank for giving us a basis for this project.
IdentifytheRightLeader
Lagos, Nigeria
January 2022
I N T R O D U C T I O N
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo – Then, Now, and Beyond…
The EndSars debacle taught a lot of lessons, one of which is to ‘sorosoke,’ which loosely translated from Yoruba means to ‘speak up’. But contrary to popular view, ‘soro-soke’ does not represent speaking up in the face of adversity alone, but also, when leadership is exemplary. The soro-soke generation advocates that we always speak up in the interest of the Nigerian State, as experience has shown that ‘we the people’ bear
the brunt of poor and selfish leadership. Exemplary leadership manifests through different attributes, supreme among which is empathy towards the populace. The EndSars uprising would not have seen the light of the
day if issues concerning human rights abuses from the SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) unit of the Nigerian Police Force had not been
handled with kids’ gloves. In October 2018, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, as Acting President, had ordered the overhaul of the controversial police unit following allegations of human rights violations, as he had directed then Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to review the operations of the SARS. However, the clamour died down when the substantive
President, Muhammadu Buhari, re-assumed duties after a temporary absence. The SARS unit continued with their highhandedness and
human rights violations as a result of this seeming dissonance in bureaucracy, which for some Nigerians represented a lack of empathy for
the Nigerian populace. but rather than admit their erroneous judgement on the SARS issues, many of our political elites remained in denial of the reality facing Nigerian youths on a daily basis. In October 2020, the young people revolted, with the EndSARS protests that spread nationwide. One Nigerian leader was nonetheless exemplary, who in the
darkest days of the protest apologized to Nigerians, saying, “We are sorry”; a stance which could have averted the bloodbath that occurred on the 20th of October 2020. This leader, Nigeria’s Vice President, matched words with action when he absorbed the EndSars uprising as an economic issue to be addressed under the National Economic Council (NEC), which he chairs, and thus mobilized the Governors of all 36 States
and the FCT to set up judicial panels to address human rights abuses that were perpetuated against Nigerians and ensure justice for all
victims of the dissolved SARS and other police units. As of January, 2021, 28 States including the FCT had set up judicial panels.
One thing is clear: throughout his public service career, Prof Osinbajo has sought to identify current and impending problems in society and propose solutions to them by way of public policy. In spite of having to navigate through the labyrinth of politics and government, Osinbajo has always made the impact of his proposed policies his focal point.
Throughout his public service life, whether as a lecturer, attorney general, vice president, or acting president, Prof. Osinbajo has demonstrated uncommon virtues, morals, and dedication to the Nigerian State. His ambitions are not personal, rather they are for the common good.
By virtue of his position in government at any point in time —- whether as Attorney General, Vice President, or Acting President —- Prof
Osinbajo has resolutely championed initiatives that make general contributory impacts on communities, social groups, and actual people.
These include the projects and interventions delegated to him by his principal, whether Governor or the President; others he initiated on his own as his pet projects; and the ones he implemented by virtue of the powers vested in him, whether as Attorney General or as Acting
President.
The common thread running through all of his ideas irrespective of where the authority derives from is that they must make a positive
contribution to the quality of life of Nigerians and have a measurable impact. Even in situations where he does not wield total executive powers, like as Vice President, Osinbajo uses advocacy to advance the causes he believes in, like his strident calls for restructuring of the country and his support for State Police.
The policies, actions, and initiatives of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo in the public sector have greatly shaped and continue to shape social, economic, and political development in Nigeria. A close look at some of the initiatives
and policy thrusts championed by him during his public career, spanning from Attorney General of Lagos State to Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, including his short stints as Acting President, shows a number of significant outcomes and impacts. It is thus, on the basis of the interest of the Nigerian State, that this compilation of the impacts of some of his interventions in the public space are highlighted with the
sole aim of illuminating what one man who constitutionally is supposed to be a mere ‘spare tyre’ can achieve without sufficient power backing him. Imagine then, for a second, what he can achieve if empowered with more executive powers.
HOW WE WENT ABOUT THIS WORK
It is in the interest of the Nigerian State that we have chosen to put this together, because of some qualities, and attitude to work, and love for the country that our subject has consistently exhibited.
Hence, we began first by reviewing available materials on the various subject matters using internet sources, academic texts, etc.
Information was gotten on Osinbajo as Attorney General, Vice President, and Acting President which were analysed using content analysis. Data was also sourced from official statistics and digital materials, including
the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Lagos State Ministry of Justice, credible news outlets, and public databases – Nigerian Security Tracker (NST) and Nigeria Watch (NW) –
and authoritative publications on various themes. The research team also contacted officials in The Presidency, Microsoft, Facebook, Huawei, Google, and direct beneficiaries of some initiatives N-Power, GEEP, and the Conditional Cash Transfer programme, among others.
Most importantly, interviews were conducted to illuminate the persona of Osinbajo behind the scenes which are so telling of what Nigeria will become if Osinbajo is empowered with executive powers to lead.
RESULTS AND FINDINGS
This work classifies Prof Osinbajo’s public policy interventions and initiatives into three broad categories based on his service as AttorneyGeneral, Vice President, and Acting President. It is trite to state that each of the offices comes with varying degrees of political involvement in impactful decision-making. An Acting President or the AttorneyGeneral (head of Ministry of Justice) wield constitutional authority to get things get done; the Vice President, on the other hand, relies on the deference of his principal to delegate responsibilities to him. In spite of this hamstring, even within the political contexts, Osinbajo, as Vice President, chaired the influential Economic Suitability Committee (ESC) and initiated sub-Saharan Africa’s largest social investment programmes in 2016
P R O J E C T T I T L E
STATE JUDICIAL REFORMS, INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
Background:
During the 16 years of the military rule that came to an end in 1999, there was widespread inefficiency and corruption throughout the Nigerian legal system, most especially in the Lagos courts, being the busiest in the nation.
When Yemi Osinbajo was appointed Attorney General of Lagos State in June 1999, he started reforming the entire judiciary, relying on strong support from the state governor.
As head of a justice policy committee set up by the Governor to review the entire legal system of Lagos State, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo commissioned a widely publicised study that showed the judicial system to be suffering from rampant corruption and severe backlogs in the adjudication of cases.
When he served as Attorney General of Lagos State, Prof. Osinbajo is credited with undertaking far-reaching significant judicial reforms in Lagos State, addressing critical areas such as judges’ recruitment, remuneration, training, and discipline. To address the problem of slow justice delivery at the Courts especially for poor people, he established appropriate institutions in the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) and
the Citizens Mediation Centre (CMC) to give free legal advice and aid to the poor.
Following on in his capacity as Attorney General of the State, Prof Osinbajo started and led the reforming of the entire judiciary with an express aim to:
● Reduce the backlog of cases in the High Court.
● Extend the accessibility of the legal system to the wider population.
● Reduce the average delays and duration of commercial cases before the civil courts.
● Eliminate corruption and inefficiency within the system.
● Nature of Intervention.
● In 2000, as part of the Access to Justice Programme, five free Citizen Mediation Centres were opened in Lagos “as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.
● Appointment of 26 judges from diverse backgrounds to the High Court, bringing the number of judges to 50 and reducing the average age of judges from 55 to 44. Also significant efforts to improve the recruitment process of judicial officers.
● Formation of a committee to oversee the rewriting of the court rules and monitor strict adherence to said rules.
● Setting up of the Court Automation Information System (CAIS) which assigns cases randomly to judges, calculates court fees
automatically. This system helped to reduce the case backlog and the court delays.
● Working with the National Judicial Council to remove corrupt judges and magistrates and make the judiciary more efficient and diverse.
● Recommending improvement of the conditions of service and enhance the welfare of judicial officers to reduce propensity for
corruption.
● Establishing transparent procedures and cultivating a culture of zero tolerance for corrupt practices.
● Addressing training deficiencies in the Judiciary.
● Recommended establishment of an Office of the Public Defender (OPD), to ensure justice for indigent suspects accused of a crime.
IMPACTS
● The broad objective of the reforms was clear: to establish an honest, well-functioning, and accessible legal system. Its achievements with regard to the commercial courts manifested very quickly:
● Courtrooms received infrastructure upgrades.
● Case backlogs and delays in case management were reduced.
● Accessibility of Lagos State citizens to the judicial process was increased.
● A more efficient, accessible and fair civil justice system was achieved.
● Restored public confidence in getting effective justice through the Lagos State commercial courts.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● Governor of Lagos State.
● Attorney General Yemi Osinbajo
P R O J E C T T I T L E
Human/Civil/States Rights/Contribution to Federalism
Background:
Under the military era, violations of human and civil rights of Nigerian citizens were the norm. At the onset of the new democratic dispensation in 1999, constitutional protections were all but non-existent. In addition, Federal might was unleashed on the States, making them subservient to, and almost completely at the mercy of the Federal Government for sustenance. The coming of democracy in 1999 changed this, with the
people and States fighting for their human, civil, and constitutional rights. These reforms served to protect the civil and constitutional rights of the people and States of Nigeria from the Federal Government.
NATURE OF INTERVENTION:
As Attorney General of Lagos State, Prof. Osinbajo took the Federal Government to court 12 times, including all the way to the Supreme Court, on matters of States’ rights and restructuring.
When Prof. Osinbajo was Attorney-General, he took the Obasanjo-led Federal Government to the Supreme Court over the withholding of funds belonging to the Lagos State Government in 2002. The argument was
that the 1999 Constitution [in Section 8(4) empowered the State House of Assembly to create new Local Government Councils which Lagos State has fully complied with. Prof. Osinbajo argued that the President has no right to withhold the payment of funds due to the Local Government Councils from the Federation Account under Section 162 subsection (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Suffice to say the Osinbajo-led legal team won the case against
the Federal Government, but Obasanjo still went ahead to withhold the State’s Local Government monthly allocations.
In the landmark case at the Supreme Court, the Judges were unanimous in their submissions that the Federal Government’s continuous withholding of the State’s Local Government allocation over its compliance with Section 8(4) of the 1999 Constitution was illegal and not in the spirit of true federalism. It is worthy to note that after this bold initiative led by Prof. Osinbajo, several other States like Osun, Oyo, and others began the
process of creating more Local Government Areas to bring government closer to the people. After all, Local Governments are constitutionally created to be the third tier of government in the Federation by virtue of
Section 7 and the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.
IMPACTS:
● Expanded the scope of jurisprudence on matters concerning the Federation.
● Expanded discussions on matters of Local Government creation — several States including Osun, Oyo, etc. have gone ahead to create additional LGAs to enrich government at the grassroots.
● Laid the foundation for Executive Order 10 which gave autonomy to State Legislature, Judiciary, and Local Government administration in the country.
● The current argument for restructuring stems from these cases.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● Attorney General Yemi Osinbajo.
● Lagos State Government.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) / Farmer-Herder Conflicts
Background:
For decades, food crop farmers have been plagued by the encroachment of their farms by cattle herders, whose animals destroy their crops as a result of their open grazing method. The destruction of crops has led to
several clashes between the herders and the farmers in some parts of Nigeria and has resulted in the deaths of many. Efforts made by farmers to discourage open grazing have led to multiple face-offs with herders
and had shown no sign of stopping the problem. This meant that only
government intervention could stop the menace of open grazing in the country.
OBJECTIVES OF THE INITIATIVE:
To solve the farmer/herder crisis, as well as to provide land for livestock farmers, the government launched the National Livestock
Transformation Plan (NLTP), an initiative whose sole objective is to improve livestock farming by providing land for ranching. The NLTP is a programme conceived by the National Economic Council under the Chairmanship of the Vice President. The programme prioritizes key areas of intervention into a comprehensive framework to modernize and transform the livestock sector into an important instrument for rapid
economic growth and diversification in Nigeria.
NATURE OF INTERVENTION:
The various elements of the NLTP are arranged around 5 pillars:
● addressing conflicts.
● improving access to justice and peace.
● addressing the needs of affected populations.
● human capital development, as well as cross-cutting issues of gender
and youth.
● research and information and strategic communication.
IMPACTS:
● The NLTP provides a framework and strategic direction to transform the Nigerian livestock sector.
● Eliminate farmer-herder conflict by evolving and strengthening intensive livestock production systems, with the aim of making the sector more productive and sustainable.
The picture above shows a significant decline in the cases of farmerherder conflicts and deaths resulting from such since 2018.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● National Economic Council chaired by VP Osinbajo.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
National Social Investment Programmes
(N-SIP)
Background:
The National Social Investment Program of Nigeria (NSIP) is a social welfare initiative created by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2015. Superintended by Vice President Osinbajo, the Programme was created
to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources to vulnerable populations, including children, youth, and women. The NSIP is the
largest and most ambitious social safety net programme in the history of Nigeria, with N140 billion released and more than 9 million direct beneficiaries so far.
NATURE OF INTERVENTION:
The National Social Investment Office created four programmes to address poverty and help increase economic development. They are:
a. N-Power Programme—- Expanded from employing 500,000 graduates with a monthly stipend of N30,000 to 1 million
beneficiaries.
b. GEEP Loans (MarketMoni, FarmerMoni, and
TraderMoni) —- Provide credit to over 3
million Nigerian traders, artisans, and
businessmen. So far, N15 billion has been
disbursed in interest-free loans ranging from
N50,000 to N350,000 to 303,420 market
women, traders, artisans, and farmers across
all 36 states of the country and the FCT.
About 56 per cent of the loans have gone to
women.
c. Homegrown School Feeding Programme –
HGSFP currently feeds approximately 10
million pupils with free meals daily in 45,394
public primary schools across 26 states.
d. The National Cash Transfer Programme/Conditional Cash Transfer and Household Uplifting Programme is one of 4 social investment programmes championed by the VP. It was conceived as part of the Federal
Government’s larger growth and social
inclusion strategies aimed at addressing key
social concerns in the country. Targeted to
reach one million households with 80
beneficiaries coming from each ward of the
774 Local Government Areas of the country.
300,000 households have been reached with
monthly stipends of N5,000.
IMPACTS:
● Stimulated and diversified the economy,
helped retain and create jobs, and extended
more protections to the poor and most
vulnerable in society.
● Beneficiaries of the grants from the various interventions received grants that drove aid consumption, stimulated demand, and ensure survival directly in the households.
● The HGSFP helped boost school enrollment and improve nutrition of primary school pupils while sustaining the impact of agricultural and women entrepreneurs in communities to produce and provide a highquality daily meal to pupils at the basic education level.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● National Social Investment Office.
● Vice President Osinbajo.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
Rule of Law, Federal Judicial Reforms
Background:
The maxim that “Justice delayed is justice denied” has never been truer in jurisprudence than in Nigeria of recent years. The tortuous process with which cases wind their way through the process over several years and
ultimately leads to an untenable situation where even when justice is served, it is a hollow victory. The caliber of judges and magistrates on the bench adds to the problem as many of them were not elevated on merit, which reflects in the soundness (or lack thereof) of their judgements.
Osinbajo has shown his commitment to upholding the rule of law and human rights for all Nigerians. In several ways, he has also shown he is against impunity and any form of police brutality in the country.
NATURE OF INTERVENTION:
● Advocated an independent process in the appointment of judges, insisting it be strictly on merit and not merely by promotion within
the judiciary.
● Urged judges, lawyers to end slow judicial process and advocated term limits for both civil and criminal cases.
● Recommended that allegations of judicial corruption be investigated, and consequences be visited upon those found liable.
● Influenced the President to dissolve SARS as a unit of the Police Force.
● Directed State Governors to set up judicial Panels of Inquiry into police brutality.
IMPACTS:
The Vice President’s advocacy for judicial reform particularly on the slow judicial process is bringing about pace-setting changes that is making
the judiciary more efficient, and creating an environment where the public believe that justice will truly be served.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
● Ministry of Justice.
● President Muhammed Buhari.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
Tech Industry Interventions
Background:
According to an independent survey carried out by OC&C Consulting in 2018, the Nigeria’s ICT (information and communication technologies) sector grew from less than 1 percent of GDP in 2001 to almost 10 percent
of GDP.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has been an advocate for the transformation of the Nigerian economy through tech companies,
craving the indulgence of the tech giants to train, establish and employ more youths in the country, heavily banking on the income from
technology as it continues to export some of Nigeria’s tech-inspired products to the world.
NATURE OF INITIATIVE:
It started in 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President
Yemi Osinbajo were elected. The Buhari-led government appointed Osinbajo to lead the team that aimed to diversify the Nigerian economy from oil.
ENABLING POLICIES:
● National Digital Economy policy and strategy (2020 -2030).
● Companies and Allied Matters. (Amendment) Act (2020).
● The Finance Act (2020).
● NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SERAP).
● The Nigeria Start – Up Bill.
● Ease of Doing Business (Nigeria was ranked to 169th position in 2014, after the VP’s intervention, it dropped to 131st in 2020).
IMPACTS:
● Nigeria now has 55 active technology hubs raising over US$ 94m overtaking South – Africa with 59 start-ups raising US$60m.
● 6 Unicorns emerged in Nigeria (Opay, Paystack, Flutterwave, Andela, Piggyvest, Jumia).
● The Nigerian technology sector total start-up funding was US$178.3m in 2018, grew to US$337m in 2018, Dropped to US$337m in 2020 (due to the COVID-19 Pandemic), Rose to US$219.02m in just the first.
GOOGLE INTERVENTION:
● Launch of Google Station.
● The Launch of Google Africa. Development Centre in Nigeria.
● Out of the targeted 10 million trainees in Africa by 2022, Google so far has trained more than 5 million people. Most important is the fact that out of those 5 million, 3 million are Nigerians.
MICROSOFT INTERVENTION:
● Microsoft in collaboration with NITDA trained a total number of across
the nation according to records made available by Microsoft Nigeria.
● 6 percent of the trainees got new employment, 15 percent established
new businesses, and the training help 23 percent grow their businesses.
● Post program: It helped 54.4 percent of the participants grow their businesses. About 35.5 percent save cost. 20 percent improve customer reach.
● 26.6 percent of participants were trained in content creation. 40.3 percent in Digital marketing and 33.5 percent in Microsoft
productivity tools.
● A recent survey by Wootlab showed that 85 percent of the participants of alumni platforms would like continuous post program
support.
● In May 2021, a partnership between the Nigerian government (under its digital transformation plan) and Microsoft Corporation was announced. Under the partnership, at least 5 million Nigerians would
benefit from a digital upskilling programme, and locations in each of the 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria will also enjoy active internet
connection and cloud services.
FACEBOOK INTERVENTION:
● In September 2020, Facebook made public its decision to open an office in Nigeria (Its second Africa office) to be operational in H2 2021. Recall that in 2016, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg visited
Nigeria in what was his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP)
Background:
By the end of 2019, the Nigerian economy has had four quarters of consecutive growth of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to
the Central Bank of Nigeria. The economy showed a consistent 2.55 percent growth in 2019.
The devastating impacts of COVID-19 in 2020 led to the contraction of the economy which manifested by way of led to sharp declines in key sectors like transportation, agriculture, hospitality, education, trade, construction, etc.
In seeking solutions to address the downturn and bring relief to the people, President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2020 asked the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to head the Economic Sustainability Committee (ESC) to come up with a blueprint for post-Covid economic recovery.
According to respected Nigerian economist Bismarck Rewane, the country’s exit from recession could be attributed to four interrelated factors which include the fact that the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) “was more successful than we thought it would be initially”.
THE CRITICAL OBJECTIVES OF ESP INCLUDE:
● Improved Healthcare and lowering the COVID-19 caseload.
● Restoring Growth.
● Job creation and safeguarding existing jobs;
● Increased Local Production.
● Reducing Social Vulnerabilities.
NATURE OF INTERVENTION:
The ESC was tasked with drawing up an economic blueprint for at least one year after the pandemic. As a result:
● In June 2020, the Osinbajo-led ESC submitted its report with the Buhari-led Federal Executive Council approving it as the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP).
● The Federal Executive Council (FEC) committed N2trillion to the implementation of ESP after the blueprint was approved.
● The ESP includes several packages like MSME Survival Fund, Youth Fund, Mass Housing Programmes, massive Agriculture Plan, and Solar Power installations, among others.
● The role of Professor Osinbajo was to draw up the Plan and later supervise its implementation.
● The ESP programme was designed in line with the standards of International Monetary Fund (IMF) which include:
○ a growth-friendly fiscal policy;
○ monetary policy;
○ more flexible exchange rate;
○ implementing structural reforms to improve the business environment;
○ governance and transparency initiatives to stimulate private sector activity; and
○ updating and implementing the financial inclusion and gender strategies to help create more equal opportunities and higher
workforce productivity.
● The ESP policies are aimed at addressing challenges such as supporting businesses that may close down, workers that may not be
paid during the lockdown, healthcare support to reduce COVID-19 case load.
IMPACTS:
The impacts of ESP have been sweeping since it was launched in 2020.
Some of the impacts include:
● Under the ESP, 6.39 million farmers were enumerated with their farmlands geo-tagged for government support.
● The geo-tagging is significant because it helps to ensure efficient and effective monitoring of government intervention in the Agricultural sector.
● For the first time in the nation’s history, farmers’ biodata were captured and linked with the geographical information of their farm plots, crops, and the volumes of production in the country.
● About 2.1 million jobs have been retained or created through the implementation of different components of the ESP.
● Since the launch of ESP, Nigeria’s agriculture sector grew 2.17 per cent
in 2020, from 2.36 per cent in 2019 and 2.12 per cent in 2018, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
● The NBS reports that the Agricultural sector grew 3.42 per cent in real terms in the fourth quarter of 2020, when measured against the same quarter in 2019.
● According to the NBS “the [Agricultural] sector grew by 14.03 yearon-year in nominal terms in Q4 2020, showing a rise of 0.23 per cent points from the same quarter of 2019”.
● Under the ESP, there was massive investment in the Survival Fund which has different schemes, namely;
○ the Guaranteed off-take Scheme.
○ Payroll Support Scheme.
○ Artisans & Transport Support. Scheme.
○ General MSME Grant Scheme and Formalization Support Scheme.
● Under the MSME Payroll Support Scheme, direct grants were given for a three-month period to 459,000 beneficiaries across the country.
● Over 293,000 transport workers and artisans received one-off grants of N30, 000 each under the Artisan scheme.
● 82,000 businesses also received one-off grants under the MSME General grant scheme.
● 250,000 enterprises benefited from the
CAC free registration of companies under the
Formalization Support Scheme.
● Under the Agricultural schemes, a total of
320 hectares of land has been cleared across
8 States at 40 hectares per state in Kwara,
Plateau, Cross River, Edo, Kaduna, Ekiti, Osun,
and Ogun with ₦ 471bn allocated as loans to
farmers across 14 Crop Value Chains, Beef
Production, Aquaculture and Poultry Farming.
● The ESP Public Works and Aviation component has facilitated construction work
on 193 road sections totalling 3,707km of
roads.
● The ESP Public Works Scheme employed
26,021 Nigerians in road rehabilitation and
construction.
● The ESP Public Works Scheme has overseen the construction of 345km of rural roads, 205 bore holes, and 10 treatment plants to create jobs and develop rural areas in 36 States and the FCT has commenced.
● Under the Survival Fund Payroll Support Scheme, 300,000 MSMEs in over 30 states of the Federation have benefitted.
● The ESP helped stimulate investor confidence in the Nigerian economy which saw the country’s quick exit from recession in 2020 and 2021.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● CBN.
● Federal Executive Council.
● Vice President Osinbajo.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
Niger-Delta New Vision
Background:
Prior to 2016, the instances of insecurity in the oil rich Niger-Delta region reached unprecedented dimensions leading to the reduction of the nation’s oil production from about 2.2 million barrels per day to around
1.4 million barrels in the span of three months.
President Buhari’s historic 2015 election saw the increase in communal, criminal, and election-related violence in the Niger-Delta region fuelling insinuations that the Amnesty Programme may be suspended, and the
region returns to the darkness of 2009 which saw the worst of militancy, kidnapping, and pipeline vandalism. With the noticeable instances of sustained attacks on energy
infrastructure by a new militant group, Niger-Delta Avengers (NDA), there were significant economic and security threats to the country at the time.
The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 16 is dedicated to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies” because there is a nexus
between peace and development especially in the Niger-Delta.
NATURE OF INTERVENTION:
● The Buhari administration’s attempts to isolate and dismantle the influence of ex-militant leaders suffered some early shock defeats largely due to the international oil slump which saw prices fall from a peak of $115 per barrel in 2014 to under $35 in 2016 occasioned by sustained persistent pipeline attacks by militants.
● A huge opportunity presented itself when, on November 1, 2016, Niger-Delta leaders met with President Buhari to present a 16-point
demand to restore peace to the region.
● The Office of the Vice President began serving as the interface between the Niger-Delta region and President Buhari, which
significantly reduced tensions, suspicion, and lack of communications.
● To deliver on his mandate efficiently, Osinbajo, a Professor of Law and expert in Alterative Dispute Resolutions (ADRs), made an extensive tour of the Niger-Delta with a high-powered Cabinet delegation commencing from January 2017.
● After his tour of the Niger-Delta region, Professor Osinbajo came up with a plan – the Niger-Delta New Vision (NDNV) – which is about productive partnership between the federal government, state governments, the private sector, and the local communities.
● Under the NDNV, oil industry players will concentrate development in oil-producing communities to sustain peace.
● The NDNV is based on feedback the Osinbajo-led tour got from the over 23 communities and 9 states visited during the Vice President’s tour.
● Osinbajo was, in addition, tasked with the launching of the Ogoniland Clean Up which was also part of the PANDEF’s 16-point demand.
● In its 2011 report, on Nigeria, the United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP) concluded that most Ogoni communities
(including those which appear unaffected at the surface) “are in reality severely contaminated underground and action to protect human health and reduce the risks to the affected communities should occur without delay.”
IMPACTS:
● The NDNV which is the peace-building blueprint for the Niger-Delta designed by Vice President Osinbajo, has been able to achieve its desired results.
● The coming of peace to the Niger-Delta has also led to massive investment and economic opportunities into the region.
● In 2018, the Niger-Delta got major private investment deals from “All On” and Green Village Electricity (GVE) in energy and construction according to the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC).
● In a region that accounts for over 80 per cent of Nigeria’s resources, achieving stability in the area has serious economic advantages for the nation’s revenues.
● NDNV-led peacebuilding was instrumental to the nation’s exit from the 2016/2017 economic recession. Also, the Presidential Amnesty Programme has continued engaged ex-militants and youths in the Niger Delta in productive ventures.
● The Federal Government voted to spend about two trillion naira in the Niger-Delta between 2018 and 2021 as part of NDNV.
● The Niger Delta New Vision initiative of the Buhari administration has brought about significant development projects in the region,
including but not limited to: the take-off of the Nigerian Maritime University in Okerenkoko, Delta State, which commenced academic
activities on April 12, 2018; Ogoni clean-up/remediation efforts, the first of its kind in oil-rich Niger Delta; establishment of privatesector-led Modular Refineries across the Niger Delta; Infrastructure projects include the ongoing construction work on the 34-kilometres Bonny-Bodo Road; Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri Rail Line project; developing sea ports in the region, including Warri, Ibaka deep sea
port, among other development projects like the establishment of Export Processing Zones to boost economic activities.
● The NBS unemployment report for 2020 shows that there was a slight improvement of an average of about 2 percent in these states
in that year in the Niger-Delta states which had some of the worse cases of unemployment previously.
● The improved rate of employment was largely attributed to the integration of artisanal and modular refinery operators into
mainstream oil and gas sector which is aimed at promoting the inclusion of more local content in the industry and advance the use of
home-grown technology in the refining of petroleum products under the Niger-Delta New Vision.
● A study carried out by the African Initiative for Transparency, Accountability, and Responsible Leadership (AfriTAL) in 2019 found out that the previous unrest in the Niger-Delta region was responsible for poor investment in the region.
● Soame Nigerian scientists noted that formalizing modular refineries will “improve refining quality and sufficient production and supply of refined petroleum products for domestic consumption” and boost
employment in the region.
● According to the Director, Centre for Gas, Refining & Petrochemicals (CGRP), Institute of Petroleum Studies (IPS), University of Port
Harcourt, Professor Godwin Igwebueze, these modular refineries have the potential to boost Nigeria’s oil revenue and reduce her importdependence.
● Experts say that with a thoughtful implementation and management of the modular refineries programme, the rate of unemployment, poverty, and hunger in the Niger Delta states will reduce drastically.
● The Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) – a tier of the Ogoni Clean Up Exercise has helped train over 15 indigenous
Ogoni scientists on environmental assessment remediation as part of the project plan with support from the Ogoni Restoration Fund.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● Minister of Niger-Delta Affairs.
● Vice President Osinbajo.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
MSME Clinics
Background:
In order to consolidate efforts made by the Federal Government in its first four years to improve the economy, a need was identified to create a conducive environment for businesses to thrive especially the Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
NATURE OF THE INTERVENTION:
● The MSME Clinics is an initiative of the Office of the Vice President to create a platform for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to interact with Federal Agencies and obtain practical and on-the-spot solutions
to their business challenges.
● These solutions include on-the-spot business registrations, processing of approvals/licenses, advisory, capacity building, and so on.
● The MSME Clinic is a one-roof office where multiple federal government agencies provide on-the-spot solutions to the challenges of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria.
● The Clinics bring together key Federal Government agencies to a series of business forums organized in different cities across the
country where MSMEs can interact easier with them.
● MSME Clinics have so far been held in 29 States with over 400,000 MSMEs participating.
IMPACT:
● Free/reduced fees for registration of new business names, with over 300,000 new businesses registered by the Corporate Affairs
Commission.
● The FG also launched Shared Facilities for MSMEs, by which MSMEs without the financial capacity to own their own equipment gained the opportunity to go into a fully equipped cluster-style facility to pay a token to use such equipment.
● It also provides assistance with access to finance, product registration & certification, skills acquisition/capacity building, access
to markets, and information on tax compliance.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
The MSME Clinics is an initiative of the Office of the Vice President, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and 11 Federal Agencies.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
Ease of Doing Business
Background:
The constraints to starting and/or doing business in Nigeria were stifling and discouraging both locals and foreigners from setting up businesses in the country.
NATURE OF INTERVENTION:
As Acting President, Prof Osinbajo signed the Presidential ExecutiveOrder on Ease of Doing Business. This Order was aimed at improving
businesses in the country and attracting foreign direct investments (FDI) to Nigeria. All unnecessary bureaucratic procedures to business were eradicated.
The Vice President is also chair of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), which was set up in July 2016 by President Buhari, to remove bureaucratic constraints to doing business in Nigeria, and make the country a progressively easier place to start and grow a business.
IMPACTS:
This Order made it easy for Nigerians to register their businesses with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Since 2016, as a result of PEBEC efforts, Nigeria has risen by an aggregate of 39 places on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings. FDI has been on the increase including Microsoft, Google, and other foreign companies opening offices
in the country.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council.
● Enabling Business Environment Secretariat.
● Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
APPOINTMENTS MADE AS ACTING PRESIDENT
As Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo made some significant appointments that have proved or continue to prove their mettle in their respective positions. These include the swearing in of Walter Onnoghen as the 17th Chief Justice of Nigeria; appointment of Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye as chairman of the anti-graft agency, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); Dikko Aliyu AbdulRahman as Chairman, Governing Board of the Bank of Industry (BoI) and Mr. Olukayode Pitan as Managing Director, BoI; Funsho Doherty as Director-General, National Pension Commission (PENCOM), among others.
Osinbajo as Acting President, also approved the appointment of Ekpo Nta as full-time Commissioner for the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission; Siaka Isaiah Idoko as Chairman/CEO, Investment
and Security Tribunal; and 21 new federal permanent secretaries.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
Infrastructure, Education
Background:
Considering a motion titled “Deplorable State of the Road Linking Kwara and Kogi States”, by Hon. Raheem Tunji Olawuyi at the plenary, the
House of Representatives noted that the road from Ajase-Ipo, Kwara State through Omu-Aran to Eruku-Egbe to Kabba in Kogi State was a federal road. The House of Representatives contended that the state of the Ajase-Ipo-Omu-Aran-Eruku-Egbe-Kabba road to Kwara State was providing an enabling environment for armed robbers and kidnappers to waylay and subject thousands of road users to untold hardship including untimely death. The House also noted that most of the inter-state roads
across the country, especially major roads that connect the North to the South, have over the years suffered neglect as a result of non-provision of funds by the authorities concerned.
NATURE OF INTERVENTION:
On the 8th of February 2017, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo approved contracts for Ilorin- Omu Aran Kaaba Road to the tune of 21 billion naira. Also, on the 15th of February 2017, a sum of N126bn road project spread across Kano, Bauchi, Adamawa, Kwara, Gombe, Enugu, and Kaduna states was approved by FEC under the chairmanship of Prof. Osinbajo.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting Osinbajo chaired on February 22, 2017, approved 32 billion naira for the resuscitation and completion of 50 km dual carriage Kaduna eastern bypass highway, the council also approved $39.9 million for the construction of the Cameroon –Nigeria border-line bridge at Ikot – Efiem, which also reduced travel time, reduced security threat and ease of doing business. Some of these projects are still ongoing but when they are completed,
they will bring considerable succour to the people.
IMPACTS:
● Help to reduce commuters’ travel time.
● Improved security.
● Eased the cost of doing business.
ENERGIZING ECONOMIES AND ENERGIZING EDUCATION:
Osinbajo supervised the provision of solar power to markets around the country such as Ariaria in Aba, Sabon Gari in Kano, Sura in Lagos, etc., as part of the energizing economies initiative of the Rural Electrification Agency. VP Osinbajo also commissioned solar power plants in universities such as Alex Ekwueme University, in Ebonyi, Bayero University in Kano, and most recently, the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Energizing Education Solar Power Plant on the 11th of February, 2021.
Outside political offices, Prof. Osinbajo has launched several initiatives to help the poor and downtrodden get access to education. He launched the Liberty Schools Project that provides free education for poor and
needy children in poor communities in Obanikoro, Ikota and Makoko areas in Lagos State. The Project has been appraised by several international organisations as effective and efficient. Prof. Osinbajo spearheaded other initiatives that focused on free health care facilities, free legal services, social rehabilitation and skills acquisition for the poor.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
● Ministry of Works.
● Rural Electrification Agency.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
Presidential Assent
Background:
Acting President Osinbajo in 2017 signed 7 bills sent from the National Assembly into law. The bills and their impacts include:
NATURE AND IMPACT:
- OATHS (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2017: The Oaths Amendment Acts specifically enlists courts that were not in existence at the time the Oaths Act were made and which came into being upon Amendment of the constitution creating such courts such as the Federal High Court, F.C.T High Court, National Industrial Court, among others
named in the Amendment Act. - DEFENCE SPACE ADMINISTRATION ACT, 2017: establishes the Defence Space Administration, to develop satellite technology and ensure the security of the nation’s cyber activities.
- VETERINARY SURGEONS (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2017: reduces the membership of the Veterinary Council.
- NATIONAL FILM AND VIDEO CENSOR BOARD (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2017: reduces the membership of the Governing Board and empowers the Board to regulate the import and export of movies.
- PENSION RIGHTS OF JUDGES (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2017: expands the
meaning of a judicial officer to cover the offices of the Chief Judge or Judge of the Federal High Court, President or Judges of the National Industrial Court and Chief Judge or Judges of the High Court of the
Federal Capital Territory. - NIGERIA INSTITUTE OF SOIL SCIENCE (ESTABLISHMENT, ETC) ACT, 2017: establishes the Nigeria Institute of Soil Science which is charged with the responsibility of regulating the profession of Soil Science.
- MORTGAGE INSTITUTIONS (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2016: reviews the prescribed penalties.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
● The National Assembly.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
Reconstruction of North-East
Background:
Insurgency has ravaged Nigeria’s North-East for more than a decade leading to the displacement of over two million people from their homes in the North-East according to the European Union. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) claims that, more than 300,000 children lost their lives in the last 12 years in the insurgency ravaging the Northeast region. According to UNICEF “Children killed in crossfires, Improvised
Explosive Device (IEDs), children used as suicide bombers, children killed
by malnutrition among others”.
This is against the backdrop of the fact that the Nigerian military has been engaging the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), a terrorists’ organization, which has started massive recruitment of jobless
youths into its fold to continue wreaking havoc.
By 2017, analysts started calling for changes in counter-insurgency measures. Some of the policy recommendations include development
programmes. This was after the military option had shown little results.
The Federal Government passed the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) Act in 2018.
NATURE OF INTERVENTION:
● In July 2017, at a National Security Council meeting, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo directed Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff and Sadique Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff, to relocate to Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, with immediate effect.
● As part of reconstruction efforts in the Northeast, Osinbajo established the North East Children’s Trust (NECT) with the aim of
providing educational and extensive-care support to thousands of children orphaned by the Boko Haram insurgency in the region in
2017.
IMPACTS:
The impacts of these interventions have been swift. These include:
● Reconstructing the insurgency-infected Northeast region portends massive significance including helping in peacebuilding, reintegration of victims back into society, and inducing development.
● The reconstruction efforts have helped improve infrastructural and socio-economic developments, generate employment, and improve school enrolment in the region.
● Before NECT’s intervention, schools in the region had suffered a dearth of infrastructure, low enrolment rates, and a backlog of unpaid
staff salaries.
● Since the full commencement of operations, NECT has trained hundreds of vulnerable children and mostly orphans from Borno,
Adamawa, and Yobe States in the nursery, primary, and secondary school sections.
● NECT was established as a measure to tackle violent extremism is through education which has seen significant improvement in its
deradicalisation efforts.
● The NECT was established with the realization that victims of insurgency – mostly children and women – have needs for support
like other members of the society – they need to recover lost businesses, properties, and other valuables.
● The Acting President’s order to the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Air Staff to relocate to Maiduguri, increased the tempo of the fight
against insurgency in 2017.
● This increased tempo on the part of the Nigerian military provided psychological boosts for officers in the field and their morale to fight the dreaded insurgents.
● If victims of insurgency are not properly attended to or reintegrated back into the society, they may nurse ill-feeling towards other members of the society which was part of the needs NECT set off to achieve.
● NECT has since established Learning Centres to cater to the displaced orphans in the Northeast, and helped improve school
enrolments in insurgency-affected areas in the Northeast.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● Ministry of Defence.
● National Security Council.
● Acting President Osinbajo.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
Curbing Impunity and Abuse of
Office
Background:
Before his emergence as a democratically elected Nigerian president in 2015, one of the heaviest arguments against Muhammadu Buhari was his poor human rights records during his reign as military head of state in the early 1980s.
The role and continued relevance of the Nigeria’s secret police, State Security Service (SSS), in a democratic environment has been the subject of discussions among democrats.
This is because the agency is a successor to the Nigerian Security Organisation (NSO), which many Nigerians remember during the military era for various human rights abuses especially under Ambassador Mohammed Lawal Rafindadi who headed the agency under the Buhari’s military regime. To boot, the agency’s tradition of impunity and abuse of power seemed not to have abated even in a democratic setting.
NATURE OF INTERVENTION:
● In August 2018 – in the build-up to the 2019 elections – some operatives of Nigeria’s secret police, State Security Service (SSS), laid siege to the National Assembly complex preventing lawmakers and civil servants from gaining access into the building. This prompted Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), to order the termination of the agency’s Director-General, Mallam Lawal Daura.
● The SSS’s unauthorized invasion of Nigeria’s legislature outraged Professor Osinbajo. According to Premium Times, on getting to know of the invasion, Acting President Osinbajo “quickly went to action and was able to gather preliminary information of what was going on after which he invited some of the security chiefs concerned for a briefing”.
● This was a decision many Nigerians never expected at the time considering the fact that Mallam Daura hails from the president’s hometown and is reportedly close to the Buhari who was away on medical leave in London at the time. There were also political concerns especially from powerful blocs within the ruling party, the All-Progressives Congress (APC), that some members may not be happy with the decision as it may affect the party’s chances in the 2019 presidential election.
● Despite the political consequences, the decision reaffirmed the need for rule of law to always prevail over arbitrariness in democracies.
IMPACTS:
● Despite the seeming politically risky decision in the sacking of the SSS boss at the time, there were huge sighs of reliefs from the international community and civil society at Nigeria’s commitments to the rule of law and human rights under the Buhari administration. Several lawyers and rule of law advocates celebrated Osinbajo’s
decision to terminate Daura’s appointment.
● Former Deputy Director General of the Nigeria Law School (NLS) Professor Ernest Ojukwu (SAN), said: “I am excited to be counted as a Nigerian, a lawyer, and a law teacher by this example of leadership by
our Acting President… We should not allow a few men and women to destroy our country by their impunity”.
● Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), commended the action taken by the Acting President saying such action should be extended to all other security and law enforcement agencies, to follow the law and observe the due process of law, in all their dealings.
● The prompt decision also communicated Osinbajo’s capacity to take snap decisions in such situations without recourse to the political consequences.
● Such decision to curb impunity from public officials is one that received some of the biggest accolades from even known critics of the Buhari administration.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● National Security Adviser (NSA).
● Acting President Osinbajo.
P R O J E C T T I T L E
Contribution to Party System and Democratic Development
After the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Osinbajo was called upon, alongside other notable Nigerians in the party, to draft the manifesto for the new political party. This culminated in the presentation of the “Roadmap to a New Nigeria”, a document published by APC as its manifesto in 2013. The highlights of the Roadmap included a social safety initiative to specifically address poverty amongst other things. This included a free meal school plan and a conditional cash transfer to millions of the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians. Significantly, this birthed the impactful Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) of the Buhari administration.
Osinbajo’s entrance into national politics also had a huge impact. In 2015, both Osinbajo and Buhari became the first presidency in the nation’s history to defeat an incumbent administration in a free and fair election. Also, in February 2019, the Buhari/ Osinbajo ticket won the Presidential Elections for a second term in office.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
● President Muhammadu Buhari.
● All Progressives Congress (APC).
OSINBAJO SPEECHES AS VP AND ACTING PRESIDENT (2015 – Date)
Background:
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is an eloquent speaker, as a result, his many speeches have been able to motivate and repose confidence in the minds of the citizenry. In the annals of the history of Nigeria, no Vice President has been as eloquent a speaker as Yemi Osinbajo or (former VP, late) Alex Ekwueme. The current VP also delivers most of his speeches extemporaneously. His speech at the Dubai economic summit made a US-based pastor seek his services at the helm of affairs in US.
Prof Osinbajo has delivered several speeches but for this exercise, a limited number will be mentioned. He has contributed to major national debates and his stance on many issues have been adjudged by experts as the right way to go.
NATURE OF INTERVENTION:
- Police Brutality:
On the 14th of August 2018, Osinbajo as Acting President ordered the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris to overhaul the SARS unit accused of many human right violations. The decision was however reviewed when President Muhammed Buhari re-assumed his elected position.
On the 17th of October 2020, following the ENDSARS uprising, the VP was one of the few notable Nigerians who apologized to Nigerian
youths. He tweeted:
“Dear Nigerians, I know that many of you are angry, and understandably so. We could’ve moved faster and for this we are sorry.”
- State Policing and Devolution of More Power to the States; Restructuring:
The VP has been an advocate of true federalism – where the state become stronger and can take charge of their destiny.
The VP on the 28th of October 2017, declared publicly the need for more devolution of power to the state; “states should have more opportunities to develop themselves’’.
On the 3rd of July 2018, the VP at the special parliamentary session in commemoration of the 3rd Anniversary of the 8th Assembly of Lagos State, mentioned that “devolution of power will boost the economy”.
On the 7th of March 2021, the VP wrote the National Assembly to consider devolution of power proposals. Professor Yemi Osinbajo has consistently advocated for state policing. He publicly discussed it at the 59th Independence Anniversary Lecture at the Island Club in Lagos on the 5th of October 2019.
Also, on restructuring, the Vice President said, “It is about managing resources properly and providing for the people properly, that is what it is all about.”
- Other Speeches:
On the 26th of February 2021, in an address to the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Osinbajo advocated for the regulation of cryptocurrency and not the actual ban, which is the stance of so many financial experts on the subject. The impact of the ban has led to a loss of livelihood for so many Nigerians and as a replacement e-Naira was established.
At the mid-term retreat of President Buhari, Prof. Osinbajo advised that synergy should be between the fiscal and monetary sectors to avert the disparity between the official exchange rate and the parallel market
exchange rate. The impact of this will be that it will stop round-tripping and other illegal activities of bank officials.
In 2017, there was a preponderance of hate speeches among religious leaders and Prof. Osinbajo’s categorization of hate speech as an act of terrorism helped to curtail this trend at the material time.
IMPACT:
● ENDSARS uprising and deaths would have been averted as Professor Yemi Osinbajo was futuristic in his approach.
● He has matched words with action on the subject of police brutality.
● As Acting President, his advocacy for a supply led FX market led to the Naira gaining significantly against the dollar.
● His advocacy and support for state police led to the establishment of Amotekun in the southwest.
THOSE RESPONSIBLE:
● Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
● Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
WHAT EMINENT LEADERS SAID ABOUT OSINBAJO
● “Osinbajo is the pride of Nigeria” – Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).
● Osinbajo has demonstrated God’s Wisdom ― E.A. Adeboye.
● “You are a model of a person combining religious commitment with public administration. You have done that creditably well. Mr. Vice President we want to thank you on behalf of the Muslim community of this country. You are a pride to this nation; we thank you and pray that God will continue to be with you.” – Ishaq Oloyede, former Secretary-General of NSCIA.
● “The point is it is easy to criticise. A lot of people don’t know the role that man is playing there. He is the ‘sole light’ in the midst of darkness in Aso Villa and he is doing his best” – Bishop Wale Oke.
● “Can we borrow VP Yemi Osinbajo for about 4 years—starting in 2020? Our nation needs leaders like him” – Joel Rainey (Pastor of Covenant Church, United States of America.
● “Nigeria will Find Solution To Challenges Through Osinbajo Leadership” – Revd Dr Supo Ayokunle.
● Osinbajo’s Leadership Style Fascinates Faith Leaders, Says CAN President.
● “Whether Christians or Muslims or traditional worshipers, they all agree with me that you (Osinbajo) are the sanest vice president we have ever seen,’’ -Mr Kure, (the founder of Throne Room Ministry,
Kafanchan).
● Osinbajo loves Muslims, not pursuing religious agenda – MURIC.
● “You’re A Reliable Deputy” – Buhari Tells Osinbajo.
● “Prof. Osinbajo has shown great character, intellect, and professional knowledge in serving Nigeria” – Tinubu
● “Osinbajo has provided excellent leadership” – El-Rufai.
● “Your selfless service to humanity and the nation at large as well as the many achievements you have recorded in both personal and public life, are some of the reasons we cannot but celebrate you -Ibikunle Amosun, (former Ogun State Governor).
● “In public and personal lives, Prof Osinbajo has demonstrated that the most worthy service is that carried out for the good of fellow human beings even for no personal gains and comfort,” – Rauf Aregbesola.
● You’re a man of deep social conscience — El-Rufai tells Osinbajo.
● VP Demonstrates Capacity in Handling State Matters – Gombe Gov Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya.
● We are building on your solid judiciary foundation, Attorneys-General tell Osinbajo – Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN.
● Osinbajo is a problem solver – Buhari.
● “You (Prof. Osinbajo) are a bridge builder; you are a pastor who is friends with Imams and emirs; you are a professor who can speak the language of ordinary people.” – Gov Nasir El-Rufai.
● Osinbajo, the most honest person I have ever met – Gbajabiamila.
● Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo is a change agent. – Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate).
● “VP has proved himself to be a patriotic Nigerian.” The humility he displays is very rare. There’s great difference between NEC of the past and NEC under VP’s leadership. The speed with which issues regarding the country were handled were second to none. NEC became a family under the leadership of the VP.” – Rochas Okorocha.
● “Osinbajo provided leadership and in the past 4 years, he exhibited humility, giving everyone a sense of belonging.” – Kashim Shettima.
● Even Opposition Governors Commend Osinbajo’s Excellent Leadership. – El-Rufai.
● “Prof. Osinbajo is a loyal Vice President, a man of God, he is a gentleman, a professional lawyer and a party man. He is more than qualified to be President.” – Gov Abdullahi Sule, Niger state Governor.
● “An erudite legal luminary, Osinbajo’s reputation for loyalty, dedication and selflessness is well deserved.” – Tinubu.
● “I recall with fond memories the time we worked together along with other technocrats to help lay a solid foundation for an egalitarian and prosperous Lagos…” – Tinubu.
● “You applied your knowledge of the law to advance the welfare of the common man and, thus, protect those ideas and beliefs integral to the exercise of our collective humanity…” – Tinubu.
● “[I] have absolute confidence and are exceedingly proud of the excellent job Professor Osinbajo is doing as Vice President of Nigeria.” – Tinubu.
WHAT OPPOSITION POLITICIANS SAID ABOUT OSINBAJO
Even opposition leaders had these to say about Osinbajo.
● Osinbajo is a man of integrity – Atiku
● “Naira appreciation: Osinbajo needs to teach Buhari his magic” – Ben Murray-Bruce
● 2023: Osinbajo more than qualified to be President – Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa Governor).
● “The pastor cum public administrator had left no one in doubt as to his capacity to handle matters of national interest, development and progress, since his emergence as the vice president and chairman of the country’s economic council”. – Yakubu Dogara (former Speaker of the House of Representatives).
● I commend Prof. Osinbajo for the leadership qualities exhibited as Nigeria’s Vice President and as Acting President. – Ike Ekweremadu (former Deputy President of the Senate).
● “Prof. Yemi Osinbajo decisive action went a long way towards restoring confidence. It sent a powerful message that the DSS cannot be recklessly deployed against institutions of our democracy.” – former Senate President, Bukola Saraki
● Osinbajo true statesman, uncommon leader – Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.
● Governors never had cause to be known by party lines, because VP provided quality leadership and encouraged freedom of expression. He accommodated every comment made, contributions in the past four years. “The Unity in the council is unprecedented. He showed concern during the pipeline vandalism, brought peace and happiness
in the region and his visit back then is still fresh in their memories”. – Udom Emmanuel, Governor of Akwa Ibom State
● “VP Yemi Osinbajo led a strong team through various areas requiring attention in the economy. He made robust efforts in security giving direction, confidence and comfort – Abdulfatah Ahmed, immediate
past Kwara State Governor.
● “Osinbajo Is an Uncommon Man, Always Collaborating With the Masses”, says Dr Odo, National President of the Association of
General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria.
OSINBAJO IN HIS OWN WORDS:
● The most important thing is that we are on the right path, and we will not deviate from it, even in the face of strong temptation to choose
temporary gains over long-term benefits.
● The most successful of the nations of the world are those who do not fall into the lure of secession but who, through thick and thin, forge unity in diversity.
● Economic growth is not sustainable without nation-building and, even of greater importance, state building.
● An active and vibrant railway system confers many benefits on the society.
● If people are stealing the resources of this nation, if people are taking bribes – if judges or persons in authority, whether they are judges or whoever they may be in government, ministers, whoever, if they are taking bribes – it attacks the fundament of our existence as a society.
● Railway network will support efforts to diversify the economy and enhance our export potentials.
● I understand the law of swing and reaping. It is a spiritual law that has tremendous physical implications. Every time that we delay or frustrate what we can do today, leaving it till tomorrow, we hold back the future. We, too, must reap what we have sown by experiencing delays.
● The fundamental for the sustainable growth of Nigeria is not in the hydro-carbon industry but in agriculture.
● Any nation that does not emphasize integrity will always fail.
● Africa Rising is as much about improving standards of governance as it is about an increasingly confident youths and civil society. It is also about businessmen and women who are stepping beyond national borders and going global.
● We all know that Nigerian jollof rice is the best anywhere. We beat the Ghanaians and Senegalese hands down.
● We in Nigeria have seen just how difficult it is to get back stolen assets from the international financial system, such as banks that ought not have received those funds in the first place if even the most routine questions were asked.
● There is no wisdom of man that can change men or change nations; it is the power and wisdom of God that can.
● With 10 per cent of Nigeria’s total land mass, 80 per cent of which is arable, Niger state symbolises the hope and greatness of Nigeria and has potential to feed the continent.
● Nigeria is still grappling with the negative consequences of the use of opacity by senior members of government and their cronies between 1993 and 1998, awarding themselves juicy contracts in the extractive industry.
● The values of integrity and hard work are necessary for the development of our nation.
● The Nigerian economy is a huge one.
● Our diversity as a people united is also our potential to transform our large deposits of mineral resources and use same for national
development.
● If the church says you are not allowedto steal, and we will ostracize you in our midst if you did, if what a man has does not measure up to what he has, if we found that a man has more money than he should have, if a man is earning a salary of a civil servant or a public servant and he has houses everywhere, we have to hold him to account.
● The reason we have Christian president and Muslim vice president or Muslim president and Christian vice president is to have balance.
● Great economies and great nations, prosperity, and abundance of nations and communities are created by men and not spirits.
● No matter how much you pray or fast, our country cannot grow without some of us deciding to do the hard work that makes nations work.
● Nigeria’s unity is one for which enough blood has been spilled and many hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost. Many have paid for the unity of this country with their lives, and it will be wrong of us, as men and women of goodwill in this generation, to toy with those sacrifices that have been made.
● We are committed to a continuous engagement with our people to explain government policies, receive advice and criticism.
● As we move to diversify our economy, we are particularly aware that we need oil to get out of oil.
● No matter how we slice it, this country is stronger together than apart. The only thing is that we must seek justice, we must ensure
that everybody is treated fairly, every community is treated fairly and with equity and we can do so.
● I believe that media leaders must use the considerable influence you have to seek ways of achieving a consensus on the responsible use of social media.
SOME NOTABLE YOUNG NIGERIANS ON OSINBAJO
● “You are a man of the youths. I heard your speech on Monday asking the youths to move on, this is our movement.” – Yemi Elesho, entertainer.
● “Your Excellency, this visit shows that you have a heart for young people, and you have changed the dynamic to show that the
government listens to the youths” Bimbo Daramola, entertainer.
● “Google Inc. announced plans to establish first Google launchpad outside the US in Lagos, Facebook made a decision to open an office
in Lagos, HUAWEI promised to position Nigeria as a technology centre for the Africa continent. Me; Osinbajo is bringing fortunes to
Nigeria,” Thomas Blessing, Twitter user.
● “It seems to me that it is only Prof Yemi Osinbajo that truly appreciates and understands the many job opportunities that come with developing our digital economy. Guessing that’s why he is at the forefront of attracting most of the world digital marketing executives coming to Nigeria to invest.” @CityMayo Twitter user
● “Osinbajo has done greatly in the aspect of technology. One of the benefits of his visit to Silicon Valley is the collaboration of Microsoft with the FG. All these are happening and coming to reality because. ESPisWorking #MicrosoftNaija.” @Yakubu_Prince1
● “On behalf of my unborn children and grateful Nigerian boys and girls, we want to commend Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for attracting big tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Huawei and others
to the country. God bless you, sir.” @abegnovex.
● “Today we are glad to hear about President Buhari’s approval of our
demands through the setting up of the Osinbajo-led committee on Health Sector Reform; we have confidence in the capacity of the vice president to deliver on this mandate.’’ – Chinonso Obasi, Nigerian
Youth Union (NYU).
SOME TOPICAL ISSUES OSINBAJO SPOKE UP ABOUT
Osinbajo has spoken out on some of the major issues in Nigeria
INTERPRETING THE MAN
- Similarities and differences between
Osinbajo’s Interventions as Attorney General, Vice President and Acting President.
It is evident that the constitutional lacuna that makes the Vice President’s office seemingly redundant plays a major role in suppressing/weakening the impacts or effects of Professor Osinbajo as a duly elected public officer. This exercise has revealed that Professor Osinbajo as
Attorney-General was able to initiate and implement life-changing policies like the Citizens Mediation Centers (CMCs) that has changed the lives of Lagosians. The common man can attest to the speed and affordable conflict resolution mechanism that the Mediation Centres across the Local Governments in the state. The Agege Local Council Development Area, for example, mediated in 2021 on over 7500 cases
which would have spent several years in court, too expensive to access, therefore, denying the common man justice. In the absence of the Mediation Centres, justice is delayed and justice delayed is denied.
- Strong Work Ethics, Integrity and Character.
As Acting President, Professor Osinbajo can be described as a workaholic president, as his itinerary was filled with one life-changing event after the other on a daily basis. Most Nigerians noticed or
witnessed many of his promptness in decision-making anytime he is Acting President in the last seven years.
From the foregoing, it is safe to say that Osinbajo as Attorney-General and Acting President was most impactful because both offices allowed him the dexterity to express himself.
Also, as Attorney-General and Acting President, Osinbajo was most effective in office. If he was empowered, his impacts will be most felt in these capacities with life-changing interventions.
We also observed that Osinbajo has displayed his capacity to be a hands-on president which is very rear in our clime. It is common that our leaders are mere pen pushers and office leaders politicians; Osinbajo has however distinguished himself by visiting project sites and crisis spots
and match policies with actions.
He continues to demonstrate this as vice president, that many Nigerians have described him as the most hardworking Vice President in Nigeria’s history. His commitment to excellence through hard work and dedication to duty sets him miles apart from his peers and predecessors.
Osinbajo’s selflessness, passion for public service, integrity, strong values, character and leadership are attributes that also stand him out.
- Youthfulness, and the Youth Centered.
From the available evidence, we notice that Osinbajo is the most youth-friendly Nigerian leader in recent times – if not in history.
His youthfulness and youth-centered polices which can be seen in his promotion of Tech and Tech-related matters have distinguished him as a future-focused leader. Also, it is interesting to note that Osinbajo works
with youthful and vibrant team of young Nigerians who solely, on the merit of their capacity to deliver earned their seats in the Office of the Vice President.
The VP is youth oriented and will do everything to ensure that the young
people succeed. Evident is his drive to ensure that the youth thrive in tech, Agric etc.
It can also be observed that Osinbajo is an agile and sporty man. His good health has availed him the opportunity to personally supervise and monitor projects coordinated through his office. He also goes beyond the
call of duty to establish supervisory committees to follow up on projects
that he has interests in with intense personal follow-up. This is such a
key feature in steering the wheels of state forward because it is the lack it thereof that create a preponderance of abandoned projects that lay waste to our commonwealth.
- Commitment to Made-in-Nigeria products, services.
After a minor heart attack in 1989, Mahathir Muhamad, Malaysia president, refused to get medical attention abroad arguing that if Malaysian hospitals were not good enough to treat him, then they should not be good enough to treat any citizen. Such is the position of Osinbajo who has imposed confidence in Nigerian medical doctors and
hospitals as his medical treatments are locally attended to.
Osinbajo has demonstrated his commitments to supporting Nigerian
products and professionals both in out of public office through the years. He initiated the home-grown MSME Clinics which have been launched in over 28 states across the Federation to help Nigerian businesses scale
up and grow for global competitiveness.
In 2018, because of his confidence in locally made products and local contents, Osinbajo initiated the Project MINE (Made in Nigeria for Export), a Presidential Priority Intervention project aimed at increasing
manufacturing sectors contribution to the economy and creating new jobs in the export-oriented manufacturing value chain. Also, in 2018, President Buhari Signed Executive Order (EO5) for the Development of Local Content in Science, Engineering, and Technology.
- Pan-Nigerian and Cosmopolitan Leader.
An ethnic and religiously diverse society like Nigeria can only be effectively led by a leader with pan-Nigerian and cosmopolitan outlook. Professor Osinbajo has shown (and confirmed by our research) to be a cosmopolitan, ethnically diverse and religiously tolerant leader. Osinbajo
has demonstrated both within and without public office that he does not pander towards primordial sentiments as he is a nation builder and merit-centred public officer.
For the sake of Nigeria’s survival, it is pertinent to ignore primordial sentiments or nepotistic tendencies like “Where I come from”, “He is my brother, we are related and he is my kinsman” etc to save the ship of the Nigerian state from the navigational course of colliding with the iceberg.
- High Emotional Quotient.
Professor Osinbajo has displayed high degree of emotional intelligence
which is a rarity in our clime. His high-level emotional quotient has endeared him to both friends and foes alike. Accolades often come from both his associates and opposition politicians owing to his respect and humility in dealing with everyone.
- Communication and Peacebuilding
Having a message and knowing when and how to pass it can prove decisive in bringing about peace and development. Nigeria has not been blessed with leaders with oratory prowess in recent time which is why Osinbajo stands out. As evident in his 2016 extensive tour of the Niger-Delta which brought about significant improvement in peacebuilding through the implementation of the master plan called NDNV. The Vision has helped communicate the importance of peace and strategic partnerships between the communities and oil companies.
Also, the launch of the NLTP received wide range of acceptance largely because of how it was communicated and all parties – farmers, herders, and state governments bought into the plan which has brought about significant reductions in farmer-herder conflicts since 2018 when it was
launched.
CONCLUSION:
Lao Tzu painted with words a picture that reflects the reality we so vigorously wanted to capture and document, when he espoused that “a leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” At the backend of political intrigues during the Buhari administration, the role of the cerebral Vice President Yemi Osinbajo cannot be overemphasized when
it comes to initiating, promoting, implementing, and supervising most of the impactful policies credited to the Buhari administration.
It is evident from the foregoing that Professor Yemi Osinbajo has done so much with so little executive power. One cannot but wonder what he will do with the full executive power that the Office of the President would avail him. Evidence abounds of the kind of president he would be, when one x-rays his time as Acting President. An effort was thus made
to provide an insight into the impacts of some of his policies during his time in government, first as Attorney General of Lagos State, then as Vice President and Acting President.
The project’s objective was to investigate the key impacts and national priorities in terms of policies like the National Economic Sustainability Plan, Judicial Reforms, and Niger Delta New Vision. An evaluation of the
degree to which these impacts have affected the lives of the people is at the heart of this assessment report. Overall, the findings show that the initiatives have proven to be significantly impactful in the sectors identified.
First, our findings reveal that most of these initiatives met the strategic objectives which they were set out to achieve.
Second, our findings reveal that the initiatives not only provided improved opportunities for critical stakeholders (especially in Tech), they also exhibited potentials that more could be realized in the long run. This means that with greater empowerment of the Vice President, there is a
greater likelihood of the country setting its sights on more meaningful milestones which will ultimately be realised. Evidence suggests that with big technology firms like Google, Huawei, Microsoft, and Facebook, major global investment providers will continue to flock into Nigeria and the
result can only be catalytic to the Nigerian economy largely due to the interventions of Professor Osinbajo.
One other important finding is the level of commitment and follow up Vice President Osinbajo made which influenced important outcomes of the initiatives and their impacts on specific sectors of the Nigerian economy. This is reflected in the testimonies given by beneficiaries with regard to improved investments, policy, and business performance at the micro and macro spheres. This is also evident in the publicly verifiable developments in the country over the years as well as the increase in gross domestic product (GDP) contributions by these sectors. It can therefore be logically assumed that further commitments to these
initiatives are likely to yield even greater benefits in these areas.
On a final note, being a leader is a great responsibility, one is responsible for organizing and inspiring other people to work hard to meet the collective goal in which a country strives to achieve. 2023, thus becomes a defining moment in the annals of our history. Are we picking a leader simply on the basis of one-man’s personal ambition and interest or on
the calculative thinking of state interest? Nigeria deserves to have the best and fittest among its leaders as president, also because
gerontocratic leadership will only slow down the machinery of state. In other to catch up with the rest of the world, we need new thinking in governance, where we uplift to power empathetic, cerebral, efficient, mobile leaders who are not just pen pushers. Our collective future and
destiny rely on the decision we make in 2023.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
From the findings derived therein, the following recommendations were
inferred:
The presidential system that we adopted in 1979, which is modelled after the United States, gives more constitutional role to the Vice President and it is recommended that the Legislative arm should look into
empowering the Vice President’s office more, than just being a “spare tyre”.
It is our considered opinion that Professor Yemi Osinbajo should run for the highest office in the land and be voted for en-masse, not only because he is a patriotic, selfless leader and is also highly qualified following his antecedents, but also because he has demonstrated high competence, capacity and character throughout his life in public service, and looks like the most empathetic (this is lacking in most leaders since
Awolowo’s time), most cerebral and most efficient.
It was Cardinal Richelieu who opined that nations have needs and interests, which might even conflict with that of the leader, but the needs and interest of the State must be protected at all times. What the Nigerian nation needs in the coming election is a leader who is an orator, a technocrat, with a high level of emotional intelligence who can
galvanize the people to believe in our shared values and common goals once again. A leader who can reposition the country for greatness again.
No one is more poised or better positioned to accomplish this than Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
One Response
Professor Yemi Osinbajo is the only Saviour and begotten Servant that Almighty God has sent to deliver Nigerians from the hand of Cabals of this our own Country. By the special Grace of Almighty God, come 2023, you definitely become the President of The Federal Republic of Nigeria in Jesus Mighty name.