I have decided to focus on Nigeria’s acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, this week for several reasons. In my reckoning , he is a perfect foil for President Mohammadu Buhari. He has been able to work within the shadow or more precisely, function in his assigned role as the Vice President of the country unobtrusively, but getting the job done all the same. I have only met him on two occasions, one of such occasions was innocuous.
It was in the precinct of the High Court in Osogbo, Osun state where he had gone to defend the incumbent governor of Osun state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, whose election was then being challenged. And a competent job he did of that assignation as the governor won his case and is now on the way to completing his second term tenure.  Osinbajo had dashed out of the courtroom to the car park in order to make a call and on sighting him, I had made a  beeline to greet him. It was a perfunctory greeting. It was not as if he knew me, but as a courteous and humble man that he is, he accorded the usual respect.
When this took place, there was no talk about his ever being the Vice Presidential candidate. His name was not even being touted at the time. I took that liberty because, though we had not met, reports about him had got to my table on many occasions as an editor. There is no debating the fact that he had distinguished himself as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos state when Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was governor. Some of the landmark judgements that came the way of Lagos at the time had his imprimatur, including laws that aided the administration of justice in the state. That part of the story is best left for historians.
My second occasion in meeting ‘prof’ as a friend who is close to him usually calls him, was during a courtesy visit to his office in the Presidential villa. The Sun newspaper team led by the Managing Director had gone on a courtesy visit and to invite him for an event. He was his usual humble self, according all the courtesies of an “omoluwabi”, to all of us.
I have gone through the above to give an inkling into his personality- a humble man without any airs about him. Just someone who wants to get the job done in the best possible manner without much fuss. I was thus surprised when a post started trending, accusing him of nepotism, for favoring members of the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG) and people from his yoruba ethnic community. I see this as a great injustice to this man. He was accused of preparing to contest the presidential election in 2019 and as a result was putting his cronies in positions where they could aid his aspiration.
One of such posts was written by a Dr Ismaila  Farouk, purportedly writing from Zamfara state. Most times, such opinions are written by faceless people whose only purpose is to create discord.
Without wanting to give attention to what had been written by reproducing it here, what he said essentially is that the Vice President is no saint and has been surreptitiously preparing for 2019. He wrote, “a forensic analysis of his (Osinbajo) activities since he assumed office reveals that the VP has consistently abused his office, negating the principles of Federal Character and has systematically favored members of the Redeemed Church and his Yoruba tribe”.
He listed names of those so appointed and tried to establish a link between the appointees and the acting President. The writer said Osinbajo’s plan is to build a financial war chest to prosecute his 2019 agenda in the event that his boss does not run for a second term.
As noted earlier, Nigerians should move away from issues that tend to divide rather than unify us as a country. I kept wondering what the post was meant to achieve if not to undermine the office of the acting President and create bad blood between him and President Buhari.
The writer is saying that Osinbajo made those appointments without a recourse to the president, that surely cannot be the case. Is it not in this same country that we have been told that a cabal is in the presidency through which any appointment must pass before it flies? I recall that prominent northern scholar, Dr Junaid Mohammed had spoken at a time about this. He had accused  President Buhari of nepotism, he said the nepotism that is in the government of President Buhari is the worst in the history of the country and I quote him, “the most influential person in the Presidency today is one Mamman Daura whom as you know, is a nephew of the President. His father was Buhari’s elder brother. In addition, Mamman Daura was the one who single handedly brought up Abba Kyari, the current Chief of Staff to the President. In fact, Abba Kyari knows Mamman Daura more than he knows his own father.
Next, the Personal Assistant to Buhari himself is the son of Mamman Daura, next is what they call SCOP, State Chief of Protocol, and is also a son-in-law to Mamman Daura because he is married to Mamman Daura’s daughter. Next, the Minister they unilaterally chose, against the interest of the party and against the wishes of Sokoto people, happens to be the daughter of the younger sister of Mamman Daura’s wife. Both of them are daughters of Sultan Dasuki, who was sacked by General Abacha.
We have the Aide De Camp to Buhari himself, Colonel Abubakar. He is married to the granddaughter of one of Buhari’s elder sisters. Next we have the woman who represents Kaduna in the Federal Executive Council, she is a cousin to Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai.
It is well known that el-Rufai is one of the closest governors to Muhammadu Buhari. Next, we have the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory. The Minister of the FCT is the man called Musa Bello, who used to be the Managing Director of the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation, which used to be the biggest holding company that belonged to all the northern states. His only qualification to be FCT minister is the fact that his father has been Buhari’s friend over the years…If this is not nepotism, then I don’t know what is nepotism and anybody who has the guts, the brutal arrogance to appoint these relations not bothering about public opinion, about the sense of justice, about competence…has a very serious question to answer”.  It was also in this country that accusations were made against the president in the appointment of northerners in key positions. The heavens have not fallen since then.
To now accuse the acting president of nepotism would be unfair. Osinbajo has not been accused of appointing his relatives. If any appointment was made by him, it was based on competence.
That those so appointed could deliver. Is that not what we should be pursuing rather that promoting incompetence. With the opinion expressed, it is clear to some discerning Nigerians that the hand is that of Jacob but the voice is that of Esau. The writer is only echoing what has been said over time, especially since the president started going on medical vacation and Osinbajo assumed the position of acting President, that no matter what, the north would oppose the emergence of any other person that is not a northerner in the event that President Buhari does not run in 2019.
It only goes to show the suspicion and the ethnic tendencies that have held this country down over the years, while not opposed to the idea of federal character, competence should be a major ingredient in appointment.
That is what grows a nation, not accusations that tend to divide the country. And it is only among politicians that this is always coming to the fore, the ordinary Nigerian sees himself as his brother’s keeper, not minding where he came from.
Osinbajo should be allowed to do his job while his boss is away. And if fate place the presidency at his feet, then it is “Insha Allah” .

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To be continued next week