Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, is a cleric who has graciously used the pulpit and enthusiastic oratory to help build the nation, he co-governs Nigeria with his principal, President Muhammadu Buhari. A fearless man, Osinbajo speaks out when the need arises.
Apparently convinced of the virtues of modesty, he seems not to accustom himself to the ephemerality of fame and high offices. He attends functions unfailingly on time, expressing appreciation to his hosts at events, and speaks with all sense of modesty.
In Nigeria, he has become a leading advocate of peaceful reconciliation among warring parties in and outside Government.
As a leader at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo pastored the Lagos Province 48 (Olive Tree provincial headquarters). His voice remains a powerful force in the church, despite his present position in the nation. His moral leadership, combined with his unbiased stance, has earned him a global celebrity status.
In 1981, he was employed as a law lecturer at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. From 1983 to 1986, he was a Senior Lecturer of Law at the University of Lagos. From 1988 to 1992, he was an Adviser (legal advice and litigation) to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Bola Ajibola. Osinbajo began lecturing at the age of 23.
From 1997 to 1999 he was made Professor of Law and Head of Department of Public Law, University of Lagos.
From 1999 to 2007, Osinbajo was a Member of Cabinet, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, also Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
In 2007, Osinbajo was made Senior Partner at Simmons Cooper Partners (Barristers and Solicitors), Nigeria.
From 2007 to 2013 Osinbajo was once again employed as a Professor of Law, Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos. He was also a Senior lecturer at Lagos State University
A no-nonsense man, Osinbajo, on 7 August 2018, fired the State Security Service boss, Lawal Daura for illegal invasion of the National Assembly by armed and masked operatives of the department.
His credibility is still crucial to the Nation’s image out there, having played the role of a Vice President with all sense of dignity, humility and responsibility.
In January 2019, Osinbajo criticized the fact that social media is currently “under multi-jurisdictional regulation”. He called for more collaboration among nations to reach a convention to regulate social media and counter hate speech.
In October 2019, Osinbajo criticized the government’s proposed social media regulations, stating he did “not think that government regulation is necessarily the way to go.”
Osinbajo displayed equal disapproval of the decision to ban Twitter then, which came to be one of the prominent voices against the Government’s war with the microblogging site.
Instead, he asked citizens to take more active steps to police social media. He stated that citizens and leaders, both political and religious, “owe a responsibility to our society and to everyone else, to ensure that we don’t allow it to become an instrument” of war. He also warned people against using social media to spread “religious disinformation”, which could lead to conflict and war.
Osinbajo was appointed to chair an economic sustainability committee. The aim of the committee is to develop measures to cushion the effect of the coronavirus and eventually reposition the Nigerian economy
But as much as he has served his country, Osinbajo became a political target. His spokesman came out to say, all Osinbajo wants is to do the job that he has been given very well and he doesn’t have any other plans right now about any such thing. I can tell you that clearly.
Osinbajo was a spellbinding preacher of the word. He has a gentle, yet affirmative voice that spoke the true undiluted word of God.
Occasionally he would break his sermons with corroborating true-life stories, punctuating his message with scriptural quotes. This invites his audience and keeps them glued to their seats. While assuring his congregants of God’s unending love, he exhorted them to follow the path of righteousness that would lead to prosperity “without sorrow”.He attends social functions, without noise. He has many times been a source of encouragement to the younger generation, as he has been photographed at least expected functions, appeared in documentaries and chatted with talk-show hosts.
A petite, handsome man, Osinbajo is not deterred by his present position, in keeping fit. At functions, he cuts a handsome figure in his well-tailored kaftans with an Awolowo-like cap to match.
Though he has become a target for political jobbers, considering the fast approaching General elections, Osinbajo has never allowed himself to hate his enemies.
When he was young, Yemi Osinbajo was educated at Corona primary School, in Lagos. He attended Igbobi College Yaba Lagos, Nigeria from 1969 to 1975, where he won the following awards: the State Merit Award (1971); the School Prize for English Oratory (1972); Adeoba Prize for English Oratory (1972-1975); Elias Prize for Best Performance in History (WASC, 1973); School Prize for Literature (HSC, 1975); and African Statesman Intercollegiate Best Speaker’s Prize (1974).
Thereafter, he studied for his undergraduate degree at the University of Lagos between 1975-1978 when he obtained a Second Class Honors (Upper Division) Degree in Law. Here, he also won the Graham-Douglas Prize for Commercial Law. In 1979, he completed the mandatory one-year professional training at the Nigerian Law School whereon he was admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of Nigeria’s Supreme Court. In 1980, he attended the London School of Economics, where he obtained a Master of Laws degree
The 8th March Initiative
was conceptualized, as a way to celebrate Prof Yemi Osinbajo’s birthday, by a group that refers to itself as ‘Friends of Prof’. With its aim stated as ‘inspiring and promoting entrepreneurial endeavors within Nigeria in honor of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’. The initiative, In 2020, provided a number of start-ups and small businesses with one-off grants and plans to do the same in 2021. Also, it plans to recognize Health workers at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 while providing nationwide medical intervention.
Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo was born March 8, 1957, in Lagos, Western Region, British Nigeria in the Western Region in what is now Lagos State. Yemi Osinbajo was born into the family of Opeoluwa Osinbajo at Creek Hospital, Lagos. Osinbajo is married to Dolapo (née Soyode) Osinbajo, a granddaughter of Obafemi Awolowo. They have three children – two daughters, Damilola, Kanyinsola and a son, Fiyinfoluwa Osinbajo.
Olamide Adeniji is a member of the editorial team of TheScript Newspaper
