V.P. Yemi Osinbajo

By Richard Akinnola

Many years ago, when he was the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice  in Lagos state, VP Yemi Osinbajo who marks his 63rd birthday today, revolutionised the infrastructures of the Lagos judiciary with new modern buildings.

So one day, the main contractor, a foreign one very popular in Nigeria (name witheld), came to meet Yemi Osinbajo to show appreciation.  The officials of the contractor gave him an offer as they normally do to Nigerian government officials as show of “appreciation”  after a lucrative contract.  They asked him to give them a  location where they could put up a structure for him as personal house, to show appreciation. 

Osinbajo didn’t say anything.  He dialed the intercom and invited his Solicitor-General, Fola Arthur-Worrey. As soon as Fola came, he asked him to show the contractor the site of the new court library the ministry had wanted to build but put in abeyance due to paucity of funds.

He asked the contractors to follow Arthur-Worrey to show them the site. The officials of the contractor were shocked. They  apparently were encountering such a government official with such integrity. I’m sure Yemi would have forgotten this episode but l won’t forget.

That is the level of integrity of prof. Yemi Osinbajo, a friend of many years. 

Suave, urbane, simple, honest and highly intelligent.

Happy 63rd birthday, our Vice President, my friend and brother.