Osinbajo: Political office is about service to people, not prestige

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said holding political office is more of an opportunity to serve and positively impact the lives of millions of people, rather than the prestige that comes with the position.

Osinbajo said this at the launch of the book titled, ‘Deputising and Governance in Nigeria’, by Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, in Abuja on Tuesday.

“A thought that runs through the book is that despite the put-downs of the office, being political number 2 is important because the political office is about the lives of millions of people not just about the prestige of office.

“In our constitutional democracy, the effectiveness of the number 2, the Vice President, depends a great deal on the trust reposed in him by the President. That is a function of loyalty and it goes both ways as Umar Ganduje points out in his book,” the Vice President was quoted as saying in a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesman, Laolu Akande.

Osinbajo further highlighted the importance of dedication, loyalty, and service in political office on governance, describing the relationship between him and his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari, as ideal and exemplary.

He stated that he has been “more fortunate than others in my relationship with my principal, Mr. President,” adding that President Buhari “genuinely believes in the role of the Vice President”.

“When he was leaving on medical leave, the second time, there were a few things that were outstanding to send to him, and he said, ‘I don’t want you to send me anything, it is your job now, just make sure you do a good job’.

“As former President Jonathan said of his relationship with late Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the President does not expect me to call him when he is away, he expects that I know what to do and should do it.

“Indeed, once when I called him, he said, ‘Professor, I am on leave, you are supposed to do your job. Do whatever you want to do, when I come back, we will discuss it’. And that is the way we have always related. I think that is ideal, and I recommend it to principals everywhere,” Osinbajo added.

The Vice President stated that the analogy of the spare tyre widely used to describe the role of the deputy to the President was not appropriate, saying a better description would be that of the relationship between a captain of a flight and his deputy.

His words: “Imagine a commercial flight with people, including yourself on a plane, there is the captain, and then there is his deputy. The captain flies the plane, but no human being can be completely focused for several hours. So, sometimes he gets up and goes to the bathroom, while the flight is on, his deputy had better be a good pilot otherwise lives are at risk.

“Can you imagine a situation where the captain leaves the cockpit briefly and you hear an announcement from the cockpit, ‘ladies and gentlemen, I am the deputy to the captain, the captain is in the restroom, and I am only a spare tyre and I am not sure what to do now?’ If you are on that plane you will ask God for forgiveness, for expecting that a deputy or vice plays no role.”

Referencing Governor Ganduje to further emphasise the important role of deputies, Osinbajo noted that “the deputy or vice must be up to the task every day. He must be the most hardworking in the government, bringing his own skills and talents in representing the principal as efficiently and effectively as possible every single day.”

He stated that unlike deputy governors, Vice Presidents have a few more well-defined constitutional roles.

“The Vice President is the chair of NEC, the monthly meeting of 36 governors, the Chair of the National Planning Commission, the Chair of the National Council on Privatisation, the Chair of several boards, and also deputy of several other official bodies,” Osinbajo added.

The Vice President, however, said Ganduje’s book was “full of wisdom and wit from a practical politician and erudite social scientist.”

“Governor Ganduje is worth studying not because he has always succeeded politically, but because he failed many times, yet he always knew how to lose and not get lost,” he said.

Other dignitaries at the event included former President Goodluck Jonathan; the APC vice-presidential candidate, Sen. Kashim Shettima, who represented the party’s presidential flag-bearer, Bola Tinubu; Governors Babagana Zulum (Borno), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), and Abdulrahman Abdulrazak (Kwara State); among others.

The Star

Segun Ojo