Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called on academics and members of other professional bodies to participate actively in the task of making Nigeria a better place for the citizens.

Osinbajo said this on Thursday when he received a team of 13 professors under the aegis of the Progressive Intellectuals Advisory Group, who came to endorse his presidential aspiration ahead of the 2023 general election.

“These days, you find all sorts of pretenders claiming expertise in everything under the sun without any real expertise. So, it is important that academics do not vacate that space to allow all sorts of people to begin to postulate on practically every issue,” Osinbajo was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande.

Recalling his experience as an academic who became the Attorney-General of Lagos State, the Vice President stated: “One of the most important things I recall when I served first as Attorney General of Lagos State was that it is so important for those of us who are in academics to participate because not only are we among the more knowledgeable groups, we have also done more work.”

Osinbajo, while welcoming the interest of the professors in the 2023 presidential election, noted that the path the group chose was crucial because “in the future, more intellectual groups will take the responsibility that is really theirs”.

“I think that for those of us who are from the academic community, it is a privilege that we have – being the intellectual crème de la crème of our society, and this comes with responsibility.”

He further appreciated the group’s endorsement of his presidential ambition, saying: “If there is any sort of endorsement that has given me particular joy, it is this one; because if one is endorsed by professional colleagues, people who live their lives by critical analysis and evaluation; it is worth celebrating.

“These matters are not to be taken lightly. For a professor to say that he supports a political cause, it is a weighty matter indeed because you are aware that a lot of reflections go into it.

“But when you have 13 professors all over the country saying that they are aligned to one cause, I am greatly humbled. It is one of those things that doesn’t happen often.

READ ALSO: Osinbajo raises the alarm over plot to tarnish reputation

“We will work together to make a significant difference for our country.”

Earlier in his remarks, the leader of the group, Prof. Shehu Adamu, said the visit was to intimate the Osinbajo on activities and efforts of the group to support his aspiration to become Nigeria’s President.

Adamu, who is the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), said the academics were convinced of the Vice President’s capability to lead a more prosperous Nigeria, hence their resolve not only to endorse him but also offer their expertise and do what it takes to ensure that he emerges victorious.

Prof. Adamu further promised to engage in activities to shape public opinion in a manner that will lead to a successful run by the Osinbajo in 2023.

The meeting was attended by Prof. Yahya T. Baba, Usman Danfodiyo University in Sokoto; Prof. Mashood Omotosho, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Associate Prof. Philips Okolo, Director of the Institute of Peace and Security Studies, Niger Delta University; Prof. Shola Omotola, Federal University Oye Ekiti; Prof. Sheikh Danjuma Abubakar, IBB University Lapai.

Other academics at the meeting include Associate Prof. Abdullahi Jibrin, Federal University Lafia; Associate Prof. Atelhe George, University of Calabar; Prof. Saleh Mohammed, Federal University Kashere, Gombe State; Prof. Haruna Lawal Modibbo Adama, University of Yola; and Prof. Ike-Elechi Ogba, Ebonyi State University.

The Star