Nigeria’s Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, has shared his
experiences working as President Muhammadu Buhari’s deputy.
According to him, it has been a mixed grill of demanding but
rewarding experiences for him.
He made this disclosure yesterday at the Vice-Presidential
debate organised by the Nigeria Election Debate Group, NEDG, in Abuja ahead of
the 2019 general elections.
Osinbajo, who noted that the Nigerian constitution specified
roles for the vice-president, also said that there is room for more activity
for him depending on the level of trust he shared with President Buhari at
specific times.
His words: “First, I am sure that those who know me quite
well know that my hair was not this grey when I started out in 2015.
“So, really, it has been tasking but it has also been an
incredibly rewarding experience, especially from the point of view of the
ability to do things one wanted to do all along as an individual.
“But the role is one where you’re in many senses the chief
adviser to the president of the country, and possibly the one person that would
represent him even just when he is absent for a meeting as opposed to when he
is even absent for longer periods.
“So, there is a sense in which the role of the
vice-president already mirrors the role of the president.
“But our vice-presidency is different from the
vice-presidency of other countries that have similar constitutions.
“Our constitution actually specifies roles for the VP. He is
the chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC); he is also the chairman of
the National Council of Privatization (NCP); he is also the statutory chairman
of about 22 different parastatals and agencies all defined by law.
“Those who say the role of the vice-president is a spare
tyre have it wrong. In our jurisdiction, there are very specific roles that the
VP is entitled and empowered by law to perform.
“But still, I think a lot depends on the trust that exists
between the president and the vice-president because the president does
delegate some of his roles depending on the trust that exists between both
parties.
“Where that trust exists, I think there is plenty of room
for activity for the VP.
“Finally, I think the role of vice-president is one that
also requires a great deal of patience because you may not always agree on
policies.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com