THERE IS NOTHING MORE FRIGHTFUL THAN IGNORANCE IN ACTION

Go through most of the comments on Twitter and you will wonder why there is so much ignorance growing among the Nigerian young population about the present Vice President of Nigeria. Since 1999, Nigeria has had four Vice Presidents but the attacks on one stands out. 

Atiku Abubakar, Goodluck Jonathan and Namadi Sambo were Vice Presidents before incumbent Prof. Yemi Osinbajo but none of them have suffered the insults and negative comments the latter has suffered.

During the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, many atrocities were carried out but Atiku was never blamed for the actions of Obasanjo including the killings that happened in Odi, Bayelsa state. The President, Obasanjo, took all the fall for it.

Similarly, when Jonathan was VP, he did not speak or act when his boss, President Musa Yar’Adua was flown abroad for treatment. In fact, when it was confirmed that Yar’Adua had died, Jonathan could not succeed him until Nigerians like Pastor Tunde Bakare put pressure on the cabal.

Then Jonathan became President and Namadi Sambo was his VP. Sambo was not asked to speak or blamed for the kidnap of school girls in Chibok, or the killings in Bama or even the Immigration recruitment scam that killed hundreds of Nigerians.

But then came the Muhammadu Buhari administration and all of a sudden the constitutional role of the Vice President was changed in the heads of many Nigerians while it remained the same in the constitution.

Osinbajo was not only asked to speak on almost every issue from judiciary to legislature but was asked to speak even before his boss. For those who have read, the 48 Laws of Power, you will know that you should never outshine your boss but that aside, the constitution does not give him any powers.

I have seen many on social media condemn the VP for not speaking as if he is the spokesperson of the government. 

Let me take us back for a bit. During Obasanjo administration, Atiku who was a former Customs officer was never asked to speak or react to the criminal activities of the Customs or on any other issue for that matter.

When Jonathan, a former education inspector and lecturer was VP, he was never asked why ASUU went on strike or why he allowed the Niger Delta militants to bomb pipeline installations neither was Sambo, a trained architect asked to comment on collapsed buildings across Nigeria but when Osinbajo became VP they changed the story.

All of a sudden, Nigerians expect him to match up to his boss. They expect him to comment on everything and anything. Please, how did this madness start? Why do we think Osinbajo has super powers? What has changed? Why are they targeting Osinbajo?

Maybe it is the availability of social media or just that this generation is very ignorant. It is unfortunate that they give Osinbajo so much power in their heads when in real life he is not even the President. He is not the spokesperson, he is just the VP like those before him.

I understand that his role as acting President plays a role. When President Buhari was away and he was acting President, he sacked the former DSS DG, Lawal Daura because his men blocked the entrance to the National Assembly. He also sent the nomination of Walter Onnoghen to the National Assembly for confirmation as Chief Justice of Nigeria but all those powers are gone since his boss returned.

I think Nigerians home and abroad need to reset their thoughts and deal with reality. What is reality? Osinbajo is just the VP and the constitution says “the vice president may take an active role in establishing policy in the Executive Branch by serving on such committees and councils, the relative power of the Nigerian vice president's office depends upon the duties delegated by the president”.

Let us stop the ignorance but even worse, let us stop equating him to his boss. The President is the President and the VP is the VP until the constitution changes the VP especially Osinbajo does not have the powers you accord him.