We Need To Form Alliance Across Faiths & Ethnicities To Destroy Evil Of Extremism That Confronts Us
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2019
- PUBLIC PRESENTATION OF CHIEF OLUSEGUN OSOBA’S MEMOIR; BATTLELINES: ADVENTURES IN JOURNALISM AND POLITICS ON MONDAY, 8TH JULY, 2019
Chief Olusegun Osoba’s illustrious career as a journalist and later politician, have also by some uncanny stroke of good fortune, placed him at the centre of many defining moments and situations of post-Independent Nigeria.
Arguably the most memorable is his January 1966 scoop; the tragic discovery of the bodies of Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa and Finance Minister Festus Okotie-Eboh, not long after the coup that ended Nigeria’s first Republic.
He was there on the frontlines in many sectors of the Civil War, recording and reporting the horrors and tragedies of a factional war. And it was he who witnessed the surprise visit of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe to Lagos during the Civil War.
He was also right there on the frontlines, nine years later with exclusive reporting during the coup that brought General Murtala Mohammed to power.
He happened to be in the Governor’s office in Enugu when the then Commissioner of Police, Kafaru Tinubu, sent word of the capture of Lt. Col. Bukar Dimka, the man who assassinated Murtala Mohammed. He was the only journalist to see Dimka in handcuffs in police custody in Enugu.
But his scoops went beyond the political, he exclusively reported the case of British born Patrick Chadwick, who slapped a Nigerian sales girl, Adekunbi Adeite, at the Kingsway Stores in Lagos (this despicable business of slapping women seems to have been around for a while), and how the UAC and some other journalists tried to cover it up. It became a national issue and the UAC eventually punished the culprit and he resigned.
At different times, Chief Osoba ran two of Nigeria’s most important and influential papers; Daily Times and Sketch, also The Herald, before joining a distinguished cast of journalists who went into and succeeded at politics, (I’m thinking of illustrious names like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Papa Obafemi Awolowo, Anthony Enahoro, Ladoke Akintola, Bola Ige, Lateef Jakande, Bisi Onabanjo, and many others.)
He was there when General Ibrahim Babangida took over and was also at the centre of Abiola’s campaign, from the Jos primaries to the annulment.
He was in the NADECO resistance. He was one of those hunted by the Abacha’s strike force. I was the prosecuting Attorney General who led Sergeant Rogers in evidence when he described how they had trailed Chief Osoba in a bid to kill him.
He was elected Governor under the Military Diarchy of 1990-92, and under the new civilian dispensation in 1999. He was in the opposition in its various iterations for all of 16 years and now in the ruling party. His life story is the insider’s view of the socio-political history of post-independence Nigeria.
But perhaps the most remarkable attribute of this Illustrious Nigerian is his pan-Nigerianism; that effortless ability to build bridges and make friends from across various divides.
That gift of connecting with people, earning their trust and confidence, of being able to get along with a diverse cast of Nigerians from all walks of life. This has evidently contributed greatly to the successes he has notched up in his twin careers of journalism and politics.
There is a paradox here, the subtext of Osoba’s autobiography “Battlelines: Adventures in Journalism and Politics,” is the tragedy of ethnic and religious jingoism in Nigeria.
The collapse of our national achievements and attainments at every stage of our history has been that Achilles Heel, the tribal and religious suspicions. The inability at crucial moments, to bridge the gaps of ethnic and religious prejudice. So, from the execution of the coup of 1966, the countercoup, later that year, and the Civil War, starting in 1967, it is clear that these tragedies occurred because the once united Military wing of the Nigerian elite, finally gave way to its basest instincts - ethnicity and tribal prejudices. Years later, the scars and fractures remain.
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Oluyemi Oluleke “Yemi” Osinbajo is a Nigerian Lawyer and politician who is the current Vice President of Nigeria, in office since 29 May 2015.
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Who else always notice the calmness among the congregations whenever Osinbajo speaks.
When I said in 2015 that the Vice President is a man on divine mission in Nigeria and he has not disappointed us so far. It takes courage and patriotism to tell people the bitter truth and that is what Professor Yemi Osinbajo represents.
Prof. 'Yemi Osinbajo is simply a bundle of intellect! He is a public speaker and an orator. I respect him for always doing his homework. Speaking(actually, reading) non-stop with pauses of intellectual jokes, for more than 16 minutes, off his head, is remarkable for his age. Only he knows how much time he had dedicated to studying his speech. It annoys me when a public office holder is called upon to just give a few remarks, and he/she has to come with an A4 assisted speech. I mean, a public office holder, without public speaking skills! Who does that? I salute you, sir! I am also investing in myself, so that at your age, I will still be so smart to deliver such a long speech, off my head!
Honestly, I always doff my cap for this rare gem of our time Prof Yemi Osibanjo. Bravo!
The Vice President is An amazing, ordain by God and love by the common man on the street, the future is definitely bright for Nigeria to be a better place
Prof Osinbajo tells us the importance of uniting ourselves irrespective of where we belong.
This man is a blessing to Nigeria. We appreciate you sir.
Man of utmost respect and integrity, not afraid of anyone except the GOD he serves. Kudos Sir!
"The challenge for us is to recognize this extremism for what it is. To form alliances across faiths and ethnicities, to destroy an evil that confronts us all. Every evil that confronts our nation and our people can be defeated by the power of unity; a recognition that we are stronger together than apart. "
#Vice President Osibanjo
A man of high level of intellectual capabilities and patriotism
A leader and an embodiment of intelligence
This Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo is a rare gift to this country. His scholarly ability to juxtapose issues of National interests is too germane and very commendable