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Osinbajo And The Infidelity Of Integrity

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By Bala Ibrahim.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has ended all speculations, by formally declaring his intention to run for the President of Nigeria, come next year, 2023. In giving notice of this intention today, monday,11/04/2022, the Vice President said, “In the past seven years, I have served as Vice President under a true Nigerian patriot, a servant of the nation in war and peace, and a man of integrity, President Muhammadu Buhari. I am today, with utmost humility, formally declaring my intention to run for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of our great party, the All Progressives Congress,”

The phrase, “a man of integrity, President Muhammadu Buhari,” aroused my enthusiasm, as a consequence of which, I was encouraged to write this article.

Suspension: Muhyi Floors Kano Assembly At Industrial Court

The dictionary gives integrity as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. People of integrity are expected to be honest, upright and righteous, with high moral rectitude. Integrity therefore, goes hand in hand with honour, or the quality of knowing and doing what is right. This is morality.

Vice President Osinbajo is a lawyer, a law professor and a Senior Advocate, whose major preoccupation should be in the direction of promoting the cause of justice. So he is very much aware of the legal implications of actions. This is legality.

But Vice President Osinbajo is also a Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, whose preoccupation is to provide spiritual leadership to members, including sermons and preaching, through the interpretation of the biblical scripture. So he is very much aware of the moral implications of actions.

I am not a lawyer, but I know the Nigerian constitution has given every person who is entitled to vote or be voted for at an election, the right to vote or be voted for in that election, including the election to the office of the President. This is legal, and as a Nigerian, and one with the requisite credentials, Osinbajo is legally right to contest.

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But as a pastor, with knowledge and experience in the provision of spiritual leadership, God has placed him in a position to juxtapose legality against morality, I think. And this article intends to awaken his moral conscience, as it affects the virtue of loyalty.

This is so because he talked about integrity, the integrity of his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari. But before Buhari became his boss, he was bossed, or even built, by another boss, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, commonly referred to as Asiwaju, the Jagaba of Borgu.

Prior to Osinbajo’s declaration of today, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had long made the same declaration, which he referred to as, his lifelong ambition. And he said, he had informed President Muhammadu Buhari of his ambition to contest the 2023 presidential election. If he had informed the President, and there is one Presidency, it goes without saying, that he had informed the Vice President. So there is a clash of interest here, between Tinubu and Osinbajo, and one that would highlight the clash between legality and morality.

It is imperative to have an overview on the political trajectory of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and in doing that, I would paraphrase an old article taken from the Guardian, which goes thus:

“The emergence and relevance of Osinbajo today in the national arena was powered by the political machinery of Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He is the enigmatic former governor of Lagos state who has built an empire in a scale and magnitude that many before him never achieved as governors of the state by the Lagoon. The empire has political and economic roots in Lagos but with several flourishing branches that have provided and are still providing financial fruits in many parts of the South-west, and other regions of the country. One of these branches is the person of Prof. Osinbajo. Osinbajo emerged in the political scene in 1999, when he was appointed as Lagos State Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice by Tinubu. Tinubu also, single handedly recommended and ensured the adoption of Osinbajo as the running mate of Buhari. So the relationship between Tinubu and Osinbajo should be that of a mentor and a mentee. A benefactor and a beneficiary. A leader and a follower. A relationship that was akin to apprenticeship built on the expectation that one man’s duel will be the cause of the other. No doubt that Prof Osinbajo was a top academic but what he learnt working with Asiwaju, cannot be found in any educational facility with the rich curriculum to have provided him those syllabi and the knowledge garnered in those years of close association, hand holding and mentoring.”

Truly, Vice President Osinbajo is free to contest against any adversary. But from the foregone, if integrity matters, if honour matters, if virtue matters, if humility matters, and if there is respect for correct behaviour, should that adversary be Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, under whose wings he prospered? To contest against the lifelong ambition of your benefactor?

Like the Julius Caesar’s remark, when he was about to cross the Rubicon, the die is certainly cast. Osinbajo had made a decision with evident irreversible consequences. And that decision is to promote the infidelity of integrity.

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Kano Gov Abba Kabiru Yusuf bags international sports award in UK

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Kano state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf , Saturday was honoured in the United Kingdom for his commitment and support to sports development in the state.

 

Our correspondent reports that the award presentation ceremony took place at the Feel Good Too , Ive Farm sports arena located at the Pavilion Walk in London.

The patron W O. Sports, Moses Andishu , while making the presentation, said the award is aimed at appreciating the governor for his consistency towards the development of sports in Kano.

Moses who doubles as SWAN national patron said “this is our token way of saying kudos to mr governor and our aim is to encourage him to do more for the growth of the industry .

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He added that “ we have noticed the reforms been carried out in Kano Pillars football club , we are aware of the efforts ongoing at the Kano state Sports Commission, KSSC and Kano Pillars is taking a new shape again, the state various sports teams now honor national invitations to major competitions, this is worth encouraging.

“we are very much aware of the plans by the governor, who is investing massively in the area of the provision of infrastructure, likewise we have seen investments made to renovate and upgrade major sports facilities, in the state, we just want to say thank you to his excellency and encourage him to invest more in sports

 

The special adviser to the governor on Youths and Sports, Sani Musa Danja , who received the award on behalf of the state governor said , “we are very delighted and happy, his excellency does not joke with anything that has to do with the development of the youths and he has always assured that he will always do everything possible to support the growth of Kano youths.

“I receive this award on behalf of his excellency with humility and honour for my governor , eng Abba Kabiru Yusuf, his works testify for his passion and commitment to sports development, his agenda is to always ensure Kano athletes competes amongst the best of the best by providing all the requirements that is needed for the state to excel in sports , and be rest assured that with my governor in charge sports development will always remain on the burner of the Kano First Agenda.

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President Tinubu Salutes Hon. Kabir Bichi, Chair Appropriation Committee Of The House Of Representatives On His 45th Birthday

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu celebrates the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Abubakar Kabir Bichi, on his 45th birthday today.

President Tinubu describes Hon. Bichi, who represents Bichi Federal Constituency of Kano State, as a vibrant, resourceful and dedicated lawmaker whose commitment to legislative duties and national development stands out.

President Tinubu remarks: “ As Chairman of one of the most strategic committees of the House, Hon. Bichi has demonstrated uncommon capacity, grit, and leadership in steering the consideration, scrutiny, and passage of the nation’s annual budget, a role central to implementing the Renewed Hope Agenda.

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“I commend him for his effective representation of his constituents and his impactful interventions in education, infrastructure, and youth empowerment, which have endeared him to his people.

“Bichi has distinguished himself since his first election to the House in 2019, where he served as Chairman of the House Committee on Works in the 9th Assembly and now as Chairman of Appropriation in the 10th Assembly.

“ As he marks his birthday today, I urge him to rededicate himself to serving his people and his fatherland.

“ And I pray to Almighty God to continue to bless him with good health, wisdom and strength.”

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)
October 3, 2026

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Yari Urges North to Respect Power Rotation, Back Tinubu’s 8-Year Presidency

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The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdul Aziz Yari Abubakar, has called on Nigerians in the North to respect the informal power-rotation arrangement and allow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to complete his constitutionally permitted eight-year tenure.

Yari made the call while addressing journalists at the Kano Government House after a meeting with Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.

The former Zamfara State governor said the North should understand and respect the political arrangement that brought the presidency to the South in 2023, arguing that the presidency had been held by a northerner for several years before the emergence of Tinubu.

Yari said, “66 years ago since independence, the country was led by northerners for 47 years,” adding that Nigerians should recognise the importance of maintaining unity and understanding how the country’s political system operates.

According to him, Nigeria remains a country that all citizens must work together to protect, regardless of regional or political differences.

“As we love this country, we don’t have any country other than Nigeria. Nigerians should come and understand how this country works. It is also better than many nations,” Yari said.

The APC chieftain explained that his role as Director-General of the campaign council was not limited to promoting President Tinubu but also included promoting national unity and understanding among Nigerians.

Yari said the current political arrangement should be respected, noting that former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, governed the country between 2015 and 2023 before power shifted to Tinubu from the South in 2023.

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“Having said this, this country, Nigeria, from 2015 to 2023 was led by a northerner, and now from 2023 to 2026 it is led by a southerner,” he said.

He therefore appealed to northerners not to seek to overturn the existing zoning arrangement on the basis of the region’s population, saying the political understanding was important for national stability.

“If we say we want to uproot the zoning arrangement because of our numbers, then my call for northerners is to understand how it works. They even understand more than I do,” Yari said.

He acknowledged that President Tinubu’s administration, like every government, was not perfect, but argued that the challenges facing Nigeria should not solely be attributed to the administration.

“Nobody is perfect. The southerners have also experienced what we are complaining about today when President Buhari was in power,” he said.

Yari also argued that insecurity was not peculiar to Nigeria, saying countries across the world, including the United States, continue to grapple with security challenges despite their level of development.

“On problems, no problem of a country is solved by any government, including even in the United States. They are managing insecurity as we are managing it,” he said.

The APC campaign council director-general further cited gun violence in Chicago as an example of the security challenges faced by other countries, stressing that every nation has its own problems that require continuous efforts to address.

Turning to the economy, Yari said Nigerians should assess the Tinubu administration based on economic indicators and compare the situation at the time the president assumed office in 2023 with the current position.

“When you look at when Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu came to power in 2023, go and check what was the state of our reserves and what it is today, and what was the rate of inflation in 2023 and what it is today,” he said.

Yari maintained that the administration was making efforts to address the country’s economic and security challenges, while acknowledging that governments at both federal and state levels were working to improve the situation.

He urged Nigerians, particularly those in the North, to give the political arrangement time, arguing that the presidency would return to the region after Tinubu’s tenure if the existing rotation principle was maintained.

“I am calling on northerners to note that by the time Bola Ahmed Tinubu finishes in 2031, it will definitely come back to the North. So, this is how the arrangement is,” Yari said.

He added that federal and state governments were making efforts to address the challenges confronting the country and urged Nigerians to support measures aimed at strengthening national unity and development.

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