Lawyers and opposition parties have slammed Acting President
Yemi Osinbajo for failing to address national issues — such as
calls for restructuring, quit notices from different ethnic groups
and threat by the Indigenous People of Biafra — with
promptness.
Describing his handling of the issues as sluggish, they said his
poor response was unbecoming to his office, considering the
swiftness with which he addressed similar issues when he was acting
president during President Muhammadu Buhari’s earlier medical trip
to London between January 19 and March 10, 2017.
During this period, Osinbajo had garnered commendations from the
public due to the attention he gave to pressing issues in Buhari’s
absence.
For instance, at the height of Nigeria’s recession, Osinbajo had
on January 27, 2017, eight days after Buhari left, held a meeting
with the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Ms.
Ertharin Cousin, to find a way to tackle the problem of hunger in
the land.
He had also presided over the Federal Executive Council meeting
on February 1 and mandated the Presidential Task Force on Food
Security to look for ways of reducing the prices of food items in
the country.
On agitations by Niger Delta militants, Osinbajo had visited the
region between February 10 and 13, making interactive engagements
with people in oil-producing communities in the area.
He had thereafter gone to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to meet
with stakeholders of the oil-producing communities. During the
meeting, he rolled out the framework for the clean-up of
Ogoniland.
His consultations with people in the Niger Delta had led to a
reduction in attacks against oil facilities in the region, thereby
increasing oil production.
Buhari had earlier planned to go to the region, but cancelled
his plan after threats by ex-militants in the area that they would
kill him if he visited.
Osinbajo had on February 16 addressed the foreign exchange
crisis when he presided over the first National Economic Council
meeting of the year and directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to
review the foreign exchange policy and inject fresh $250m into the
Sovereign Wealth Fund. The decisions taken at the meeting were said
to have led to the strengthening of the naira at that period.
Also, on February 17, Osinbajo had signed seven bills into law,
including the Oaths (Amendment) Act 2017; the Defence Space
Administration Act 2017; and the Veterinary Surgeons (Amendment)
Act 2017.
That same day, he had paid an unscheduled visit to the Murtala
Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, as part of the 60-day action
plan for business reforms in the country.
Less than 24 hours after his unscheduled visit to the Lagos
airport, the Federal Government announced the sacking of 10
directors of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
Also, the acting President, had on February 7, sent the name of
Justice Walter Onnoghen to the Senate for confirmation as Chief
Justice of Nigeria after a prolonged delay.
On road contracts, Osinbajo had, on February 8, approved N21bn
for the construction of Section 1 of the Ilorin-Omu Aran-Kabba
Road. A week later, he approved the award of N126bn road projects
spread across Kano, Bauchi, Adamawa, Kwara, Gombe, Enugu and Kaduna
states.
However, 104 days after Buhari left again for medical treatment
in London, lawyers and members of opposition parties have
criticised Osinbajo for being slow in his response to national
issues that have come up, including multiple quit notices by ethnic
groups, IPOB threat and his silence on the investigation into
corruption allegations against the suspended Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and the embattled
Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke.
The opposition also pointed out that it had taken an “order”
from Buhari on June 12 for the acting president to sign the 2017
appropriation bill into law, a month after it was passed by the
National Assembly.
It had also taken Osinbajo 22 days to assign portfolios to two
new ministers – Stephen Ocheni (Kogi) and Suleiman Hassan (Gombe) –
after their inauguration.
The Peoples Democratic Party had recently called Osinbajo a
figurehead, saying his actions or inaction had shown that Buhari
was still calling the shots from London.
Speaking to our repoter, a human rights lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu
Adegboruwa, averred that the President never intended to transmit
power to Osinbajo, which prompted the idea of referring to the
latter as the “coordinator” of the economy.
“And exactly, that is what he has restricted him to,” Adegboruwa
said, adding that Buhari had been superimposing his personality by
giving the impression that he would soon return to the country
every other day.
Adegboruwa said Osinbajo had been “caged by the cabal” since
Buhari left the country on May 7.
“With due respect, the acting president is just a figurehead and
that you can see in how long it took him to give portfolios to the
ministers who were screened by the Senate,” he said.
Adegboruwa suggested that the current scenario had led to the
issue of “double loyalty”, as most members of the cabinet were
unwilling to transfer their loyalty to the acting president “since
there is the impression that the President would soon come
back.”
He added, “So, it is not that things are slower; the acting
President is being caged by certain forces.”
The National Chairman of the Action Alliance, who is also the
spokesperson for the Coalition for New Nigeria, Mr. Kenneth Udeze,
said history would judge Osinbajo whether he decides to use or
fails to use his power to act at this period.
He said, “Maybe the acting President is trying to consider the
moral aspect of the constitution because legally, he has power to
take decisions without consulting Buhari.
“There are pending dangerous issues such as quit notices here
and there and the IPOB threat that we’re expecting the acting
President to take actions on, but it’s unfortunate nothing is being
done.
“His job [this time around] shows that nothing is working;
everything has come to a standstill. People are hungry, nothing is
happening, nothing is working. History will judge him if he acts at
this time or not.
“His consideration of the moral aspect of his leadership has to
stay aside; he needs to take bold steps, he needs to act.”
The President, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Mr.
Malachy Ugwummadu, said the commendations Osinbajo got during
Buhari’s previous absence could be the source of his current
predicament.
He said, “He (Osinbajo) must have created some enemies then,
people who were uncomfortable with his success because of their
loyalty to Buhari. Now he (Osinbajo) has to contend with the cabal.
This situation must be tying his hands. I think Osinbajo is also
conscious of the situation he’s in and aware that he’s not yet a
substantive President.
“But no matter the circumstance he’s in, by virtue of Section
145(1) of the Constitution, power has been devolved to him and he
needs not look left or right before taking decisions.”
Another lawyer and political analyst, Mr. Liborous Oshoma, said
it was clear that Osinbajo’s current performance as acting
President was less impressive than the previous time he acted in
that capacity.
Oshoma said there were indications that Osinbajo had been taking
instructions from Buhari in London this time around on a daily
basis, thereby hampering him from moving fast.
He said, “If you look at the body language of the President’s
handlers and advisers, it is contrary to the general belief that
the acting President is in charge. The issue of swearing-in of
ministerial nominees showed that truly, the acting President was
waiting for instructions from London. What that tells us is that
probably Osinbajo will not be able to move as he wants to because
the President is still calling the shots from his hospital bed in
London.
“When the budget was passed by the National Assembly, even the
Minister of Information (Lai Mohammed) could not categorically say
who would sign the budget. It shows that somebody somewhere was
calling the shots. And even after it was signed, the Senior Special
Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu,
said it was the President who instructed Osinbajo to sign it.
“Osinbajo is like an ambassador posted to represent his country
and is unable to take decisions without getting a “yes” or “no”
answer from his country. During the last Sallah, Osinbajo could not
issue a Sallah message to the country because there was already a
Hausa message from the President all the way from London.”
The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Alhaji Abdulkadir
Abdulsalam, said he agreed with the PDP, which recently described
Osinbajo as a mere figurehead.
He said, “We agree with the PDP that Osinbajo is a figurehead.
He’s not acting. Look at it, for a long time; he couldn’t assign
portfolios to the two inaugurated ministers.”
However, the Convener, Coalition of Northern Politicians,
Academics, and Businessmen, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, said Osinbajo
should not be expected to move fast, considering the prevailing
circumstances.
He said, “In the system we are operating, the acting President
knows very well he wasn’t the one who was elected. So whatever side
arguments are presented or invocations we make of the constitution,
the fact remains that the acting President is politically untested
and did not win his own election.
“He (Osinbajo) wasn’t a very senior member of the party, so
anybody who is asking him to run before he could walk is not being
fair to him and to the country. If for whatever reason Buhari
vacates the seat on his own volition on health grounds or any other
thing, then, of course, I expect the first order of business for
Osinbajo to be the reshuffling of the cabinet and consulting widely
with the party.”
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President
on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said contrary to people’s
opinions, Osinbajo was fully in charge of the country in the
absence of President Buhari.
He said all presidential aides report to Osinbajo after Buhari
handed over power to him (Osinbajo) in accordance with the
constitution.
He said, “The acting President has the full authority and as you
can see, he is wielding it as and when due. He is free of any
hindrance and the President made it clear in word and deed that
Osinbajo is fully in charge.
“All presidential aides report to the acting President. This
report is a distraction. The acting President is signing executive
orders, signing bills into law, making appointments, swearing in
ministers and permanent secretaries and assigning them
portfolios.
“He takes his constitutional role seriously as he has always
done and will always do whether as acting President or
vice-president.”
Punch
Lawyers and opposition parties have slammed Acting President
Yemi Osinbajo for failing to address national issues — such as
calls for restructuring, quit notices from different ethnic groups
and threat by the Indigenous People of Biafra — with
promptness.
Describing his handling of the issues as sluggish, they said his
poor response was unbecoming to his office, considering the
swiftness with which he addressed similar issues when he was acting
president during President Muhammadu Buhari’s earlier medical trip
to London between January 19 and March 10, 2017.
During this period, Osinbajo had garnered commendations from the
public due to the attention he gave to pressing issues in Buhari’s
absence.
For instance, at the height of Nigeria’s recession, Osinbajo had
on January 27, 2017, eight days after Buhari left, held a meeting
with the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Ms.
Ertharin Cousin, to find a way to tackle the problem of hunger in
the land.
He had also presided over the Federal Executive Council meeting
on February 1 and mandated the Presidential Task Force on Food
Security to look for ways of reducing the prices of food items in
the country.
On agitations by Niger Delta militants, Osinbajo had visited the
region between February 10 and 13, making interactive engagements
with people in oil-producing communities in the area.
He had thereafter gone to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to meet
with stakeholders of the oil-producing communities. During the
meeting, he rolled out the framework for the clean-up of
Ogoniland.
His consultations with people in the Niger Delta had led to a
reduction in attacks against oil facilities in the region, thereby
increasing oil production.
Buhari had earlier planned to go to the region, but cancelled
his plan after threats by ex-militants in the area that they would
kill him if he visited.
Osinbajo had on February 16 addressed the foreign exchange
crisis when he presided over the first National Economic Council
meeting of the year and directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to
review the foreign exchange policy and inject fresh $250m into the
Sovereign Wealth Fund. The decisions taken at the meeting were said
to have led to the strengthening of the naira at that period.
Also, on February 17, Osinbajo had signed seven bills into law,
including the Oaths (Amendment) Act 2017; the Defence Space
Administration Act 2017; and the Veterinary Surgeons (Amendment)
Act 2017.
That same day, he had paid an unscheduled visit to the Murtala
Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, as part of the 60-day action
plan for business reforms in the country.
Less than 24 hours after his unscheduled visit to the Lagos
airport, the Federal Government announced the sacking of 10
directors of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
Also, the acting President, had on February 7, sent the name of
Justice Walter Onnoghen to the Senate for confirmation as Chief
Justice of Nigeria after a prolonged delay.
On road contracts, Osinbajo had, on February 8, approved N21bn
for the construction of Section 1 of the Ilorin-Omu Aran-Kabba
Road. A week later, he approved the award of N126bn road projects
spread across Kano, Bauchi, Adamawa, Kwara, Gombe, Enugu and Kaduna
states.
However, 104 days after Buhari left again for medical treatment
in London, lawyers and members of opposition parties have
criticised Osinbajo for being slow in his response to national
issues that have come up, including multiple quit notices by ethnic
groups, IPOB threat and his silence on the investigation into
corruption allegations against the suspended Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and the embattled
Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke.
The opposition also pointed out that it had taken an “order”
from Buhari on June 12 for the acting president to sign the 2017
appropriation bill into law, a month after it was passed by the
National Assembly.
It had also taken Osinbajo 22 days to assign portfolios to two
new ministers – Stephen Ocheni (Kogi) and Suleiman Hassan (Gombe) –
after their inauguration.
The Peoples Democratic Party had recently called Osinbajo a
figurehead, saying his actions or inaction had shown that Buhari
was still calling the shots from London.
Speaking to our repoter, a human rights lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu
Adegboruwa, averred that the President never intended to transmit
power to Osinbajo, which prompted the idea of referring to the
latter as the “coordinator” of the economy.
“And exactly, that is what he has restricted him to,” Adegboruwa
said, adding that Buhari had been superimposing his personality by
giving the impression that he would soon return to the country
every other day.
Adegboruwa said Osinbajo had been “caged by the cabal” since
Buhari left the country on May 7.
“With due respect, the acting president is just a figurehead and
that you can see in how long it took him to give portfolios to the
ministers who were screened by the Senate,” he said.
Adegboruwa suggested that the current scenario had led to the
issue of “double loyalty”, as most members of the cabinet were
unwilling to transfer their loyalty to the acting president “since
there is the impression that the President would soon come
back.”
He added, “So, it is not that things are slower; the acting
President is being caged by certain forces.”
The National Chairman of the Action Alliance, who is also the
spokesperson for the Coalition for New Nigeria, Mr. Kenneth Udeze,
said history would judge Osinbajo whether he decides to use or
fails to use his power to act at this period.
He said, “Maybe the acting President is trying to consider the
moral aspect of the constitution because legally, he has power to
take decisions without consulting Buhari.
“There are pending dangerous issues such as quit notices here
and there and the IPOB threat that we’re expecting the acting
President to take actions on, but it’s unfortunate nothing is being
done.
“His job [this time around] shows that nothing is working;
everything has come to a standstill. People are hungry, nothing is
happening, nothing is working. History will judge him if he acts at
this time or not.
“His consideration of the moral aspect of his leadership has to
stay aside; he needs to take bold steps, he needs to act.”
The President, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Mr.
Malachy Ugwummadu, said the commendations Osinbajo got during
Buhari’s previous absence could be the source of his current
predicament.
He said, “He (Osinbajo) must have created some enemies then,
people who were uncomfortable with his success because of their
loyalty to Buhari. Now he (Osinbajo) has to contend with the cabal.
This situation must be tying his hands. I think Osinbajo is also
conscious of the situation he’s in and aware that he’s not yet a
substantive President.
“But no matter the circumstance he’s in, by virtue of Section
145(1) of the Constitution, power has been devolved to him and he
needs not look left or right before taking decisions.”
Another lawyer and political analyst, Mr. Liborous Oshoma, said
it was clear that Osinbajo’s current performance as acting
President was less impressive than the previous time he acted in
that capacity.
Oshoma said there were indications that Osinbajo had been taking
instructions from Buhari in London this time around on a daily
basis, thereby hampering him from moving fast.
He said, “If you look at the body language of the President’s
handlers and advisers, it is contrary to the general belief that
the acting President is in charge. The issue of swearing-in of
ministerial nominees showed that truly, the acting President was
waiting for instructions from London. What that tells us is that
probably Osinbajo will not be able to move as he wants to because
the President is still calling the shots from his hospital bed in
London.
“When the budget was passed by the National Assembly, even the
Minister of Information (Lai Mohammed) could not categorically say
who would sign the budget. It shows that somebody somewhere was
calling the shots. And even after it was signed, the Senior Special
Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu,
said it was the President who instructed Osinbajo to sign it.
“Osinbajo is like an ambassador posted to represent his country
and is unable to take decisions without getting a “yes” or “no”
answer from his country. During the last Sallah, Osinbajo could not
issue a Sallah message to the country because there was already a
Hausa message from the President all the way from London.”
The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Alhaji Abdulkadir
Abdulsalam, said he agreed with the PDP, which recently described
Osinbajo as a mere figurehead.
He said, “We agree with the PDP that Osinbajo is a figurehead.
He’s not acting. Look at it, for a long time; he couldn’t assign
portfolios to the two inaugurated ministers.”
However, the Convener, Coalition of Northern Politicians,
Academics, and Businessmen, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, said Osinbajo
should not be expected to move fast, considering the prevailing
circumstances.
He said, “In the system we are operating, the acting President
knows very well he wasn’t the one who was elected. So whatever side
arguments are presented or invocations we make of the constitution,
the fact remains that the acting President is politically untested
and did not win his own election.
“He (Osinbajo) wasn’t a very senior member of the party, so
anybody who is asking him to run before he could walk is not being
fair to him and to the country. If for whatever reason Buhari
vacates the seat on his own volition on health grounds or any other
thing, then, of course, I expect the first order of business for
Osinbajo to be the reshuffling of the cabinet and consulting widely
with the party.”
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President
on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said contrary to people’s
opinions, Osinbajo was fully in charge of the country in the
absence of President Buhari.
He said all presidential aides report to Osinbajo after Buhari
handed over power to him (Osinbajo) in accordance with the
constitution.
He said, “The acting President has the full authority and as you
can see, he is wielding it as and when due. He is free of any
hindrance and the President made it clear in word and deed that
Osinbajo is fully in charge.
“All presidential aides report to the acting President. This
report is a distraction. The acting President is signing executive
orders, signing bills into law, making appointments, swearing in
ministers and permanent secretaries and assigning them
portfolios.
“He takes his constitutional role seriously as he has always
done and will always do whether as acting President or
vice-president.”
Punch
Read more https://www.nairalaw.com/lawyers-opposition-slam-osinbajo-for-slow-response/