President Buhari with VP Osinbajo
President Buhari with VP Osinbajo
Still on Buhari, Osinbajo and the Cabals
By Gidado Yushau Shuaib
Any other eminent political figure or star celebrity could and
should have dominated the media space. But that was not to be.
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s serving Vice President, was in
the news—all through last, and even a penultimate week.
His ‘travail’ was the appetizing ‘cuisine’ several media houses
feasted on. In major newspapers, on TV stations, radios, commenters
and analysts had a field day. They all dished out their expert
analyses on the nature of the high wire politicking and scheming
already taking place in the Presidential Villa.
It would be recalled that a fortnight ago, President Muhammadu
Buhari announced a crack team of economists, led by Prof. Doyin
Salami, as members of his Economic Advisory Council (EAC). The team
replaces the Economic Management Team (EMT) headed by Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo.
The new team, which reports directly to the president, is to
advise on economic policy matters, including fiscal analysis,
economic growth and a range of internal and global economic issues,
working with the relevant cabinet members and heads of monetary and
fiscal agencies.
President Buhari’s action has continued to draw plaudits across
the country, with many of his critics also voicing approvals and
describing the move as one capable of redirecting the economic
policies and improving the country’s fortunes.
Former CBN governor and Emir of Kano, Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II,
commendand ed President Buhari, describing the action as “the
single most important move made by the president in his second term
with great potential for turning the economy around. The team he
has assembled is first class by all standards and each and every
one of them is held in high regard by all our professional
colleagues.”
Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum described Buhari’s bid to rejig the
economic team for growth of the country as a welcome development.
The Forum praised the old team, headed by Vice President Osinbajo,
for exiting the nation from the recession occasioned by years of
profligacy and massive corruption that left the country
stunted.
But while many highlight the positives of the action, there has
been greater measure of dissents, who believe that the President’s
action, in the same fell swoop, is sheer gamesmanship aimed at
further cutting down on Osinbajo’s already lean powers.
The supposition is that the latest move is part of a salvo aimed
at whittling the importance of the office of the Vice President and
indeed, the occupant of the office, all as part of the game-plan
ahead of the next political dispensation in 2023.
Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, condemned the
replacement of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, saying that by the
action, Buhari has relegated and treated the VP with contempt.
Fani-Kayode said, “Despite his constant fawning on Buhari, his
cowardly and quisling disposition and his penchant to defend the
indefensible, Osinbajo seems to have been relegated and treated
with disdain and contempt by the object of his praise and the
recipient of his worship.”
“First, he is thrown off the economic team, then some
parastatals are removed from his supervision and finally he is told
that he must get presidential approval for any expenses he seeks to
incur.”
However, various media reports have indicated that problems
started for the Vice President when he speedily pushed for the sack
of former Director-General of DSS, Lawal Daura while he was in
acting as President. It was reported that such act compelled the
cabal to move against the pastor.
It was further reported that Lawal Daura had been digging into
how funds in agencies and departments under Professor Osinbajo have
been utilised including the Social Investment Programmes which are
been spearheaded by the Vice President.
Meanwhile, the major beneficiary of the seeming tension within
the Presidency is the new super minister, Sadiya Umar Faruk, who
supervises all-powerful Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster
Management and Social Development under which the Social Investment
Programmes have just been moved.
With the south already anticipating a return of power to the
region come 2023, and with news making the rounds that APC national
leader, Bola Tinubu, is gearing up to throw his hat in the ring, a
group of power brokers in the presidency is said to have plans
afoot to effectively checkmate Tinubu’s alleged 2023 presidential
ambition or any of his allies for that matter.
The group, which has the president’s ears and is said to be
recruiting leaders across the north, including emirs, is also
alleged to be working to ensure that power eventually does not
return to the south at the expiration of Buhari’s term. As events
unfold, however, stakeholders in the national project would
continue to interrogate the actions and inactions of President
Buhari. This is with a view to ascertaining the veracity of the
plot thickening ahead of 2023, his culpability in the whole
narrative and whether the latest appointment of economic stalwarts
into his government was buoyed by altruism or it is yet another
salvo in a political orchestra playing out.