Osinbajo steps up consultations, parley Speakers, Dep Speakers

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says consultations with the people is critical in governance and important for national development, especially in a country as diverse and complex as Nigeria.

Osinbajo said government by partnership is very important, noting that he would apply the partnership model in governance if he is nominated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its presidential flagbearer and elected as president in 2023.

The Vice President said this during a dinner with Speakers and Deputy Speakers of some State Houses of Assembly on Sunday at his official residence in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“That is the kind of relationship that I think makes governance easier.

“The only way to make a complex country like this work is by consultations; there is no other way,” Osinbajo was quoted as saying in a statement issued by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, on Monday.

The Vice PresidentP restated the value of his experience to lead the country as president in 2023, saying: “In terms of training on the job, I think I am quite well trained.

“So, I believe very strongly that, although there are other contestants who are also very capable and competent, I believe that just in terms of readiness, I think that if there is anyone who is prepared for that, I am certainly that person.

“So, if by the grace of God, I am nominated by the party and the electorate, I think that God helping us, we will be able to do much in office.

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“And one of the very important things for me is what I would describe as a partnership,” he said.

Osinbajo further recalled his tour of the Niger Delta in 2017 on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, which he said birthed the administration’s Niger Delta New Vision and restored peace and stability, among other significant development gains in the region.

He said people wanted to be engaged, spoken to and carried along.

The Vice President also highlighted the partnership between the presidency and the 36 state governors in spite of party differences.

He said such relationship led President Buhari to approve bailout to states to pay workers’ salaries, budget support facilities, Paris Debt refunds, among other packages from the Federal Government in the past years.

The Vice President added that the partnership had also helped in the cordial working relationships with all the state governors under the auspices of the National Economic Council (NEC) which he chairs.

In their remarks, the Speakers and Deputy Speakers commended Osinbajo for his efforts  in the general development of the country, while many of them endorsed his aspiration to become Nigeria’s President in 2023.

The Star