Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says he is not a spare tyre to the
president, emphasising that his roles as the number two citizen are
spelt out in the constitution.
Osinbajo said this during the
vice-presidential debate organised by the Nigerian Elections Debate
Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON).
He said this differs from the constitution of other countries.
Asked
how taking the job of the vice-president has been since he assumed
office over three years, Osinbajo said the demand of the role has since
increased his grey hair.
He, however, said despite the herculean nature of his job, it has also been rewarding.
“I
am sure that those who know me quite well know that my hair was not
this grey when I started out in 2015. So really, it has been tasking,”
Osinbajo said.
“And it has also been an incredibly rewarding
experience especially looking at it from the point of view of the
ability to do the things that one wanted to do all along as an
individual.
“The role is one where you are in many senses the
chief adviser to the president of the country and possibly the one
person that would represent him when when he is absent for a meeting and
even when he is absent for a longer period.
“So there is a sense
in which the role of the vice president is one that very closely
mirrors the role of the president in very profound ways.
“But our
vice-presidency is different from that of other countries. Because
unlike other countries, even countries that have similar constitutions,
our own constitution actually specifies role for the vice president. The
vice president is the chairman of the national economic council…that is
a constitutional role.
“In some senses, those who say the role
of the vice president is like a spare tyre have it wrong because they
are probably looking at other jurisdictions. In our jurisdiction, there
are specific roles that the vice-president is entitled by law to
perform.
“The vice president is also the chairman of the NCP,
that is the national council of privatisation , the vice president is
also statutory chairman over 22 parastatals and agencies and these are
defined by law.
“That role is one that a good degree of trust is
required between the president and the vice president. The role of the
vice-president is one which also requires, I think, a great deal of
patience because you may not always agree with the policies.”
Source:- Thecableng
Leave a Reply