A quintessential leader at 60

Sir: I write to pay a fitting tribute to Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCFR at 60 not because he was my teacher and remain forever my teacher, not because he is a first rate professor and an acknowledged expert in Law of Evidence; not because of the present position he occupies as the Acting President of the country; not because of his status as a distinguished Senior Advocate of Nigeria and certainly not on account of his past distinguished public service record that is widely acknowledged by all and sundry and many more of such accomplishments that one may have lost count. But significantly because of the huge difference our most humble, unassuming leader of people with direction and vision has brought to the character of governance. He has done this without undermining his boss and without losing his calm and humility.

Osinbajo has always impressed me even before he rose to his present height with his commitment to core values, uncommon advocacy and oratorical skills and because of his uncommon passion for service and humanitarian causes.

I am also impressed by his commitment to standards and excellence in whatever he does, a trait he has refreshingly brought to governance.There is also the element of his famed integrity which has continued to soar in spite of exposure to public resources and sensitive high places.

One must also not fail to mention his empathy for the cause of the downtrodden and those disadvantaged in the scheme of things in our society.The other attribute that is worth celebrating is his fierce loyalty. Once Osinbajo gives his word to you, you can safely go to sleep. Not one driven by vaulting ambition, he is one person who believes that whatever one achieves in life is only by His grace.

I have said it before and it bears repeating that Yemi Osinbajo in spite of his accomplishments is extremely humble. This trait of humility is very uncommon and on this score Professor Yemi Osinbajo deserves to be celebrated.

I have closely monitored his activities as the Vice-President and now the Acting President of the country and one is impressed by his commitment to uniting the country as well as his disposition to being highly untribalised. In implementing the policies of this administration and standing in effectively for his boss, Osinbajo may have succeeded in calming frayed nerves, stabilising the polity and effectively making the point that you can be effective without undermining your boss. His public pronouncements have been quite measured and matured. He has retained his image of being calm, cool and collected.
Wahab Shittu,Lagos