ASO ROCK WATCH: As Osinbajo thinks post-presidency era. Two other talking points

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, last week, jokingly hinted of his hunger to leave office in 2023.

We tracked two other stories from the seat of power, Aso Rock Villa, within the week under review.

1. As Osinbajo thinks post-presidency era

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on November 14, jokingly disclosed that he was looking forward to the end of his tenure in the Presidency in order to criticise the policies formulated by the Federal Government.

Speaking at the 28th Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, Osinbajo said: “I can’t wait to join you on that side where on an annual basis, I can insult the government to my heart’s content.”

Osinbajo may have spoken on a lighter note but his remarks bring home the stark reality of leading in very difficult times, and the transient nature of power.

There is no gain saying the fact that most Nigerians have been disappointed with the choices they made of leadership, especially the quality offered by the out-going administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

No doubt, the Vice President may have subtly taken a jab at critics who are quick to fault the Buhari administration, but isn’t he right to contemplate life after the presidency?

Perhaps, rightly so. What is, however, sure is that Osinbajo, just like fans outside a boxing ring, would have the luxury of time to figure out all that is going wrong while being a keen observer of the polity.

It would be interesting to see what becomes of him when he leaves office.

Two other talking points

2. The continuous bloodshed in Imo

On November 15, President Buhari directed security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the killing of the traditional ruler of Obudi-Agwa community, Eze Asor, and four other victims who lost their lives when gunmen invaded the monarch’s palace in the Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.

READ ALSO:ASO ROCK WATCH: Ensuring credible 2023 polls. Two other talking points

“The President directs security agencies in the State to thoroughly investigate the dastardly act and ensure that the perpetrators face the full wrath of the law,” a statement by Buhari’s Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu noted.

The killing of the monarch, and four others is a further confirmation of how generally unsafe the country has become in spite of several promises by the President to leave Nigeria more secured.

Thus, Buhari’s most recent directive to the security agencies sounds like a broken record, one never to be taken seriously given past failures to guarantee the safety of Nigerians.

Needless to add that Nigerians want to see results and the impact of government, not the often-repeated promises that are hardly delivered.

3. That increment on Judges’ salaries

President Buhari, on November 18, ordered the implementation increment of salaries, and welfare scheme for judicial officers in the country.

The President reportedly gave the order at the official inauguration and handing over ceremony of Nabo Graham-Douglas Campus of the Nigerian Law School, Port Harcourt, to the Council of Legal Education.

Buhari’s gesture holds the promise of motivating judicial officers, and lessen the penchant for corrupt practices which have constantly dragged the image of the judiciary in the mud.

How far the president’s intervention would go in remedying a bad situation is left to conjectures as corruption remains endemic without any serious attempt at value reorientation.

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