Examining Osinbajo’s scorecard as acting president in the last one month

…holds longest FEC meeting since this administration


Yesterday marked exactly one month since Acting President Yemi  Osinbajo took over the reins of government, in the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari who is away on indefinite medical vacation.

 Within the one month, Osinbajo who is the head of the country’s  economic team, last week, held one of the longest meetings in the life of the administration, the Federal Executive Council meeting, which  lasted for seven hours.

 Since taking over power in May 2015, Buhari has gone on vacation three times consequently handing over the mantle of power to Osinbajo.

 Taking off on the 19th of January 2017, after informing the National  Assembly of his intentions to proceed on a 10-day vacation,  Buhari left the burden of an economic crisis-ridden Nigeria on the shoulders  of his Vice President, Osinbajo.

 Holding the reins of government in the last thirty days, Osinbajo has  carried out a number of activities and assignment that are expected to either bring the country out of recession or at least fast track the process.

 Osinbajo who was made acting president while in far away Davos, Switzerland, is a workaholic by all standards. Besides that has proven  that he can manage the arduous task of manning Nigeria and still be loyal to his boss the President.

In the last four weeks since coming into the spotlight, Osinbajo who resumes early and works till late in the office seems to have covered more grounds in the dialogue with stakeholders in the Niger Delta region amongst other things.

 He has visited most of the oil producing states to hold dialogues with the hope of finding a lasting solution to the intermittent crisis rocking the oil-rich region which accounts for most of the country’s revenue. He sent the name of the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, to the National Assembly for confirmation.

Osinbajo has held meetings with the Presidential Council on the Ease of Doing Business which he originally chairs, he has also held the Presidential Business Forum, kept a hawk view on the packaging of the Economic Recovery, Growth Plan which international lenders say is delaying
funding support for the country.

Within the thirty days some conclusive decisions like approving the release of N72billion as counterpart funding for Lagos-Ibadan railway project, the release of funds for the take off of the National School Feeding Programme and the soft loans scheme which is the baby of this
administration was made.

 Under his purview, the Federal Executive Council has held meetings for longer. Last week Wednesday the council meeting lasted for seven hours. Cabinet members led by the Acting President spent time analyzing and making inputs in the Economic Recovery document.

In the last one month FEC has made some approvals as well as some conclusive decisions like approving a new tax policy which has been pending,  increased tomato tariffs as well as set up a task force not to force down but to address issues of rising food costs in the country.

Osinbajo also launched the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Clinics to accelerate the ease of doing business in the country amongst other activities.

While things seem to be going on well with Osinbajo as the Acting President, sources say some decisions can no longer wait.

Decisions like the appointment of boards of Agencies which directly affect the running of the government and the economy in general. 

There have been calls by different groups urging the government to tidy up the agencies by appointing the board of directors, which it dissolved almost two years ago.

Buhari who extended his vacation on the 3rd of February when he was supposed to resume is due back in the country when his doctors  give him a clean bill of health, Presidency officials said.

However, as the country continues to await the return of President Buhari to take some pertinent decisions, sources say Osinbajo may not be able to exert those powers as he is treading cautiously to avoid being seen as trying to usurp powers of the president who is expected back in the country anytime soon.