How Yemi Osinbajo became a professor, pastor and a politician

Birth and Family

Yemi Osinbajo was born on March 8, 1957, in Creek Hospital, Lagos, into the family of Opeoluwa Osinbajo. Osinbajo is married to Dolapo (née Soyode) Osinbajo, Obafemi Awolowo’s granddaughter. They have three children: Damilola and Kanyinsola, two daughters, and Fiyinfoluwa Osinbajo, a son.

Educational Background

Yemi Osinbajo’s primary education was at Corona Primary School in Lagos. He attended Igbobi College Yaba, Lagos, between 1969 and 1975, where he won numerous awards, including the State Merit Award (1971), the Elias Prize for Best Performance in History (WASC, 1973), and the African Statesman Intercollegiate Best Speaker’s Prize (1974).

Between 1975 and 1978, he attended the University of Lagos, where he earned a Second Class Upper Degree in Law. In 1979, he graduated from Nigerian Law School and was admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of Nigeria’s Supreme Court. He earned a Master of Laws degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1980.

Early career

Osinbajo served his mandatory one-year youth service as a legal officer with Bendel Development and Planning Authority (BDPA) in Bendel State from 1979 to 1980.

He began working as a law lecturer at the University of Lagos in Nigeria in 1981. He was a Senior Lecturer of Law at the University of Lagos from 1983 to 1986. He worked as an Adviser (legal advice and litigation) to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Bola Ajibola, from 1988 to 1992. At the age of 23, Osinbajo began lecturing.

From 1997 to 1999, he was a law professor and the head of the Department of Public Law at the University of Lagos.

From 1999 to 2007, Osinbajo served as a Cabinet Member in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, as well as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

From 2007 to 2013, Osinbajo worked as a Professor of Law at the University of Lagos’ Faculty of Law, Department of Public Law. In addition, he was a Senior Lecturer at Lagos State University.

Pastoral career

Osinbajo is the Pastor in Charge of the Redeemed Christian Church of God’s Lagos Province 48 (Olive Tree provincial headquarters).

Political Career

Osinbajo’s political career began with the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013. He was tasked with designing and producing a manifesto for the new political party alongside other notable Nigerians. This resulted in the presentation of the “Roadmap to a New Nigeria”, a document published by APC as its manifesto if elected to power.

On December 17, 2014, the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, retired General Muhammadu Buhari, announced Osinbajo as his running mate and vice-presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections.

Vice Presidency (First Term)

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Muhammadu Buhari the winner of the presidential elections on March 31, 2015. As a result, Osinbajo was named Nigeria’s Vice President-elect. On May 29, 2015, they were both sworn in.

As Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he is expected to supervise the economic planning team and report to the president, who makes the final decision.

On May 9, 2017, President Buhari sent a written declaration to the presidents of the Senate and House of Representatives, informing them of his decision to go on a medical trip; the letter was read that day at a plenary assembly of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. During President Buhari’s medical leave, Vice President Osinbajo was given the role of acting president.

Second Term

Professor Yemi Osinbajo took his oath of office to begin his second term on May 29, 2019, at Eagle Square in Abuja.

Following the federal government’s decision to close the country’s land borders in October 2019, Osinbajo explained that the government did so to draw other countries’ attention to the importance of border policing.

On 31 March 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Vice president Osinbajo to chair an economic sustainability committee. The aim of the committee is to develop measures to cushion the effect of the coronavirus and eventually reposition the Nigerian economy.

On October 16, 2020, the vice-president apologized to Nigerians for the federal government’s slow response to the EndSars protest.

“Dear Nigerians, I understand that many of you are angry, and rightly so.” “We could have moved faster, and we apologize,” he wrote.

“I completely understand how many young people are feeling. Many people believe that we have been too quiet and have not done enough. These feelings of frustration are understandable.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo also hinted at immediate reforms of the Nigeria Police.

Presidential Ambition:

On Monday, April 11, 2022, Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, formally declared his intention to run for President in 2023.

Osinbajo announced his plans in a video posted to his social media accounts on Monday morning.

“I am today, with utmost humility, formally declaring my intention to run for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of the APC,” Osinbajo said in a video posted to his official Twitter account.

Pastor Osinbajo is Nigeria’s third vice president to run for president since 1999, following Atiku Abubakar and Goodluck Jonathan.

Read also: 2023 Presidential race: Ten vows VP Osinbajo made to Nigerians in declaration speech

Awards and memberships

Yemi Osinbajo has won several awards, including the State Merit Award in 1971, the School Prize for English Oratory in 1972, the Adeoba Prize for English Oratory in 1972–1975, the Elias Prize for Best Performance in History (WASC) in 1973, among others.

On May 28, 2015, President Goodluck Jonathan bestowed the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger upon Osinbajo.

Yemi is a member of the International Bar Association and the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, as well as the Nigerian Body of Benchers and the Nigerian Council for Legal Education. He was also an independent director of CitiBank Nigeria and an ethics adviser to the Africa Development Bank’s board of directors (ADB). He is the author of several books.

Osinbajo’s Net Worth

Osinbajo is estimated to be worth $1.5 million, according to Forbes.