Whose apology is Osinbajo’s lamentation? -By Adetunji Ayobrown

Leadership is not about being clamorous; seems difficult but not the same as impossible. He never tried and that is why he is still the VP today; this was the conclusion of many Nigerians.

Apology is not really my area of expertise, but I know that one should never apologise for what made you better than others. ‘We’re sorry for been silent, Osinbajo begs youths’ was a statement credited to the vice president on #EndSARS protest.

Strong conviction must have preceded his action. “Dear Nigerians, I know that many of you are angry and understandably so. We could’ve moved faster and for this we are sorry’. This was part of a statement credited to the vice president.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo truly apologised to the Nigerian youths for keeping silent and having not done enough to stop police brutality in the country. However, it is rather funny how people apologise when they do bad things. Though his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to see reasons who he still been begged by his wife. Aisha resulted to songs perhaps her husband will see reason to tackle the country’s insecurity after many pillow talks had woefully failed.

Some Nigerians however opined that what the Vice President did was “not an apology but reparation to free himself’. To others, apology does not have to be sincere but just the act of apology that matters.

Buhari may be his boss, loyalty is a good thing however, the nation’s development sometimes needs more than loyalty to an incapacitated boss. Sometimes there is a need to do something else to stop something more terrible from happening. Thus, when possessing fantastic alternatives such should not be left untapped.

The symbol of our humiliation therefore becomes a tool to get back at the system. This government could not stand the thought of youths knowing the truth. Congratulations to Nigerians, at least someone in this government can read the full meaning of protest like this.

Nature didn’t ask any to accept this life; there is no choice, life itself is a force that must continue, but the choices we all have are how to live it and whether to live or not and that too is a choice as well.

In Nigeria, to be young is to be sad or to be high. It was reported that over 1900 Nigerians were killed by security forces in 2020 alone, more than twice the number of people killed by cops in the United State the same year. A responsible government must protect its people, even sometimes, from those who are paid to protect them. He said, ‘I fully understand how many young people feel. Many feel that we have been too silent and have simply not done enough. These feelings of frustration are justified.

Does it then boil down to a failure of leadership or what can we call this? Maybe Osinbajo did admit that the feelings of anger and frustration by Nigerians were truly justified against this administration. Despite several meetings with government officials little actions have been taken so far. “There are far too many people who have been brutalised by men of the police and this is unacceptable.

It is clearer now to all that there are strangers in our paradise; wrong pegs in our right holes, there are in fortunately officeholders called leaders at the helms of leadership affairs in this country. Many cannot measure up to their respective offices and are dragging down our national development. It is clearer, more harm had been done by a weak person even than all the wicked.

The longer this persisted, the worst it might get to be, all indices have indicated this. Nigerians are totally embarrassed on their behalf because human beings have senses and so are typical and ordinary Nigerians. Anyone who

is not in this category is clearly and definitely not one of us.

This is the voice of courage which said, ‘It is not life that matters but the courage you bring into it’. Rise up or be ruined. Rise up not only for yourself but for generations yet unborn.

This government is relaxed and enjoying impunity because we are all asleep, wake up, great Nigeria men and women and be alive to our responsibility, if nothing concrete is done, we all together will be hunted by an unfortunate but avoidable failure of a nation.

Truly, it is not life that really matters, but the quality of such life. Before the peaceful protest turns violent, let us sit around the table and dialogue; fashion out best ways to be united if we must remain a nation. That the people are angry is an understatement, and that is why there have been no speech good enough to persuade or manipulate the youths, they are simply tired!

Wink the funk, been stubborn may be necessary to make the needed difference, Nigerian youths, let us all wake-up from our slumber. Without being melodramatic, no drama is normal. Ring no more in our parades, Nigerian youths are set for serious business, demanding an end to insensitive and poor style of leadership bedeviling the country for close to six decades of independence.

Maladministration, open and systematic Corrupt are indices that allow such dreaded group like SARS to operate unprofessionally.

For the likes of VP Osinbajo of this regime, instead of bowing, scraping, and apologising even without any request from anyone to do so, the solution to allow a shrinking to the problems on the horizon, is to deliberately force yourself to the opposite direction.

Before now, those who are discontent within the regime, ought to have made their discontentment publicly known, but trying now to align with the masses seems to be making a Summersault.

The VP seems to be inclined to providing valuable options to his boss and the nation though.

Nigerians had never not even for once, seen Osinbajo or any minister disagree with Buhari over any issue. Perhaps ‘everything he says is right’ is this president’s policy. Ask around what such style of leadership do to national development

Never downplay tangible failures or ignore perceptible limitations, it can turn out to be this. Osinbajo is Buhari’s apologist, is many

Nigerians opinion but don’t say I said that, although it is an open secret.

To Osinbajo, his boss, Buhari is always right. Though I want to doubt this, but may be making your stance on issues openly known will help this administration too.

Nigerians are tired of bad roads, poor electricity supply, unending fuel hikes. The fact is that leadership is about new innovations and ideas; we are all tired of tired-old-legs. Nigeria is better than recycling people in government, we can see that in the comity of nations, there is no excuse for growth, they too strived to develop.

What else could he have done? You may want to ask. Many things, this is because some are of the opinion that when the only person that he could talk to is not ready to listen, then there are other options for the VP and those in the government. Silence means acceptance, keeping mute in the face of terror on innocent citizens is either because you are bad or poor in leadership dispensations.

Even with such terrible acts, some leaders still claimed not to have started out that way or stop to love the nation altogether. But how else can you describe a brutal leader?  And now that such a leader is incapacitated, the committee (the masses) must convene.

Sixty years of nationhood! Honestly, we cannot be celebrating but many are drowning in sorrow. Imagine what Nigeria can do with your potentials and wealth abundance, but for many false narratives of the Buhari’s administration, this is where we are. Disbanding of SARS will never compensate for the injustice suffered at the hands of the errant officers.

Protests, strikes every day, why must these be the only languages understood by this administration? Beyond just survival, Nigerians don’t want to just grow but they want to bloom and that is why a president who can do more than just decide but discern.

People that don’t dare don’t do, kudos at least to the VP, he eats the humble pie, without been ashamed by facing truths headlong. Many are glad he knocked on such door of apology. A joyful leader is never ignored, unqualified apology or not, such is a call anyone will make if you are in his shoes.