Professionals In Politics: Public Office Shouldn’t Be Synonymous With Accumulation Of Power, Wealth
Channel: Prof. Yemi Osinbajo
Date: 2022-02-09

The Inaugural Conference Of The APC Professionals Forum

Public office is an instrument of service and responsibility to the people and should not be synonymous with the accumulation of power, privilege and wealth.

 

This was the submission of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, at the All Progressives Congress (APC) Professionals Forum’s Conference, which held at the old Statehouse Banquet Hall, Abuja.

.

According to the Vice President, professionals interested in politics and nation-building must turn the tide where “holding public office in Nigeria at any level is largely perceived as synonymous with the accumulation of power, privilege and wealth.”

 

He added that the professionals that would shape the country’s future in one way or the other are those that have the “understanding that public office is an instrument of service and responsibility to the people.”

 

The Vice President also observed that Nigerians must break the paradox of individual genius and collective underperformance, especially as the country has “many gifted, accomplished and remarkable individuals across all walks of life all over the world.”

 

“There is a clear mismatch between our individual quality and our national outcomes. We have not yet become greater than the sum of our individual selves,” the VP said.

 

In his view, the needed synergy between living up to the merits of professional calling and dedication to public service will produce the desired national impact.

 

“While it is true that we have several excellent individuals in various spheres of society, we must recognize that success in a country such as ours can no longer be defined in personal or individual terms…True progress is about reimagining our collective circumstances and creating an environment that enables prosperity for us all.”

 

“To this end, we must see ourselves as stewards of the common good who have been entrusted with the privilege of managing our collective destiny – the collective destiny of our people – for an allotted time. It is only through public-spiritedness and dedication to the common good that we can as a people truly become greater than the sum of our parts.”

 

Prof. Osinbajo stated that professionals in politics must also see beyond tribal, religious and other sentiments if they truly want to make significant impact in national development.

 

“There is no point in having professionals in politics if the professionals are driven by ethnic, religious and other parochial considerations. Because the whole point of professionalism is that you are defined by merit, by your professional acumen.

 

“The usefulness of professionals in politics is that you have people who are used to being assessed on the basis of their own achievements and who are unafraid to make competence the first advertorial of their acumen. In other words, professionals emphasize the role of merit in public life.”

 

He noted that an important advantage of having professionals in politics is lost “if we do not recognize that our role as merit-driven persons must be to fight the temptation of ethnic, religious and other parochial considerations in making the crucial decisions for the development of our nation.”




******************




The official YouTube channel for Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON.

Oluyemi Oluleke “Yemi” Osinbajo is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who is the current Vice President of Nigeria, in office since 29 May 2015.

Follow Prof. Osinbajo online
Website: www.yemiosinbajo.ng
Facebook: Professor Yemi Osinbajo
Twitter: @ProfOsinbajo
Instagram: @ProfOsinbajo
TikTok: @ProfOsinbajo