Biography

From 1979 –1980, Osinbajo participated in the one-year youth service programme as a Legal Officer with Bendel Development and Planning Authority (BDPA)

In 1981, the University of Lagos, Nigeria, engaged Osinbajo as a Lecturer. From 1988–1992, he was appointed as an Adviser (Legal Advice and Litigation), to the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola, KBE.

In 1994, he became a Professor of Law following his appointment as Head of Department of Public Law, University of Lagos

Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in Lagos State

Between 1999 and 2007, he was Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in Lagos State in the first eight years of return to democratic rule during which time he led far-reaching significant judicial reforms and ensured access to justice for the poor. These reforms became a model for other States in the Federation.

Key Achievements in Justice Sector Reforms:

•While in public office as Attorney General, Lagos, he is credited with undertaking far-reaching significant judicial reform in Lagos State, addressing critical areas such as judges' recruitment, remuneration, training and discipline. •He addressed access to justice for the poor by establishing appropriate institutions in the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) and the Citizens Mediation Centre (CMC) thereby repositioning the ministry from a “law and order” agency under the military, to a citizen-focused department of justice.

•The Office of the Public Defender (OPD) offers Government-funded free legal services while the Citizens Mediation Centres offers Small Claims Mediation. •Worked with the Judiciary on task restoring people’s confidence and trust in a judiciary widely believed to be corrupt and inefficient. •Initiated wide-ranging reform in the appointments, discipline and welfare of Judges and Magistrates and new Rules of Court (civil and criminal). •Conducted corruption perception surveys of the Judiciary as a tool for reform.

From 2007 – 2013

Osinbajo was once again employed as a Professor of Law, at the Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos. In 2007, Osinbajo became Senior Partner at SimmonsCooper Partners, Nigeria (a commercial law practice).

Membership Associations

Yemi is a member of the International Bar Association and the British Institute of International and Comparative Law and has served on the Nigerian Body of Benchers and the Council for Legal Education of Nigeria. He was also an independent director of CitiBank Nigeria and an ethics adviser to the board of the African Development Bank (AfDB). He has authored several books.

Reform and Charity Work

While in public office as Attorney General, Lagos, Yemi was credited with undertaking far-reaching significant judicial reform in Lagos State, addressing critical areas such as judges' recruitment, remuneration, training and discipline. In addition, he addressed access to justice for the poor by establishing appropriate institutions in the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) and the Citizens Mediation Centre (CMC). Similarly, Yemi founded the Orderly Society Trust (OST), a charity involved in an Excel literacy programme that aims to provide children in public primary schools with the same level of training in English as is available to their counterparts in private schools. Yemi also co-founded Justice Research Institute (Gte), a justice sector think-tank as well as the Convention On Business Integrity.

North East Children's Trust

On his 60th birthday, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo launched The Learning Centre in Borno State, an initiative of the North East Children’s Trust. The North East Children’s Trust is a private sector-led social engineering initiative incorporated in 2017 with a mission to create innovative, transformational sustainable learning ecosystems that will nurture, renew and empower vulnerable children between ages 5 and 18 years who have become orphans as a result of the insurgency in North-East Nigeria. It has provided comprehensive support to 686 orphaned and vulnerable children through accommodation, feeding, quality education, and rehabilitative psychosocial support. Over 1000 students have directly benefited from the enhancements to educational infrastructure (including books, classrooms, ICT systems, WASH facilities etc).

Osinbajo has organized various initiatives that work toward social justice. He organizes the Liberty Schools Project which provides free primary school education with free school lunches to poor children. This Project has three sites in poor communities in Obanikoro, Ikota and Makoko, all in Lagos. Other initiatives include free health care facilities, free legal services, social rehabilitation, skills acquisition for the very poor, a regular soup kitchen service, and free shelter for young people without accommodation. He is an ordained Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and an Emeritus Ambassador for the Environment in Lagos.

Political Career

After the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Yemi Osinbajo was tasked with other notable Nigerians in the party with the development of a manifesto for the new political party. This culminated in the presentation of the "Roadmap to a New Nigeria", a document published by APC as its manifesto in 2013. The highlights of the Roadmap included a free meal school plan, and a conditional cash transfer to millions of the poorest Nigerians if they enrol their children in school and immunise them.

On 17 December 2014, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, retired General Muhammadu Buhari, announced Osinbajo as his running mate and vice-presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections. On the 31st of March 2015, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket had won the Presidential Elections, thus Osinbajo became the Vice President-elect of Nigeria. They were both sworn in on the 29th of May 2015 for the first term.

In February 2019, the Buhari/ Osinbajo ticket won the Presidential Elections for a second term in office starting May 29, 2019. On the 29th of May 2023, Prof. Osinbajo completed his second term as the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Advocacy and Policy Formulation

As Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Osinbajo has led from the front in advocacy and policy formulation and implementation on issues relating to national development planning, climate change, digital technology, governance, social investment and human capital development amongst other things. His passion for assisting the poor and more vulnerable members of society is reflected in his work to successfully introduce Nigeria’s path-breaking Social Investment Programmes, the promotion of girl-child education and the establishment of schools for refugee children.

Three national plan documents have been issued under his leadership including the Economic Sustainability Plan adopted in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Prof Osinbajo is a leading advocate for a just energy transition in Africa and for the speedy development of African carbon markets. He has also supported the digital and creative economy sectors including through the establishment of a $650m Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (I-DICE) Programme as a partnership between the Nigerian Government and the African Development Bank.

After His Tenure As Vice President of Nigeria

After completing his tenure as Vice President on the 29th of May, 2023, Prof. Osinbajo served in the following month as the Chairman of the Commonwealth Observer Group to monitor the 2023 Sierra Leone Elections. In July, he was named as a Global Advisor by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, (GEAPP) an international agency jointly funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund.

On the 26th of September 2023, Climate Action Platform for Africa (CAP-A), a public benefit organisation, announced Prof. Osinbajo as the new Chair of the Board of Directors. In this capacity, he will be assisting with the next phase of the organisation's growth and mission of unlocking Africa’s potential as a global hub for climate action.

In March, 2024, the Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation, a bold partnership between UNDP, African governments, and the private sector, with the aim to be the world’s largest initiative to support the innovation ecosystem in Africa, appointed Prof. Osinbajo as the Guardian of the Foundation. His role as Guardian is to ensure that the Foundation meets its objectives. He was also appointed as a High Representative of the Timbuktoo Fund by the UNDP. Timbuktoo’s ambition is to mobilize and invest US$1 billion of catalytic and commercial capital to transform 100 million livelihoods and create 10 million dignified new jobs. This significant milestone follows the successful global launch of Timbuktoo at the 54th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda was joined by President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, as well as UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

Traditional Honours

The "Enyioha 1 (Abia); The Obong Emem Ibom (Akwa Ibom); The Jagaban (Adamawa); The Madugun Jihar (Nasarawa); The Olori Ogun of Yorubaland (Osun); The Ada Idaha ke Efik Eburutu (Cross River); The Garkuwan Yamma Nupe (Niger); The Danmadamin Daura (Katsina); The Ebiyiakubo-Owei Keni of Angia-Ibe (Bayelsa).