VP Osinbajo Attends Governor Umar Ganduje’s Book Launch Titled: “Deputizing And Governance In Nigeria,” On 25/10/2022

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REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT GOVERNOR UMAR GANDUJE’S BOOK LAUNCH TITLED “DEPUTIZING AND GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA” AT THE NAF CONFERENCE CENTRE, ABUJA ON THE 25TH OF OCTOBER, 2022

PROTOCOLS

Governor Ganduje first spoke to me about this book in 2016 on a visit to Kano, and enlisted me as far back as that time to write a foreword to the book. And according to him, I should be the one to write the foreword as in his words “I am the number one deputy in the country.” I agreed.

But I agreed for a few reasons, first is that Umar Ganduje is something of a mystery to many. While he is quiet and self-effacing, he is one of the best-educated men in politics (he has a PhD, a real PhD) and he is by far, one of the most experienced politicians and public servants in the country. He has officially been in this business of politics since 1979.

So  I thought this book would be an opportunity to understand and publicize his thoughts and ideas. But more importantly, on the subject of deputizing, no one has his experience. He has been deputy governor twice. Except perhaps, His Excellency, former President Goodluck Jonathan. Governor Ganduje is one of the few who from being deputy governor, became governor and he is perhaps the only governor who has now put forward his deputy to succeed him.

So he is worth studying not because he has always succeeded politically, but because he failed many times, yet he always knew how to lose and not get lost. He lost controversially to His Excellency, Rabiu  Kwakanso in the PDP  Primaries for Governorship in 1999, but then agreed to serve as his deputy.

They won the elections. In 2003, they were defeated by Ibrahim Shekarau who served 8 years. In 2011 he was again on the ticket with Kwakanso as his deputy. They won, and he served until 2015, when he then became governor.

Second, it is rare for a politician to write a book that is not about himself or herself and their great achievements (even if they are the only one who knows about those achievements). This book is not about Ganduje and his achievements, it is more a textbook on governance and politics. And we have heard this most eloquently from Prof. Jega, the book reviewer today, it contains important nuggets on those two subjects.

The third is that in my very early interactions with him, and there have been many,  (I don’t think there is any State aside from Lagos that I have visited more frequently than Kano State), I found that Umar Ganduje is probably one of the wittiest, most cerebral and most humorous politicians that you could ever found. I always find his views incredibly witty and perceptive. I thought it would be interesting to have his thoughts in writing somewhere. If you are looking for a deep, witty, unforgettable analysis of a subject, you have your man. Let me share some with you.

“First, many people agree that being a deputy or a vice especially, a political deputy is one of the most difficult jobs in the world.” But few can describe the problem more graphically and unforgettably as Umar Ganduje himself. He once said to me “when you are a deputy, you are in a difficult position,” (and he would pause, you know like every good storyteller and for effect), and then he went on, “every action you take is likely to be  misinterpreted, not necessarily by your boss but by the numerous minions around him, anxious to be closer to the Governor or President than the deputy.”

So he goes on, “if you humbly walk behind your boss, they will say ‘look at him, he is not cooperating with his boss. If you walk by his side, they will say ha! See this man, he thinks he is equal to his boss, and if you walk in front of him, they will say see, he thinks he is better than his boss, he is doing things all by himself”

Another of his wise thoughts is this he once said, “you know Your Excellency every deputy must always remember that while you are deputy or vice, there are many around the principal who know they cannot be deputy governor since you are there,  so they try to be assistant governor. And the only way they can do that is to create mistrust between the deputy and the principal so they can fit in. The moral of the story is beware of the assistant governor.”

Another is that “every hard-working deputy has a problem with the power brokers and even court jesters close to his principal. You would have thought that the best thing is to put in everything you can for the success of the principal and the government.”

“But that comes with consequences and such consequences are worse in our type of society and many other societies, where people are quick to accuse the deputy of wanting to take over from his boss, by hook or crook.

The third is “with the perception of people about the job of the deputy. They say the deputy is a spare tyre, it is a useless job, but why do people still want the job if that is so? It was the great political wordsmith, Dr. Kingsley Mbadiwe, of the caterpillar and juggernaut fame, who once disdainfully described the Vice Presidency as “the repeater station of a major station.”

It was his verdict that was meant to convey the low esteem in which he held the office. But we must note that he only came to this conclusion after he had lost out to Dr. Alex Ekwueme in his bid to serve as President Shehu Shagari’s running mate in 1979.

So, a thought that runs through the book is that despite the put-downs of the office, being political number 2 is important because the political office is about the lives of millions of people not just about the prestige of office.

Ye,s the spare tyre analogy is probably right, but a more on-point description is that of the relationship between a captain of a flight and his deputy. Imagine a commercial flight with people including yourself on a plane, there is the captain, and then there is his deputy. The captain flies the plane, but no human being can be completely focused for several hours. So sometimes he gets up and goes to the bathroom, while the flight is on, his deputy had better be a good pilot otherwise lives are at risk. Can you imagine a situation where the captain leaves the cockpit briefly and you hear an announcement from the cockpit, “ladies and gentlemen, I am  the deputy to the captain, the captain is  in the restroom, and I am only a spare tyre and I am not sure what to do now?” If you are on that plane you will ask God for forgiveness for expecting that a deputy or vice plays no role.

The truth as Umar Ganduje says is that the deputy or vice must be up to the task every day. He must be the most hardworking in the government, bringing his own skills and talents in representing the principal as efficiently and effectively as possible every single day.

I think, unlike deputy governors, Vice Presidents have a few more well-defined constitutional roles.

The Vice President is the chair of NEC, the monthly meeting of 36 governors, the Chair of the National Planning Commission, the Chair of the National Council on Privatization, the Chair of several boards and also deputy of several other official bodies.

But still, in our Constitutional democracy, the effectiveness of the number 2, the Vice President depends a great deal on the trust reposed in him by the President. That is a function of loyalty and goes both ways as Umar Ganduje points out in his book.

I think I have been more fortunate than others in my relationship with my principal, Mr. President. He genuinely believes in the role of the Vice President. When he was leaving on medical leave, the second time. There were a few things that were outstanding to send to him, he said, “I don’t want you to send me anything, it is your job now, just make sure you do a good job.”

As former President Jonathan said, of his relationship with late Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the President does not expect me to call him when he is away, he expects that I know what to do and should do it.

Indeed, once when I called him, he said “Professor, I am on leave, you are supposed to do your job. Do whatever you want to do, when I come back, we will discuss it.” And that it is the way we have always related. I think that is ideal, and I recommend it to principals everywhere.

I am probably one of the few who have read this book, except for the book reviewer. I think it is a book full of wisdom and wit from a practical politician and erudite social scientist, Governor Umar Ganduje. I recommend the book to everyone, not just politicians but anyone who has any kind of interest in good governance.

Thank you.