He described President Maada Bio as a consummate technocrat and that “Sierra Leone and Nigeria have a long history; the government of Nigeria will support unflinchingly President Bio, and the government and people of Sierra Leone.”
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said the significance of President Bio’s inauguration ceremony is a great celebration of democracy. He went on to state that the transition from one civilian president to another has been largely peaceful. He added that it also signals hope for millions of Sierra Leoneans.
He said: “He was the one, if you remember who handed power to a democratic government as a military leader. He has also proven over time to be someone who has thought over the problems of the country, and listening to him, and having met with him for close to an hour, I think there is great opportunity and hope for the people of Sierra Leone and I think he is going to do a great job.”
On President Bio’s promise to work with other African leaders, the Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo stated that one thing is clear and that is that Sierra Leone and Nigeria have a long history. “Most recently, if you recall, Nigerian troops gave their lives here in Sierra Leone defending the territorial integrity of Sierra Leone, the people and the country.”
He went on to state that President Bio even repeated this in a conversation he had with him and said he was very grateful to Nigeria and that the two countries have maintained a very good relationship over the years and that he believes that this relationship will go from strength to strength. “I think the future is bright for both countries,” said the Nigeria Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
According to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari sends congratulatory message to the people and the new President of Sierra Leone, adding that the President of Nigeria is very excited about the developments in Sierra Leone and asked him to convey his very best wishes to the president and government and also to pledge Nigeria’s continued cooperation and collaboration with the government and people of Sierra Leone.
Speaking on the issues surrounding the leadership of Nigeria’s All Progressives Congress (APC), Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said in politics there will always be tensions. He maintained however that the party is strong and that the leadership and membership of the party are committed to ensuring that the party remains strong and continues to offer the hope and promise it has always offered and given to the people.
“I think a lot of the issues will be resolved as we go along. This is the normal order of things; there will be some disagreements, there will be those who may feel that they need certain preferences or certain things which may not have been done earlier on. But I don’t think there is any major problem,” Vice President Yemi Osinbajo of Nigeria said.
