Friends and associates celebrated the life and impact of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo with series of events to mark his 64th birthday.
Osinbajo was born on March 8, 1957.
The events lined up for the 64th birthday celebration spread across states, including Lagos, Nasarawa and the FCT.
They included the Annual Entrepreneurship Development Programme for Young Nigerians and Small Businesses in Nigeria, as well as support for health workers and a nationwide ophthalmological intervention.
There was also one-day public lecture series, titled, “Building the Future of Nigeria through Enterprise and Innovation.’’
Others were Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) grants to beneficiaries in Nasarawa State, a novelty lawn tennis competition, visits to orphanages in Abuja, social impact activities and a prayer meeting by a group of FCT women.
On March 7, President Muhammadu Buhari congratulated the vice president on his birthday.
“I am proud to have selected Osinbajo as my running mate and he has given a good account of himself since our journey began in 2015.
“The vice president is a cool-headed gentleman who puts the interest of Nigeria above other narrow considerations,” he said.
On March 6, “Friends of Prof,” a group of friends and associates of the vice president announced the commencement of the 2021 edition of its empowerment programme with an expansion in its scope, in honour of Osinbajo’s 64th birthday.
The group also gave support to health workers.
Tagged ‘The March 8th Initiative,” the group noted that it was conceptualised to inspire and promote communal, entrepreneurial and public-spirited endeavours within Nigeria.
The Annual Entrepreneurship Development Programme has been reorganised into four categories providing more opportunities for young Nigerians between 18 and 35 years old.
One-off business grants, ranging from N100,000 to N1,000,000 to small businesses in Nigeria were given to young Nigerians.
Also, on March 7, staff of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) organised novelty lawn tennis competition in Abuja to mark the vice president’s birthday.
The event was inaugurated by Deputy Chief of Staff, OVP, Ade Ipaye.
In Nasarawa State, the Emir of Lafia, Justice Mohammed Sidi Bage, hosted a prayer/empowerment scheme event at his palace in honour of the vice president.
The event was attended by the Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, who represented the State Governor Abdullahi Sule.
Bage inaugurated off the grant disbursement of N100,000 to 50 small MSMEs in Lafia town.
Besides the cash grant of N100,000 each to 50 persons, some beneficiaries got sewing machines from the Friends of Osinbajo
On March 8, a one-day public lecture series titled, Building the Future of Nigeria Through Enterprise and Innovation was held at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja, in commemoration of Osinbajo’s 64th birthday.
Gov. Sule, who gave the opening remarks, noted that the theme of the lecture was very significant.
In his keynote address, the Chief Executive Officer of Financial Derivatives Company, Bismarck Rewane, commended the vice president for his patriotism and selfless service to the country.
Osinbajo joined the event virtually as the audience sang a Happy Birthday song to him.
The vice president expressed his pleasant surprise and appreciation.
“Thank you very much indeed. Let me say how completely overwhelmed I am by this webinar.
“I just want to thank you all for this wonderful surprise and I pray that all of you will also be celebrated in your various places; the Lord Almighty will bless and keep you, and our country, which we love so much. We will see, in our lifetime, the glory of our country,” he said.
Other dignitaries at the event included the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development, Uche Oga.
Others were former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Usani, the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Fahad Obaid Al Taffaq, APC National Secretary, John James Akpan Udo-Edehe, among others.
Also on Monday, a delegation from the OVP led by Ipaye, visited the Abuja Children’s Home in Karu, and the FCT Unity Children’s Home, Gwarko, in commemoration of the vice president’s 64th birthday.
Several items were donated to the homes, including blankets, diapers, noodles, baby formulas, bags of rice, bottles of palm oil and vegetable oil, containers of salt, biscuits and cereal.
The children in both homes were excited by the visit, prayed for the vice president and sang birthday songs for him.
Osinbajo’s birth date coincided with International Women’s Day.
A group of women from different works of life, cutting across different occupations and religion converged on Government Secondary School, Jikwoyi, Abuja, to pray for the vice president on his birthday.
The OVP, in conjunction with the Abuja Enterprise Agency, also organised the start of an 8-week tailoring institute, with 64 sewing machines earmarked to be donated to participants.
In Lagos, a group organised an empowerment programme for vulnerable communities in the state in honour of the vice president.
Many Nigerians also took to social media platforms to celebrate the Vice President with trending hashtags such as #Osinbajo4Justice, #TheOsinbajoIknow, #OsinbajoAt64, #Mantofollow.
(NANFeatures)