Staff members in the Office of the Vice President on Thursday evening gave Vice President Yemi Osinbajo a surprise 61st birthday treat at which the celebrator prayed for sustained peace, joy and prosperity in the country.
“My wish for Nigeria is that our country will be greater and greater, that it will prosper and that we will experience true peace and true joy,’’ the vice president said in a short interview.
“I am grateful to God for preserving my life; I am just excited to be one year older.
“I think we are gradually entering into that class who are called senior citizens and in some way it places some greater responsibility on you as an individual.
“But I am immensely grateful to God and thank everyone for the surprise,’’ Osinbajo said.
The vice president also thanked the young men, women and children gathered for the event and prayed that “those who are not 60 will be 60 and beyond it.’’
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, who supervised the cutting of the birthday cake by the celebrator, prayed that God would continue to protect the vice president.
“Our prayer is that God will continue to watch over you, fill you with wisdom and understanding and that at every point in time as you counsel with the president he will depend on you for insight into the affairs of this country.
“For those of us that are working closely with you, we will receive direction and move this country forward and to greater heights,’’ Mustapha said.
He described Osinbajo as a very pleasant man by his disposition and action.
“I worked with him closely during the campaigns in my position as Director, Contact and Mobilisation (of APC) and we structured the town hall meetings.
“That was the time he showed the kind of man that he was made of and he did very well.
“That was the dimension of the kind of campaigns that helped us to sell our manifesto and message of change,” he said.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate) to the President, Mr Ita Enang, thanked God for keeping the vice president strong and vibrant.
“I have learnt humility, dedication to service and God’s grace upon his life.
“In spite of the grace, he is still humble and serving the country with all his heart and loyalty to the government and absolute great feelings for the welfare of Nigerians,’’ Enang stated.
In attendance at the brief ceremony were the Ministers of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu; Budget and National Planning, Mr Udo Udoma; Minister of State (Petroleum), Dr Ibe Kachikwu and Dr Maryam Uwais, a presidential aide on Social Investments.
