Vice President Yemi Osinbajo placed a phone call to a Twitter user, Taye Paul Olubayo, who addressed a four-page open letter to the number two citizen on October 6.
Unlike many Twitter users who do not meaningfully engage the government, Mr Olubayo tweeted a handwritten letter to the Vice President proffering solutions to how to solve the demands of EndSARS protesters.
In the letter, Mr Olubayo detailed how many youths worked actively to elect the Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2015 and again in 2019.
The letter he addressed to the VP reads in part, “Over the past few days, and tracing back to few years ago, the period during which you stood in for your principal as acting President, I’m very sure you remember our cries with respect to the dreaded SARS.
“Don’t get me wrong Sir, I understand quite clearly that the President is the C-in-C and as such, in charge of all the security agencies. That being said, I will do well to remind you that you both were elected on a joint ticket by the virtue of which you share both the glory and ‘dragging’ of this administration.
He then added that, “Sir, we are tired, very tired. A nation pushed to the wall by its leaders would be one hell of a place to govern. I trust you already understand the implications.”
Dear VP, @ProfOsinbajo
I have painstakingly taken my time to pen you this letter.
This is both a long read and a long shot at getting your attention but I’ll take my chances!#EndSARS @akandeoj @NigeriaGov @NGRPresident @toluogunlesi @DigiCommsNG https://t.co/WXHuAErat4 pic.twitter.com/IC6wC7iwKh
— Taye “Efiwe” Olubayo (@TayePaulOlubayo) October 6, 2020
But to his surprise, Prof. Osinbajo got a wind of his letter and he called him to discuss the content of the letter and the way forward.
On the 31st of October, he quoted his tweet to provide an update. “So based off this letter I addressed to VP Osinbajo a few weeks ago, I got a call from him today and we spoke at length. The VP and I discussed steps that MUST be taken to ending police brutality. I shared my thoughts and he promised me personally to act on them,” Olubayo said.
Reacting to the update by Olubayo, Bola Danusi said constructive engagements should be embraced by the youths. “Here’s what you get when you ditch the nay saying and mischief making like “Werey Dey Disguise” madness for constructive engagements. You can always be sure of a useful response,” she wrote.
Adewunmi Collins also shared a similar sentiment. “To listen closely and reply well is the highest perfection we can attain in the art of conversation. This is why the VP Osinbajo’s style of leadership is endearing. Intelligent engagements can only produce this but unfortunately, most of our youths are petty and unserious,” she wrote.
Chicka commended Olubayo for his approach. “He genuinely and civilly sought change on our behalf and he got a response. I have never been a fan of cursing these guys as a way to demand accountability because it will end in voicemail, just like they saw this, they see those too.”
Adebola Babatunde said “He was constructive and sensible with his engagements. And guess what, he got a response from the VP but when all you write is rubbish, you won’t get a response,” he said.
