The interior of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo family house located in Obanikoro area of Lagos State is tastefully furnished aside the modest exterior of the building.
From the upholstery to the hue for the walls, one gets an idea that the Osinbajos are classy without being flashy.
The family pictures on the walls blend beautifully with the scenery of the living room thus mixing to form an enthralling allure.
One is also greeted by a well-hung TV casting a glance at a music player placed on the marbled floor the moment one steps into the room nestling a passage leading to the stairs.
The road leading to Osinbajo Close is not spectacular. It is rocky and dusty. Some years back, the family house of the Osinbajos could not have attracted much attention even if the name did.
The fact that the now Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, proved his mettle as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos is enough to make the name ring a bell. Besides, one of his siblings, Akin, also served in the same capacity in their state, Ogun.
But the new status of the professor of law has not only popularised ‘Osinbajo Close’ but also ensures that visitors to the neighbourhood cast a glance at the house.
When our correspondent visited the street on Wednesday morning, cars were parked at the frontage of the houses along the street by the residents and visitors to the neighbourhood.
The first sign that the Osinbajo home has gained a sudden attractiveness in the vicinity manifested when the direction to the house was intentionally sought from an elderly guard securing a firm about 100 kilometres away.
The man’s eyes brightened as he heard the name. ‘‘You mean you are going to the family house of the vice-president? Take to the right and enter the estate after counting the third gate,” he said.
The one-storey building painted in cream hue with a modest space boasts a neat surrounding and a car usually parked under a shed within the house. Beside the house is a spacious nursery school established in 1992 by the vice-president’s mother, Mrs. Olubisi Osinbajo, who once told our correspondent during an interview two years ago that she would donate the school to a Christian body to administer.
She added that she would not want to run any business since she had turned 80 years because she was contented with what she had achieved at that age.
A rusted low gate secures the building which is patrolled by a friendly dog that runs to the gate at the sight of a visitor. Mama Osinbajo had told SUNDAY PUNCH that, “It only wags its tail and barks when it sights visitors. It does not bite.’’
There is also a dark blue white banner embossed with Osinbajo’s picture hung conspicuously at the gate of the school with the inscription: ‘‘Diocese of Lagos State, Anglican Communion, Somolu Archdeaconry, Anglican Church, Obanikoro, rejoices with Mama Osinbajo, our matriarch and the entire Osinbajo family on the election of their son, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, as the Vice-President-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The lord will give him the unction to function in Jesus name. Amen.’’
Now manned by police officers who swiftly rose to their feet from where they sat when our correspondent approached the gate, the house had no such security arrangement about two years ago. It was gathered that security was put in place in the building during the elections.
Many people within the neighbourhood now throw a glance at the house especially at the banner which attracts attention to itself with the vice-president looking composed.
Former Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in Lagos State, and now the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) is a man of means.
Though attested to possess an unassuming nature, this does not extend to his highbrow neighbourhood which is situated in Victoria Garden City, Lekki, Lagos.
Since Osinbajo’s elevation as the number two citizen of Africa’s most populous country, security in the area seems to have gone up a notch or two higher.
Now, it is like a heavily guarded king’s palace, with every car and pedestrian screened with utmost carefulness at the entrance to the estate.
“All visitors should report to the welcome centre to obtain an entry tag,” was boldly inscribed at the gate, which is a few metres away from the Lekki expressway, and hundreds of metres away from the entrance into the well-tarred VGC neighbourhood.
Similarly, for visitors driving to the main gate there were bold signs hung over the tarred road leading to the gate, advising them to display their access cards.
With its gated entrances and streets paved with the finest asphalt, Osinbajo’s Lagos address is the home for the rich, high and mighty. This is also evident by the presence of eagle-eyed security personnel and CCTV in the estate.
Also, all visitors have to state the address of the resident then, the security guards, would place a call to the said resident’s house or ask the visitor to do so for confirmation of the visit.
In this instance, Osinbajo, as well as most of his family members, had travelled to Abuja for the inauguration ceremony. Thus, our correspondent was refused a visitor’s ticket or entry into the estate.
Despite entreaties, the official on duty told SUNDAY PUNCH that he was being monitored on CCTV and he did not want to lose his job. “This is a private estate. Please write a letter to our former Community Development Association chairman, who is in South Africa at the moment, and if he approves, we can allow you access into the estate,” he said.
According to the official, the election for new executives had been postponed and there were no estate executives to attend to enquiries.
However, one of the residents, who did not want to be named, told SUNDAY PUNCH that security presence in and around Osinbajo’s house had been tightened.
“Since Prof. Osinbajo became Vice-President-elect, the number of security personnel around his house has increased,” he said.
Another resident noted that the security in the area had increased since the presidential election results were announced. A few of the residents around the neighbourhood described Osinbajo in glowing terms as they drove into the neigbhourhood.
“I did not even know that a future vice-president lived in my neighbourhood. It is exciting to know that now,” a young lady identified as Amaka told SUNDAY PUNCH. During the elections, Osinbajo cast his vote at VGC Ward 033.
Source: Punch
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