Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has highlighted the power and efficacy of photography in telling human stories including those of political actors in the country.
Professor Osinbajo who disclosed that he is “a collector of rare and interesting photographs” spoke at the public presentation of a photo book entitled “Gbajabiamila: The Long Road, in Lagos on June 11, 2021.
The book is about the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila by his Personal Photographer, Mr Ayo Adeagbo.
The event featured a panel discussion on the place of official photographers to top public servants, speeches by the President of the Senate; Ahmad Lawan, the Lagos State Governor; Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Speaker himself, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; Ndidi Elumelu, and a review by Dr Sam Omatseye, the Chairman of The Nation’s Editorial Board.
“Photography is storytelling and as they say, a photograph is better than a thousand words. But the storyteller must not only be skilful, but he must also be trustworthy enough to be allowed access to take the most intimate shots, and as photographers would say, to make or create the best shots.”
While commending the photographer, Prof Osinbajo noted that “Ayo has proved to be a creative and faithful documentalist of the political journey of the charismatic and photogenic speaker.”
According to the VP, as a subject of photography, the Speaker “is one of the most resilient, most resourceful and most successful Nigerian politicians, having won elections five times in the past 18 years.”
He said Gbajabiamila is “an effective bridge-builder across tribes, political parties, religions, and even generations and he has proven to be an innovative mediator and an honest broker in several local and national disputes and conflicts.”
Despite his busy schedule, Osinbajo said he is a collector of rare and interesting photographs, especially photographs that will not be found anywhere else – many hitherto unseen shots of his friends and colleagues in politics.
