Yemi Osinbajo, the former vice president, has talked about the time that made him stop drinking.
A viral video showed the pastor talking about how a chance meeting while he was working in Somalia changed his life. He said that even though he was a pastor, he sometimes drank red wine and beer.
The former vice president said that the turning point came when he was in Mogadishu on a UN mission. After preaching on a Sunday, he decided to buy some beer and go back to his room.
He said that he went into a restaurant in the UN camp and met some coworkers from other countries who were already drinking. They quickly tried to hide their drinks when they saw him.
He said that after that, he went up to a Danish coworker and asked why he was hiding his drink. The coworker said they couldn’t drink around him because they thought he was a priest.
Osinbajo was very moved by the response and started to think about his role and how others saw him. He said that the moment helped him realize that doing something that is allowed may not always be the right thing to do.
He made the decision to stop drinking alcohol altogether after that meeting.
He said, “I like my red wine once in a while, and then I like my beer.” That Sunday, I was coming back from the Fellowship where I had preached. All I wanted to do was buy two cans of Heineken and go to my room to read my Bible.
“There were a lot of places to eat in the UN compound in Mogadishu. So, I went to this restaurant, and when I walked in, I saw a lot of my coworkers from other countries. They were having drinks. You are the priest, and we can’t drink around you. “I can do anything, but not everything is a good idea.”
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