Former Nigerian Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo has revealed that he stopped drinking alcohol after a personal experience in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Osinbajo spoke at the recent Biazo Leadership and Empowerment Summit in Maryland, USA. He shared that he once thought it was acceptable for Christians to drink alcohol, referring to the Bible story where Jesus turned water into wine.
He said he often drank red wine and beer even after becoming born again, and planned to keep doing so until a personal experience in Mogadishu, Somalia, changed his mind.
He recalled that after preaching at a fellowship, he planned to take some alcohol home. However, when he stopped at a restaurant, he saw colleagues who quickly hid their drinks when they noticed him. They said they did this out of respect for his role as a priest.
“I was very convinced that I could drink alcohol. Jesus turned water into wine, so why not? There are many scholars who would say the wine was not alcoholic, but as far as I was concerned, Jesus turned water into wine,” he said.
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“So I liked my red wine and beer every once in a while. I had already made up my mind that I would continue taking wine despite the fact that I was born again.
“On this particular Sunday, I was coming back from a fellowship where I had preached, because somehow they made me the pastor of the fellowship. On my way back, I was hoping to buy myself two bottles of Heineken and go to my room to read my Bible.
“So, I was coming back from the fellowship, and there were many restaurants in the UN compound in Mogadishu. I went into a particular restaurant and saw many of my colleagues from different countries sitting down, drinking beer.
“As soon as I came in, they all started hiding their drinks. So I went over to one of the guys in my office, a Danish man, and I said to him, ‘Why are you hiding your whiskey?’ Then he responded, ‘You know you are the priest’.”
Osinbajo said that moment made him reflect on his position and behaviour. He added that it led him to the conclusion that while some things may be permitted, not all are appropriate, and that he stopped drinking from that day.
“It occurred to me immediately that there was nowhere I could be drinking there. It became very clear to me that, without a doubt, God was saying to me that while all things may be lawful, not all things are expedient. From that day, I have not touched alcohol,” he said.
