Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has shared the personal experience that led him to stop drinking alcohol, describing it as a defining moment in his spiritual journey.
In a video circulating on social media, he recounted how an encounter with colleagues during a United Nations mission in Somalia shaped that decision. Despite being a pastor, he admitted that he occasionally drank alcohol at the time.
“I like my red wine once in a while, and then I like my beer,” he said.
He explained that the turning point came while he was serving in the justice sector of the UN mission in Mogadishu. After preaching at a fellowship service one Sunday, he went to a restaurant intending to buy two cans of beer before returning to his room.
“On this particular Sunday, I was coming back from the Fellowship where I had preached, and I was just hoping to buy two canned Heineken and go to my room and read my Bible,” he said.
On entering the restaurant, he noticed several colleagues drinking, but they quickly tried to hide their drinks when they saw him. Surprised by their reaction, he asked a Danish colleague why they acted that way.
“You are the priest, and we cannot be drinking around the priest,” the man replied.
Osinbajo said the response deeply affected him and led to serious reflection on his faith and personal choices. He noted that the moment helped him better understand the biblical idea that while many things may be permissible, not all are beneficial.
“Since that day, I have never consumed alcohol,” he said.
