The day VP dazzled a room full of journalists

Of course, was among the party.

The venue was the Aguda House--official residence of Nigeria's Vice President--tucked in the presidential villa in Abuja.

The event was billed for 5pm, but didn't commence until 8:30pm when Osinbajo walked in, flanked by a sprinkling of aides.

As a room full of young, middle-aged journalists and state house officials stood to acknowledge the VP's presence, he motioned to everyone not to bother.

"Please, sit down", he said, "there's no need to get up".

His seat had been stationed on the other end of the room, facing the small audience.

Osinbajo wasn't comfortable with the sitting arrangement, so he whispered to Tolu Ogunlesi (Special Assistant on Digital/New media to the President), Babafemi Ojudu (Special Adviser to the President on political matters) and Laolu Akande (Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity) to tinker with their set-up.

The VP's argument was that he wouldn't want to strain his voice in a bid to get heard.

He needed a good ol' microphone, he said.

You know, the 1,2,3,4 testing...testing kinda microphone.

The problem? There was no microphone in sight.

But there was a lapel mic.

His aides pointed at the lapel mic clipped on his shirt. Certainly, that should do.

Not enough, Osinbajo said.

Ogunlesi and Akande exchanged puzzled glances.

They had to come up with a solution pretty fast. They had little choice.

ALSO READ: How Osinbajo prepares for his speeches

The only solution in sight was to move the VP closer to the audience.

And so it was. The VP's chair was moved and then the show began.

"I apologise for coming in late", Osinbajo commenced, explaining that he'd been attending a couple of other official meetings; which dragged on and on.

He did look tired and a tad drained of energy.

But when he began answering questions he had scribbled on his iPad, the energy returned.

"I hope you've all had something to drink", Osinbajo asked his guests.

Of course, no one had had anything to drink at that point. The night was still young.

When a few persons answered in the negative, the Vice President joked about some of his staff having to contend with a pay cut for that oversight, sending the room into laughter.

It was the perfect ice breaker that set the tone for the rest of the conversation.

Osinbajo took questions from everyone and there were no "no-go areas"--no off limits.

All questions were valid and welcome.

On his iPad, Osinbajo entered each person's name next to their media house(s) and the question(s) they had put forward.

Nigeria's Vice President was at ease here with the young and angry; or if you are Reuben Abati, "the facebooking, twittering children of anger".

He would cackle before answering the trickiest of questions and at one point, he had to correct a young man who, when putting forward a fusillade of questions, referred to the Vice President "as a lawyer".

"I am not just a lawyer", Osinbajo said with a broad smile, "I am a very distinguished and highly respected lawyer", he added to more rounds of laughter from his audience.

Twice or thrice much later, he would go on to refer to himself as "a very distinguished lawyer at that."

Here was a man comfortable in his own skin and displaying no airs at all.

It was an art straight from the play-book of the deftest of politicians.

Not once did Osinbajo make reference to a document or prepared notes as he took questions on the fate of the Chibok Girls still in Boko Haram captivity, the humanitarian crisis in the north east, a faltering economy, reforming the judiciary, equipping the police to better deal with the crisis in Southern Kaduna, corruption within the presidency, the rejection of Magu by the senate, the state of the nation's power sector and a whole range of other issues of national concern.

ALSO READ: 'Buhari gives me free hand to run economy', VP says

His answers arrived extemporaneously, albeit laced with the clarity, intellect and wisdom of ancients.

To listen to Osinbajo speak from close quarters felt like learning at the feet of a university professor or drinking from the wellspring of knowledge of an egghead.

His cadence was lucid and crisp. Not a word seemed out of place.

This was his turf and he was loving it!

However, it was on the subject of the existence of a cabal within the presidency, where Osinbajo left everyone rolling with laughter all over again.

The question came from

"Your excellency, there have been rumours of a cabal acting with some impunity within the presidency. Does this cabal really exist and who are its members?"

Osinbajo was already half chuckling as he readied himself to answer the question.

"Cabals are supposed to be secret", he said, "I really don't know where these guys are....I am still looking for those guys. Honestly, I don't know where they are. I can't tell you that I know where those fellows are."

On another occasion, Osinbajo couldn't control his laughter when the name of Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, was thrown into the conversation.

"Fayose is the best example of disobeying court orders...", he said.

At other times, like when discussing the abducted Chibok Girls, Osinbajo showed plenty of resolve and determination.

"Within what I can disclose, I can say that there's a lot of negotiation going on to release the Chibok girls. As you are all aware, there are two Boko Haram factions and that has complicated the negotiation process. However, day by day, engagement on this issue is going on. No one in the presidency is taking this lightly.

"It's a matter that concerns everyone. I do not know a single day where no one is passing me information on the Chibok Girls", Osinbajo said.

ALSO READ: 'We'll re-present Magu's name to senate for confirmation', VP tells Pulse

Once everyone was done asking their questions, Osinbajo asked if there were more questions in the locker.

He was ready to engage and charm some more.

If the young men and women here had thought they had enough to rattle the former Lagos Attorney General and Justice Commissioner, they shuffled out of Aguda House feeling disarmed and threadbare.

Osinbajo had worked his magic again--the way only he knows how.