Here is one man, together with his wife, our dear outgoing First Lady, who, in their youth, have prepared themselves for whatever challenges life may bring: cultured and well educated.
No matter what ruckus or melodrama currently engulfs Ekiti State, Dr John Kayode Fayemi, the Omoluabi-outgoing governor of the state for the past four years, leaves behind him nuggets, indeed, absolutely unprecedented firsts in the annals of governance, not only in the state but in the entire country. The gentleman politician will look back to these four years as a period he gave of his best to his people; never for once allowing himself to be carried away by the appurtenances of transient power. Not for once did he ensconce himself in the giddiness that office can so very easily engender in lesser individuals nor did he ever forget that there was, one day, going to be the day after. He was neither garrulous nor off putting. Dr Fayemi was, forever, his composed and comported self. Nobody who knows him would have been surprised. Scion of a decent Christian parentage, intellectually sound and supremely confident, humble yet so self-effacing you could not have expected anything less.
Effective August, 1983, I had completely abandoned any involvement in politics consequent upon the crisis of that year in Ondo State, a part of which Ekiti was. I had to relocate to Lagos as was comprehensively captured by the Guardian edition of Tuesday 20, 1983 under the caption: POLITICIAN ON THE RUN SENDS PEACE MESSAGE HOME -no thanks to the murderous post- election escapades of the NPN, the precursors of today’s PDP. But by 2009, two whole years after his mandate had been stolen and after closely observing his seriousness and total commitment to retrieving same as well as my observing how very inpudently President Obasanjo had turned Ekiti into a plaything, I decided to throw my hat into the fray on the side of Ekiti and Dr Fayemi. Since then, there has been no looking back and today, I am as proud as could possibly be seeing what development Ekiti has experienced under his leadership.
Until the Ekiti Election Tribunal currently sitting validates the PDP victory in the June 21 governorship election, that is if it does, I shall remain unpersuaded that the PDP truly and transparently won that election. I say this from the heart in the total belief that we Ekitis could never have overlooked all the governor did in those four years, in every segment of the Ekiti society sans his having to relocate the Ekiti treasury to the Erekesan Market in the state capital for every Ekiti citizen to take his or her pick. Indeed, it continues to diminish each and every one of us Ekiti to be told by Nigerians across the board that we were driven by 2kg bags of rice to make up our minds on such a momentous occasion.
If, and when the tribunal does confirm the PDP victory, I shall on this very page advise the incoming governor Ayo Fayose, who is my aburo, to take to heart the fact that four, even eight years, is not eternity and that, as it is now for Dr Fayemi, there is going to come for him the day after. It is therefore important that like Fayemi, the development of Ekiti, in peace and harmony, should concentrate his mind. Fortunately, he severally told Ekiti people on his campaign tours that he is a changed man. He must know that the people will be extremely eager to see him demonstrate this. Of course, he knows me well enough not to be unduly silent if we see that change only in breach. Governor-elect Ayo Fayose knows what role I played, leveraging on our extant relationship, in his working with Dr Fayemi during the rerun election; a role significant enough to make him call me as soon as he got out of a tiff with former governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo in governor Fayemi’s office reminding me of what fears he had expressed earlier on during the discussions. I shall remain resolute in calling attention to what I know will redound to the benefit of our people far beyond the sounding bites of politics. This is even more critical given that PDP is not known to run people-oriented governments either at state or federal level. For them, it is come and eat. I am not a politician but only a citizen journalist and Governor Ayo Fayose must be ready and prepared to hear from me whenever necessary through this very page.
I digress, as this is about the sterling performance of an outgoing governor, one who has demonstrated the qualities that have earned him the name Omoluabi governor, like Otunba Niyi Adebayo before him. Here is a man whose word is his bond; the very reason he was given the epithet, ‘O WI BE E SE BE E’ meaning he does that which he promises. Nor can anybody forget in a hurry Dr Fayemi’s empathy for the underprivileged. It was this that resulted in his unprecedented – in Nigeria – his welfare package for the elderly from which not less than 20, 000 elderly Ekiti citizens received a N5000.00K monthly stipend. He did not stop there as his spouse, our highly regarded First Lady, among other welfare packages for the underprivileged, not only fed hundreds of citizens but also distributed raw rations which the beneficiaries took back to their respective homes.
There will be no better way of concluding this article than to quote a total outsider, this time THIS DAY’S Olawale Olaleye who, unlike me, cannot be accused of undue partisanship writing about Dr Fayemi. In the paper’s edition of Friday, 10 October, he wrote:
‘As he prepares to leave office sometime next week, outgoing Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has shown leadership even with his approach to disengagement. He is by every means in a class of his own. ?His background as much as his upbringing, without much ado, are two major factors contributory to the make-up of this adult enigma. Break him down in whichever way, the outgoing Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, painfully took the fall but stood even taller. He crashed out, tumbled but refused to crumble. ?He was not even down let alone out. He is still standing tall as he plans to quit with dignity, class and respect.
“From idea conception, articulation, implementation, and its constructive follow-up, he’s proven to be an astute administrator and a unique breed politician. ?He seems to be leaving behind shoes bigger than anyone of a lower-caste. He is bequeathing a vision, comprehensible only to anyone of his ilk.
“Perhaps, for those who had their doubts about the quality of this intelligentsia, his magnanimity in defeat immediately after the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State, sums it up. Much as he may have expressed reservations about some of the processes that led to the election, he knew he had a responsibility to congratulate the winner, Mr. Ayodele Fayose. In any case, for every contest, there would always be a winner and a loser. He admitted to having lost the election, but not without a genuine and sincere fight. He’s since moved on and this can be located in many respects…’
As he bows out gracefully, I haven’t the slightest doubt Dr Fayemi is headed for higher ground. Here is one man, together with his wife, our dear outgoing First Lady, who, in their youth, have prepared themselves for whatever challenges life may bring: cultured and well educated, this is one couple for whom contentment is a creed. A perfect match, Nigerians and the world at large will have more reasons to celebrate this duo.
As for me and them, we are inseparable.
I wish them God’s abundant blessings.
