The day May 29, 2023 marks another democratic ritual in Nigeria occasioning the Transition to another elected Government, being the seventh in line since the 1999 return to Civil Rule.
Several Administrations have taken their turns ever since from Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari who had handed over to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The various Administrations have all tried the possible best they could for the turn around of things in Nigeria for good, but like every human endeavor, there would always be certain things left undone that needed to be done.
It is in the light of the above that the newly inaugurated Democratic Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had to get highly tested and trusted people on Board the Ship of State to help steer same to a successful Harbour.
The kind of people we are talking about here are those who really have the mien and enthusiasm to serve our fatherland selflessly and not those waiting to be served or out to service their personal cravings.
In fishing out such people, an excursion could be taken into their antecedents and pedigree with special attention directed and searchlight beamed on areas where they had served the Nation or any part thereof, in whatever capacity, with a view to determining their fitness and capability for any Office. They must be Square Pegs in Square Holes and equally Round Pegs in Round Holes.
Nigeria is a very complex multinational State with an Area of 923,768 Square km and inhabited by over 250 Ethnic Groupings. There is diversity in cultural practices, languages and local Settings.
It is a Country housing so many Countries within its geographical enclave and by necessary implication, a very herculean Task to really effectively govern a Country with such coloration, having regards to the kind of Political System we do operate. Therefore, there is the need for the involvement of very capable people in Governance under this current Presidency.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a seasoned Politician, Administrator and a very Spirited Coordinator of men and I have no doubt that he would surely do well in assembling the People who would surely help him in further lifting Nigeria higher.
Nigeria does have lots of those eminent personalities waiting in the Wings, however, amongst the seasoned Gentlemen and Ladies that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may want to enlist to work with him in Governance, I personally wish to recommend a Personality that would be very useful to the Administration.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once admonished: “… Be bold! be bold ” and everywhere, Be bold, Be not too bold! Yet better the excess, than the defect, better the more, than the less.”
The above seems to have captured the sojourn of a soaring personality on the Nigerian Political Terrain. He had shown unimaginable courage in traversing the Landscapes of the polity and whilst not trying to overdo things, he had also made sure he limited the failures that accompany humans in their pursuits.
Dr. John Kayode Fayemi is not only an Household Name in Nigeria, but he had also etched his name on the golden Records of politicking whenever it is written and kept for the present and future Generations.
As a Youth in his University days at the University of Lagos, Fayemi, apart from paying good attention to his studies, was equally engaged in direct vigorous actions aimed at having a radical change in the ways things are done in the immediate environment which was the University Campus, the larger Nigerian Society and the World at large, with special focus on Africa.
He was a vibrant student Activist and a member of the University of Lagos Students Union (ULSU) in its legislative Assembly representing alongside others, the Faculty of Arts. He, in conjunction with fellow Youth Activists of those days such as Omoniyi Akinsiju (Rapidity), Kola Amirekolade (Promoter), Gbenga Agbona (Clerk), Hanson Aimofumeh, Adetunji Orisalade (Hon TJ), Fidet Okhiria et al. They all were able to impact positively on the Administration of the Students Union Government to the extent that the Executive Arm never failed in discharging its assigned functions. Fayemi was also not in tune with the happenings in some other African Nations and so was very much involved in the struggle to have the conditions thereat righted.
Whilst at the University of Lagos, he was also the Secretary of Youths in Solidiarity with Southern Africa in Nigeria (YUSSAN). He enrolled himself as a Student Worker at the ANC/SWAPO Office Nigeria located at Keffi, Ikoyi Lagos and was also the General Secretary of the United Nations Students Association (ANUNSA).
He was in the Movement for National Awareness (MONA) and his involvement in all these Associations was to exact the activism in him to produce positive changes in areas that needs same.
Activism, so to say, was in his blood.
It was this activism in his Youthful days that propelled him to advance further unto the National Level when he got involved in the struggle to actualize the June 12 Mandate alongside other prominent Nigerians. There is no way the story of June 12 would be written that the name of Dr. John Kayode Fayemi would not feature. As written by Dr. Sunday Aniyi, “he dedicated his talents, career, time and life to get the annulment of the Results of the June 12 Election reversed and see to the enthronement of MKO Abiola as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In tandem with the quote of Oliver Goldsmith that “He who fights and runs away may live to fight another day”, Fayemi had to flee Nigeria, alongside other Protagonists of June 12, to preserve their lives which were then under serious threats.
Even whilst in exile, he was involved with others by setting up a medicine to continue the propagation of the actualization of the June 12 Election Mandate. He was from the onset the major Sponsors of the NIGERIA NOW Tabloid and equally a Co-founder of the NEW NIGERIA FORUM.
Even during his Student days at the Kings College, London he took time to help arrange and participated in lots of Rallies on the Streets of London to further propagate opposition to the Nigerian Military’ Annulment of the June 12 Election. Fayemi’s rising Profile in these struggles made him naturally fitted into the NADECO Outfit founded and funded by the more Elderly Personalities on the Nigerian Political Scene who were renown Activists such as Pa Abraham Adesanya, Pa Adebajo, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Senator Bola Tinubu etc. These elderly Personalities were so much convinced and enthralled by his commitments, dynamism and loyalty to the cause of freeing Nigeria that they had no difficulty in relating with him and even entrusting the soul of the Movement in his hand.
The Youthful Fayemi played a very significant role in the setup of Radio Kudirat which was the Medium for the propagation of the ideals of the June 12 Movement. Fayemi, as was later disclosed by Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, was indeed the “Importer and Carrier of the Transmitters used for Radio Kudirat to the Location of the Broadcasting Process.” What a daredevil Bravery from a Youth! That was indeed an high level and great Climax of activism.
As stated earlier, all the activism exhibited by Fayemi were running pari pasu with his search for academic excellence. After his graduation from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), he was enrolled for his Master’s Degree at the equally prestigious University of Ife (UNIFE) Now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). Upon attaining his Master’s Degree, he was again enrolled at the King’s College London where he bagged his Ph.D in War Studies, with emphasis on Civil-Military Relations.
Before proceeding to the United Kingdom, Fayemi had taught at the Nigeria Police Training School, Sokoto and was also a Tutorial Fellow in his Department at King’s College London. His intellectualism had seen him delivering Volumes of Papers at Seminars and Conferences all over the Globe.
He had equally published so many Works to his credit. Among his Publications, of recent are Deepening the Culture of Constitution, the Role of Required Institutions in Constitutional Development in Africa (CDD, 2003) Security Sector Governance in Africa, A handbook (edited with Nicole Ball, CDD 2004 and Out of the Shadows. Exile and the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in Nigeria (CDD 2005) among others. He is a Fellow Adjunct and Visiting Professors of many Institutions which he equally combines with the Board Membership of Several Boards involved in Governance, Advocacy, Human Rights, Security and Social Foundations.
Fayemi is no stranger to Progressivism, as all along and right from his University days, he had been involved in the cause of progress and better conditions in the Government and the Society at large.
When he had the opportunity to govern in 2010 after the Court of Appeal Ilorin Division Judgment, Ekiti State witnessed lots of Transformation in her Polity as there came the introduction of policies that promoted social welfare. To the Credit of his Administration, the Aged and the Elderly in Ekiti were prioritized and a Stipend paid to them on monthly basis to augment whatever sources of income available hitherto.
This was very unique and unprecedented in the Nigerian Nation and other States were later to copy same. His Government also introduced the promotion of moral values in the State to the admiration of the entire Ekiti People who are known to be of deep morality and firmness. The Policy led to the coinage of the term ENI UYI ENI EYE which became widely celebrated.
In the same vein, there was the introduction of the Gender Equality Policy which was backed by a Law of the State’s House of Assembly. This saw the allotment of more opportunities, both in Government and Public Sector of more opportunities to the Womenfolk. There were also series of Empowerment Programs for the Girl-child and Women across the State championed by the First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi.
The Economy of the State also received a boost with the introduction of far reaching economic policies which saw the increase in the Internally Generated Revenue and the resuscitation of the moribund Ikogosi Warm and Cold Spring Resort, the Brick Industry, Dairy Farm, etc which all added to the economic development of the State. The Youths who were interested in Agriculture were encouraged, trained and granted financial supports to establish farms ranging from Plantations, Fish Ponds, Poultry etc to the extent that they too were able to graduate to the level of Employers of Labour.
There were equally introduced policies that promoted efficiency amongst the Workers in the Civil Service with the prompt payment of salaries and allowances, periodic Trainings and sponsorship to Seminars and Conferences for deserving Officers.
There were grants made available to Public Institutions, both education and social, to enable them perform efficiently and effectively.
Upon leaving Office in 2014, Dr. Kayode Fayemi was later appointed a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his performance as a Minister of Solid Minerals in the service of the Nation remains unprecedented and his record unbroken till date.
On winning the Ekiti People’s Mandate again in 2018 to govern them for the second Term, Dr Kayode Fayemi resigned from the Cabinet to resume as the Executive Governor of Ekiti State. He thereafter embarked upon a Five Point Agenda to wit: Governance, Agriculture and Rural Development, Social Investment, Knowledge Economy and lastly Infrastructure and Industrial Development. At the end of his second year Tenure, the execution and delivery of the Administration on all the Five Pillars were sufficiently great and very beneficial to the State. These achievements, which dots the State all over are very verifiable.
Whilst in his second Term as the Executive Governor of Ekiti State, Dr John Kayode Fayemi was elected the Chairman of the Nigerian Governor Forum and as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum, he performed creditably and soundly. He was indeed a bridge Builder and highly respected amongst his Colleagues.
He is currently the elected President of the Forums of Regions of Africa. The Forum according to Reports, brings together for the first time, President of Regions, Countries and Federal State of more than 20 African Countries that have a second Level of decentralized territorial Government including Nigeria, South Africa, Bumkinafaso, Cameron, Code d’ Voire, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger etc.
There is no doubt that Dr. Kayode Fayemi is an International Giant and he is widely and globally acclaimed as such. Wherever, Governance, Politics, Social Justice and Intellectualism are under consideration his name, no doubt, would occupy a prime position .
Dr Kayode Fayemi is a pride to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and no doubt an embodiment of Activism, Intellectualism and Progressivism which Nigeria needs currently.
RT. HON PRINCE ORISALADE ADETUNJI TAIWO, OLUROYE ROYAL FAMILY, UPARA ORISA, AOFIN COMPOUND, ILOGBO-EKITI, EKITI STATE.
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