Abuja: President Bola Tinubu, on Sunday, said that Dr Kayode Fayemi had exemplified service as an academic, author, administrator, and development expert. Tinubu shared his view in a birthday tribute he wrote to Fayemi, a former governor of Ekiti and ex-minister, who clocked 60 on Sunday. The President said his relationship with Fayemi dated back to their time together in the pro-democracy movement in the 1990s.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, this was a period when the movement mounted local and international campaigns against military dictatorship. Tinubu said that during the challenging Gen. Sani Abacha era, civil rights and pro-democracy activists, especially those in exile, had to rely on their ingenuity to survive. He highlighted Fayemi’s brilliance, commitment, and strategic skills as invaluable to the cause.
Tinubu recalled the struggle for Chief MKO Abiola’s release from incarceration and the de-annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, then considered the freest and fairest in Nig
eria. He stated that the military government routinely raided and proscribed newspapers such as the Concord, Punch, Guardian, and magazines such as Tempo/TheNews and TELL. ‘General Abacha was running amok, arresting activists, jailing journalists, and instilling fears in anyone opposed to his oppressive regime,’ Tinubu wrote.
There was a need for a radio station to cover the activities of the pro-democracy movement at home and abroad, putting more significant pressure on the Abacha junta. Tinubu credited Fayemi and other activists with actualising the birth of the pro-democracy radio, Radio Kudirat, named in honour of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, who agents of the Abacha regime murdered. Tinubu noted that the deaths of Abacha and Abiola in 1998 changed the course of events, leading to a re-appraisal of their engagement strategy.
When Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar announced a short transition programme, many in the pro-democracy movement decided to return home to participate. Dr Fayemi returned to Nigeria in 1999 to e
stablish the Centre for Democracy and Development, an organisation dedicated to promoting democracy, peace-building, and security in Nigeria and Africa. He also operated the centre in Accra, Ghana.
In 2006, Fayemi transitioned from being a public intellectual to a political leadership role as state governor. After a keenly contested party primaries, Fayemi became the candidate for the 2007 governorship election in Ekiti State against PDP’s Engr. Segun Oni. Although the PDP candidate was declared the winner, Tinubu claimed that Fayemi and the Action Congress had been cheated. They challenged the election, and after a prolonged court process, Fayemi was declared the winner in 2010.
Fayemi also played a pivotal role in the merger of opposition parties that led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013. He chaired the panel that conducted the presidential primaries in Lagos, producing President Muhammad Buhari as the candidate. Fayemi then served as the Director of Policy in the APC/Buhari
Campaign Council, which successfully prosecuted the 2015 presidential election.
After serving as minister in President Buhari’s first term, Fayemi returned as the governor of Ekiti State in 2018, serving amid severe economic challenges. Tinubu noted that Fayemi made his mark in the governance of Ekiti State. Fayemi joined the presidential race as an aspirant on the APC platform ahead of the 2023 elections, and although an aspirant himself, Tinubu expressed admiration for Fayemi’s humility when he stepped down for him at the party convention.
Tinubu concluded by commending Fayemi for exemplifying service in various capacities and wished him continued health and fulfillment as he turned 60.