He started reading newspapers as early as age five and was nicknamed ‘Current Affairs’ by the time he was 10. He attributes his laser beam focus on his goals to his training as an Altar Boy in the Catholic Church and his upbringing. He certainly has come a long way from those days of serving masses and attending to Reverend Fathers but Governor Kayode Fayemi insists his life is still about service. In this interview with FUNKE EGBEMODE, he opened up on national issues, party politics, the coming governorship election in Ekiti and what he thinks of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Do you actually see the All Progressive Congress, APC, at the centre in 2015, displacing PDP?
What’s the point of everything we are doing if we are not aiming for the centre? The first lesson we learn in elementary political science class about democratization is that any democracy that has no chance of alternation of power is elected dictatorship. If all you do is go to the polls every four years and get 98% of the vote the way Saddam Hussein used to get 98% in those days in Iraq, you know that is not democracy. And if we are not careful , that is what we’d be promoting.
That is why Nigerians are excited about APC. I was listening to the Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, complaining about our registration drive and it is the most asinine and absurd complaint I’ve ever heard. That because people are trooping out to register we are trying to create an impression that we are popular. If PDP wants to do registration, let them go ahead and do so. So many people have turned up for the registration such that there are complaints here that the 100 forms we sent to each polling unit are now inadequate and people are asking why we are limiting the number of forms. So, APC is in this for the win, not for Samba dance. It’s for the real deal.
But it looks like the arrival of the G5 governors has made you lose Shekarau and Bafarawa, how are you going to avoid new entrants upsetting the apple cart in APC?
It’s unfortunate but we did not want to lose anybody in this party. However we also must be ready to confront the reality of egos. By their very nature, politicians are egocentric. We have not lost people, in many cases, to substance but to form. I have been part of this negotiation and discussions. I have a great deal of respect for Mallam Shekarau and Alhaji Bafarawa. But what did we agree? They were part of this.
We agreed that any governor coming into our party will be entitled to all the rights and privileges enjoyed by the existing APC governors. Should we really suggest that governors that are sitting governors coming in should not be entitled to what Fayemi is entitled to in Ekiti, in their states simply because we had original members? We are trying to build a party that is accommodating and that can play the role that Nigerians has always accused us of not being able to play, a large enough alternative to the behemoth that PDP has become. It is not about abandoning people who have sweated and sacrificed for the party. We are either interested in building a movement that is ready for power or we are not.
We have to be able to gain credibility and seriousness with Nigerians. We have to be seen to be an alternative government in waiting. The reality of Nigerian politics, whether we like it or not, is the perception of who the players are. I am not talking about winning now, even in venturing into the game, you need people who are perceived as evidence. You may not like governors, and there are many Nigerians who can’t stand governors, because they think they dominate the scene, they are powerful and are not accountable. Some believe governors are harassing the president. I always tell people that think the president is being harassed by governors that this president that you know was once a governor. He understands this dynamics better than people think.
You don’t think he is being harassed?
I’m not too sure if he feels harassed, but I believe President Goodluck Jonathan has more capacity than Nigerians actually give him credit for. He has a huge capacity for the rough and rumble of politics, although he doesn’t look it. Because of the history of personal animosity between the incoming G5 members and the existing leaders, in some cases, it was the incoming G5 members that ousted our own existing leaders. That was the case in Kano and Sokoto. But I find it interesting that in both cases, the intern chairman of the party now in Kano was Mallam Shekarau’s former deputy governor and I also find it interesting that not a single one of our original APC House of Representatives members, or house of assembly members left with Mallam Shekarau.
You can’t say he left alone with the kind of huge crowd at his defection to PDP, can you?
I haven’t said that and rallies can be huge. I’m just saying that I find it curious that his EXCO didn’t go with him. His National Assembly members did not go with him. In Sokoto, I am also told that the situation was not any different. So it’s unfortunate that they left, but it’s a win some, lose some situation. What I think could mediate this is the nature and character of our party. We need to build our party. This is why I’m happy about this membership process.
The membership registration process will enable us to build a party that belongs to its members, not to just us the leaders because at the end of the day, they are going to define the nature of the congresses. It is the people who become members that will vote at the congress that we are going to have in a couple of weeks at the ward level, to the local government level, to the state level and ultimately, at our national convention in April. So, the membership of the party will define the character of the party, the core values of the party, the orientation of our party, without necessarily leaving it to just governors and leaders to define.
That’s when we can talk about a party that has become organic because it has grown from the consciousness of its members, not just the whims and caprices of its leaders. That’s what is still giving some people the temerity now to say that the difference between APC and PDP now is just six and half a dozen. But people forget, when they say that, to check out the antecedents of this G5, even in PDP. There are good people in PDP. But I have always said if you are good, of what use is being good if you exist in an environment where there is only one game in town and that game is PDP; if you keep up with the Joneses, and say, let me join them, I can still maintain my good nature in there. Some try, they get consumed, others try and they make it.
Look at the policies; what is it that, that I am doing in Ekiti, that RotimiI Amechi is not doing with schools, health care and infrastructure, in Rivers. After joining APC, Mallam Shekarau declared free education in Kano. Isn’t there any connection? Does it not have anything to do with the core value of the APC that Mallam Shekarau joined APC and declared free education?
That Abdufatah Ahmed joined APC and started the youth empowerment program like O’YES in Osun, and volunteered corp scheme in Ekiti?. It means that there are lessons to be drawn from peer learning. We are beginning to look at ideas, to take what’s good there and do it here.
Now, a number of them are talking to me about Social Security scheme in Ekiti. What is a party for, if it is not for the benefit of the people? Unfortunately, people see it more in terms of personal aggrandizement for the leaders. Governors are not exactly in the good books of many Nigerians in that respect. Why? Because Nigerians are angry. Nigerians feel that this democracy, has not delivered the goods in the manners that they would have loved it to be delivered. But in doing that, they must not throw the baby out with the bath water. We must never let the perfect become the enemy of the good. There are good governments in Nigeria. You may disaggregate us, and say for infrastructure go to Lagos, see what Fashola is doing, youth employment, go to Osun, education, social security, look at Fayemi.
We must be scientific about this thing, not just tar us all with the same brush. It’s similar to when people say all governors are criminals and corrupt born out of anger and frustration. But I am not corrupt. I have not stolen anybody’s money and I am not going to.
There are others who are not either. But once you have tarred us with the same brush, it will discourage decent Nigerians who are even contemplating the idea of joining politics.
If we see APC as the government in waiting, the party that will take over from the largest party in Africa, how do you align that with that directive to shut down government?
Did you see the statement by our House of Representatives members today (Friday, February 7)? The minute the redeployment of Joseph Mbu was announced, a statement came from our members that now we may consider the budget. Mainly, the intention was not to shut down government on a permanent basis. It was a cry for help. It was a conscious appeal to good sense. It sounded like a threat.
It was an appeal. Unfortunately, it probably sounded like a threat. But the point I was making was that we have gotten some result. Mbu has been moved. Now we will move to other parts of the country where impunity continues to reign or there is a concerted attempt to breach Nigeria’s democracy. I think Nigerians ought to praise APC, rather than cast aspersion on us for what happened. I agree, we could have communicated it better to Nigerians. But deepening this democracy would require taking some uncomfortable positions. I think that’s what happened in this particular instance. I know we have received bashing from even people who are sympathetic to us but we will make mistakes, because our intentions are pure. It’s a commitment to ensure that Nigerians do not unwittingly make themselves prisoners in their own country. We are citizens, we are not subjects and no one should be allowed, not even the president, to treat us like refugees in our own country.
However, my own take on our President is that he is not this desperate politician those around him are painting him to be. He is a likeable decent person and one of the things I used to credit him for was the way he has reduced the political temperature as we used to experience it under President Obasanjo, that attempt to whip everybody into line.
He calmed things down but I’m afraid now things are no longer the way they were. I believe the President owes Nigerians a duty to just do the right thing even if it leads to his exit from office and Nigerians will never forget that he was a president who lived according to his convictions and knew that a new Nigeria does not have to be forced down the throat of its citizens.
This back and forth argument about missing funds between CBN governor and the NNPC, is it just politics or public funds is really missing or unaccounted for?
Obviously, money is unaccounted for. Everything Sanusi is saying now we have said before at the Nigerian Governors Forum. NNPC has admitted to spending the money on behalf of the federal government. They never denied that the money did not go into the federation account which is what Sanusi has now reiterated. When NNPC said the $10.6bn had been spent on kerosene and subsidy , we thanked them but what does Section 162 (2) of the Nigerian Constitution say? The language is not convoluted. It is clear: every revenue by the federal republic shall
go into the federation account. Shall means that it is compulsory. The constitution does not recognise special account, escrow account or dedicated account and the government banker is called the Central Bank of Nigeria. Now, the CBN governor has corroborated what the governors were saying and don’t forget that this is not a recent matter. Sanusi was only dealing with proceeds from oil from January 2012 to July 2013. We have been in court in the Governors Forum over illegal deductions before then. We have three cases; the Supreme Court has pronounced the excess crude account illegal and that our money should not be deducted again; two, that we have no business with what is called the Sovereign Wealth Fund, and three that our money is being illegally deducted by the NNPC that is not rendering full account to the Federal Allocation Committee that manages the federation account.
In other words, $20bn is missing from the federation account?
I’m sure it’s more than $20 billion. What Sanusi has done and which all Nigerians must give him kudos for, is for him to now link it for us in a much more graphic manner than he did at the first House of Representatives hearing by linking it to Atlantic Energy and Seven Energy that have become vehicles for funnelling money out of Nigeria’s coffers. If I were the National Assembly, this is a matter to be taken seriously. Nigeria has never been in a situation like this. We have had $2.8bn, $12bn. Let us even stick with $20bn, that is N1.4tr. The total budget of Nigeria this year is N4.6trilion; a third of the national budget is unaccounted for. I don’t want to say stolen because we don’t have evidence yet. And it is the government banker telling us this!
But the CBN governor himself is being accused of extra budgetary spending. That is neither here nor there but if he is guilty of that, by all means, take him to the cleaners. But I find it curious though that this did not amount to extra budgetary spending before now, what he was spending on universities, tangible verifiable projects. If he did not have the powers to spend that money, he should be clobbered for it. But the Sanusi that I know, I will find it really surprising that he’ll engage in extra budgetary spending and I hope those who are accusing him have their facts right because if they don’t and he unleashes on them, they will be sorry.
The gubernatorial election in Ekiti is a short distance away. How real is the threat of the opposition to your ambition?
I have learnt a golden rule in politics which is not to underestimate anybody, whether they are putative or real. You must factor everything into the equation because everybody counts. For us what is important is mobilising and sensitizing our people about the election and ensuring that our ground level operation is second to none.
What is the true story of the exit of Hon Opeyemi Bamidele from APC and don’t you think his exit has broken the hedge around the party in Ekiti?
For us really in the party, we don’t want to lose anybody but we also don’t want to diminish the core values and integrity of the party. If someone chooses to leave on grounds of an unrealised ambition not because anyone sent him away, it is very difficult to keep the person on. I like to believe that Opeyemi is still my friend and I was responsible for whatever he is in Ekiti. He had held appointive positions outside Ekiti but he wouldn’t have been a candidate in Ekiti if I refused his candidacy as the governor. I would like to think I’m the one God used in placing him where he is. But that in itself is not even material because God used some people to place me where I am too. I cannot lay claim to being an independent variable that came from nowhere and became a governor. But we did everything to keep Hon. Bamidele in the fold. The leaders did their best at the state and national levels but it was evident to us, even when everything was laid at his disposal, that this was not an agenda he just happened upon but one that had been part of his plan for a long time. There is nothing wrong in wanting to run for office but to say that because the leaders had endorsed someone for office was tantamount to shutting you out is clearly false. There was no time he put himself forward outside of the attention-seeking newspaper displays. He never went to his ward to say he was running, let alone his local government or state party headquarters to communicate an intention. And there is a process. The fact that the governor had been endorsed by Chief Bisi Akande, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Niyi Adebayo is really immaterial after all Opeyemi claims that he is popular and the man to beat. It is not unheard of that a challenger beats an incumbent. For instance, everybody knew where Chief Awolowo stood in the Kwara gubernatorial race many years ago between his old time friend, Chief Olawoyin and the unknown university lecturer, C.O Adebayo. The primaries were held repeatedly and in spite of Chief Awolowo’s preference, Adebayo won. So you cannot use the argument that because the leaders had endorsed the governor it meant you had been shut out. It was just an excuse to consummate an agenda that had been contrived. If the party had said nominations were closed at the time he declared his intention, then he would have been justified to seek another platform. At least, that was what Chief Omoboriowo did. He waited to be defeated at the UPN primaries and then he took the NPN ticket. I don’t think it is fair to suggest that Opeyemi was not given a chance in the party. Endorsement is neither primary nor election. In any case he has taken his decision, he must be ready to confront the consequences of that decision and if part of confronting that decision is associating himself with other elements he feels can help him become the governor in Ekiti, history is there to judge all of us and Ekiti has always played a critical role in Nigeria’s history.
What was your greatest challenge when you came into office in 2010?
Frankly, at the risk of sounding immodest, there was nothing I met that I didn’t expect. People may have forgotten but when the government in place then read the budget, we published an alternate budget in the newspapers for three consecutive years. We had a 100-day plan to a 24-month plan. Everything we have done in the last three years we campaigned about in 2006. When , for example, I said we were going to institute a social security system for the elderly, a lot of people were wondering where we were going to get the money.
People also pooh-poohed the idea of one-computer-per-child in our schools but somehow they gave me the benefit of the doubt and gave me their votes.
When I came in, the terrain was as bleak as I expected. For example, the debt portfolio was larger than I had anticipated. So I had to adjust. The last three years have proved that when you are focused and committed to public good, there are immense possibilities. The question many people are now asking is how come these things were not done before now? What were his predecessors doing with the money and my answer is planning, prudence, focus, not allowing distraction, utilizing all my God-given talent. It is still a struggle because I don’t want to paint a rosy picture. It will amount to an excuse for inaction to come into office and say I can’t pay salary, this place is difficult. When we were campaigning, I did my research. I had an idea what each community needed, how much it would require to fix the schools.
I campaigned in every community at least three times between 2005 and 2007 when we had the election. I sat with the community leaders and we have consistently run our government with our people rather than for them. We even go to them before we do the budget. There are portions of the budget that are given to the communities to spend on their own projects; recruit their bricklayers, carpenters themselves. That is what we call community government where money is given for self-help projects like civic centres, palaces etc. We give it to the town unions and they deliver on cost and on time, effectively. They take ownership and protect the funds. In the last budget year, we spent N614million on these self-help projects.
How much of what you set out to do have you accomplished?
A considerable amount of what I set out to do. We have moved this state from despondency and despair to recovery and stability. What is left for us to do is to provide an environment for job creation. It may not be the function of government to create jobs for its citizens but it is the job of the government to provide a conducive environment that will lead to job creation. That is what we have done by providing better infrastructure. People don’t understand for instance why we are
laying fibre optic cables but by the time we are done, it will bring more functional jobs and food to the table. We have created tourism corridors, reviving Ikogosi, quarries and projects tied to creating jobs. That is an area I’d love to do more. Then , provision of water.
Our agric is on the upswing. It’s been blood and sweat. We have had our challenges, taken hard decisions, burnt my fingers but we are getting results.
I had ruffled feathers but I think the people can now connect all that to where we are going. We merged three universities, cancelled automatic promotion and now we are doing great at public examinations. For the first time in its 32 years of existence the Ekiti State University has all its courses accredited.
It gives me a sense of pride.
Which one out of all these really gladdens your heart, looking back today?
For me, it is the social security for the elderly. When I go to the local communities and the old women pray for me, that does it for me.
That gives me immense joy and the fact that it has become a scheme. Bayelsa, Osun have joined and I look forward to the day when everybody; the unemployed, the vulnerable in our society, not just the elderly will have social security in the country because government is about people.
If you get a second term, what five things will top your agenda?
One, the knowledge zone. Ekiti is a goldmine which resides in our knowledge base which has not been converted to goldmine. I am going to be working on the knowledge economy. The second is agriculture. We’ve made giant strides in agric but we believe that we need to further tie in the entire value chain particularly of the major crops that we are focussing on like cocoa, cassava, rice. The third is the critical infrastructure in power. We are in the process of finalizing work on our 30 Megawatt Independent Power project.
Won’t you need to feed it into the national grid?
Yes, we will have to. But the dynamics have changed because privatization and deregulation has come into the generation business.
It is the bulk trader that we will sell to and it can then be taken back to us for our own purposes. The only place where the government stands in the middle is transmission. Government is still responsible for transmission and this is being delivered via a third party operator which is what MANITOBA is doing in Nigeria. Our power projects, our knowledge zone, agric, water projects, education and health services, those are the five things we will be working on.
Is there something in your upbringing that prepared you for this kind of work and war that come with holding this kind of office?
I am not a warrior, but I am a student of war. I know how the mind of warriors work, I grew up in a very conscious environment. My father was an information officer in the western region civil service. I started reading newspaper about the age of five. By the time I was in secondary school at the age of 10, I was called ‘Current Affairs’. I could tell you anything about any part of the world. I have always been interested in what goes on around me and I followed that trajectory pretty much into a life of activism, focussing on social justice. I was also an altar boy in the Catholic Church. Being a mass server comes with a certain discipline. You have to be precise and proper. You wake up at ungodly hours to prepare for mass, attend to the Reverend Father, you must know how to carry the chalice, serve communion. It is a very precise training ground. Most people don’t even know I’m religious, but my catholic background has a lot to do with what I am, what I do and do not do. I’m very passionate about my faith and it has provided me with a laser beam focus. I don’t get distracted by the superficiality and noise around me, the kind that is associated with a job like this because to me it is just another job, one that is about service. I do not see the glamour. The service is far more entertaining and rewarding than the next social engagement that I get invited to do an Ayefele or King Sunny Ade.
That is also important to stay connected but I’m not so sure that constituency will give me huge marks in Ekiti.
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