Opinion

Ekiti Polls: The Demystification of Ayo Fayose

Published

8 years ago

July 16, 2018

Eric

By Nkannebe Raymond Esq.

Four years ago when he re-emerged onto the political firmament of Ekiti State, nay Nigeria, through the instrumentality of the now infamous “stomach infrastructure” philosophy and aided by a compromised electoral process orchestrated by security agencies posted to the state to ostensibly ensure peaceful conduct of the polls, Ayodele Peter Fayose “The Rock” as he likes to call himself, had the rare privilege of repairing whatever damage that was inflicted by his reign at his first coming in 2003, after defeating the then incumbent Niyi Adebayo, until his infamous impeachment three years later in 2006. With the gamut of goodwill that earned him a second bite at the cherry, one would have thought the 57 year old would hit the ground running in delivering to the people of Ekiti, a ‘State-of-the-art’ governance that had eluded them for some time. But that was not to be as events turned out.

As against this, Fayose in apparent obliviousness of his primary assignment which was the welfare of the people of Ekiti state was rather drawn into the politics of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). At the height of things, it was difficult identifying who actually was the spokesman of the then ruling party. Apparently opposed to the emergence of the then candidate Muhammadu Buhari, Fayose made it his life ambition to de-market his candidacy at the electoral market and before the entire world. As garrulous and cantankerous as he can be, Fayose rained fire and brimstone. He quoted the scripture. He took on the status of a prophet of doom. He said Buhari would not live through 2015 as according to him, the man was diseased of some cancerous ailment. He called the bluff of former president Olusegun Obasanjo when the old war horse tore his party card and ended things with the then ruling party. He loomed larger than life and sold papers for the media houses on account of the controversies he spurned effortlessly.

With the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in power after the 2015 general elections, the man seemed to have become more emboldened contrary to what many analysts thought. He dared the presidency. He called the bluff of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He told the world that he was God-sent, and thus can be undone by no Man. When his party lapsed into an internecine leadership crisis following the embarrassing outcome of the 2015 election, Fayose and his Rivers State counterpart, became the de-facto chairmen of the factionalized opposition party. But unlike his counterpart Nyesom Wike who understood the terms of his engagement with the indigenes of Rivers state on the strength of his developmental strides which earned him awards from both near and wide, Fayose was swallowed by the party politics of the opposition party. We got a picture of where he was driving at with that, when he declared his intention to run for the presidency under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when the dust of the leadership crisis within the PDP had settled with the stamp of the judgment of My Lord, the Hon. Justice Rhodes Vivour in a well considered decision. How much he still wants to push that ambition in the light of the developments of the last 48 hours would be anybody’s guess.

Suffice it to say that while Ayo Fayose entertained the whole world with theatrics and megalomania, pundits both at home and abroad struggled to decipher the socio-economic thrust of his government. Whereas states like Anambra, Lagos, Kebbi had become popular for its giant stride in the areas of Agricultural revolution and other index of economic growth, it was difficult to identify what Ayo Fayose was doing in bettering the lot of the people of Ekiti state apart from daily joining issues with the Buhari presidency. It was said that governance took a back seat under his superintendence while political chicanery became the order of the day. Until this day, it appears the sole stamp of his second-coming would be the newly built governor’s office, and the 1.3 kilometer Fajuyi-Ojumose overhead bridge that cost the state some 6.4 billion Naira. In about three years of his superintendence, the debt profile of the state jerked up to some 56 billion naira as reported by the Debt Management Office (DMO) in a 2017 bulletin, thus setting backward the developmental clock of the state.

On account of what would pass for low performance in key areas of economic growth, the civil servants of Ekiti state, famous for its marginal FAAC allocation, paid dearly with withheld salaries (that at some point extended for as long as seven (7) months); and unremitted pensions for retiring members of staff. A master of the art of dramatic governance, Ayo Fayose found a way around his woeful performance however. He somehow found a connection with the people of Ekiti, not on the sheer size of the goodwill earned by his stellar performance, but for the uncanny ability to be involved in their mundane lives and circumstances. He roasted bole on the streets of Ekiti; he hobnobbed with the market women; he ate amala ─the local Yoruba delicacy at local bukas; he wore jean trousers, polo shirts and palm sandals to state functions; he made frequent stops at the agbojedi sector to have a drink with the men, and so on and so forth. Somehow, this endeared him to the people who found a contrast in this behavior from those of many elitist Nigerian politicians who related with their subjects in rather formal manner. Ayo Fayose knew this, and he seemed to have exploited it to his advantage. And so while other governors who owed salaries were pelted with stones and what not, Fayose struck a relationship with the people even in the face of their glaring misfortune of which he was a factor. Such was the mystic if you like, of this interesting character.

Perhaps conscious of the fact that he had not lived up to the minimum expectations of the people, Fayose sought a successor in a character whose loyalty he could vouch for, as his time in the helm of affairs in the state drew close. He found this in his deputy, the soft spoken Professor of Building, Kolapo Olusola Eleka. A man who contrasted the character of his boss in many ways. As controversy trailed the choice of his successor, Fayose in his now familiar antic of going spiritual, told a beleaguered press and anybody who would listen, that the God he serves revealed the choice of his successor to him in a dream. His larger than life status dominated the whole process leading to the election. He visited nearly every media house to sell the candidacy of Kolapo. He was visible in all the campaigns─dancing, cursing and throwing tantrums at the ruling party that were never in short supply. As activities leading to the elections climaxed, it was difficult to decipher who was actually the PDP candidate between Fayose and his ‘political son’ on account of how much he domineered the entire process.

However, while saner minds waited for a strong and convincing reason while Kolapo should be his successor, Fayose could not muster anything convincing but to spew blackmail and propaganda at will. He claimed that the Federal Government was billed to rig the process; that INEC had been briefed to carry this into effect and that the security agencies drafted to the state were to make this possible. Only few days ago, he appeared with a cervical collar and addressed a press conference telling the world that his life was under threat and that the police chief be held accountable should anything happen to his person. “I am in pains!” “I am in severe pains!” he cried. And as he casted his vote at his Afao polling unit on Saturday morning, he appeared with the cervical collar, apparently to rub things in. he must have hoped to curry the sentiments of the Ekiti indigenes with all the drama that was deployed into that. The jury is still out on how much that theatrical showpiece affected the whole process.

Until their job is done, what cannot be contested however, is that Fayose made a caricature of governance in his second coming as the governor of the state of about 3 million people. This much was seen in his response to a question put to him at an April 2018 edition of the popular Tv program─ “Politics Nationwide” anchored by the fine Seun Okin of the leading Channels Television. Asked what he has done for the people of Ekiti state to enable them heed his call of voting his preferred candidate, Fayose went about telling lame duck story of how he was seen frying garri with the local women in the streets of Ekiti, and dared the opposition in the state to do same. It was a response that purports to make a heavy weather of his popularity. At different times in that interview, he claimed that he is the most popular Ekiti son, and went about reeling out his political CV of being the only son of Ekiti to have defeated two incumbent administrations in the state, and at the same time telling his stunned host that it may not surprise him, if he becomes the first governor of the state to install his successor in office. Such was the height of his braggadocio. He must have underestimated the intelligence of the people of Ekiti with the way he made a show of his popularity. At different points he played God, and carried on with the swagger of an aristocrat perhaps suffering under the illusion that he’d not be defeated by the opposition. Not least Kayode Fayemi of the APC.

But all of that ended yesterday. With the result of the election returning the former governor and until recently the minister of solid mineral, Mr. John Olukayode Fayemi of the Radio Kudirat fame, as the governor-elect having swept 12 out of the 16 local governments of the state after a keenly contested polls, governor Ayo Fayose must be coming to terms with the harsh reality that may hit him soon. He must henceforth deploy his spiritual clout to make sure that his opposition PDP unseats the incumbent administration come 2019, otherwise, he must brace up for the political storm he’ll be made to contend with. Without prejudicing the man, there is no question of him having not compromised the resources of Ekiti in his sworn ambition to install his deputy as his successor. Already, the EFCC has made statements suggesting resuming prosecuting him for his involvement in the infamous Ekiti integrated Poultry fraud, now that his days of immunity are numbered. Another way out for the man is to mend fence with his successor, the gentlemanly, John Kayode Fayemi in a political settlement that may have all his “sins” forgiven to afford him a quiet life out of power.

Whichever way the man’s fate would turn out, will be shaped by events to come. In the mean time, he must carry on with his tail in between his legs as with the proverbial tale of the tail wagging the dog with the bitter pangs of not joining the pantheon of governors who saw their preferred candidate succeeding them. He may now go and attend to his “pains”, and while at that, live with the sad reality of having inflicted even more pains to the people of Ekiti while he carried on with his leadership style that lacked grace and panache. He’ll be surely missed for the humour he brought to governance which was in itself, a therapy to the psychological wounds wrought by the four years of his clueless governance to the people of Ekiti. Barring other reported ugly factors that determined the outcome of the ballot, which by the way does not form the crux of this article, the truth remains however that the people have spoken. And their voices have been heard. And the whole world is not under any form of misapprehension as to the greatest loser of the events of last Saturday in Ekiti. If Ayo Fayose was a mystic, the events of the last 48 hours have left him utterly demystified. As at the time of concluding this article, some 30 hours or more after the announcement of the results of that election, the once garrulous and loquacious Fayose, has since gone taciturn; he has neither congratulated the winner of the polls nor berated the conduct of the elections as is quite uncharacteristic of him.

He must be under the shock of his life. And one can only hope that the boarding pass linking him to France is nothing close to the truth.

Raymond Nkannebe, a legal practitioner and public interest analyst wrote in from Lagos. Comments and reactions to raymondnkannebe@gmail.com.

Opinion

Nation Building Reimagined: Integrated Principles and Strategies for Sustainable Growth

Published

1 day ago

April 11, 2026

Eric

By Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

“True nation building is not the work of the state alone, but a harmonious convergence where empowered peoples provide the foundation, innovative corporates generate the momentum, and visionary institutions ensure direction — together forging sustainable prosperity, social cohesion, and enduring national strength for current and future generations” – Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

Nation building is a deliberate and continuous process of constructing cohesive, resilient, and prosperous societies capable of realising their full potential. It extends far beyond political structures or state institutions to encompass three interdependent spheres: peoples (individuals and communities), corporates (businesses and private-sector organisations), and nations (governance institutions and the state). When these spheres are strategically aligned through sound principles and practical strategies, they generate all-round exploits — inclusive economic growth, social cohesion, innovation, human flourishing, and global competitiveness.

This comprehensive framework offers actionable guidance for sustaining productive and progressive development. It is grounded in universal principles validated by international development experience, economic history, and governance studies, making it relevant for scholars, policymakers, business leaders, and development practitioners worldwide.

Foundational Principles of Effective Nation Building

Successful nation building rests on six core principles that transcend cultural, geographical, and ideological differences:

Inclusive Human Dignity and Agency — Recognising every citizen as both beneficiary and active architect of national progress through equal opportunity and rights protection.
Institutional Integrity and Rule of Law — Building transparent, accountable institutions that foster trust and predictability.
Economic Dynamism and Shared Prosperity — Promoting broad-based growth that benefits individuals, businesses, and the state simultaneously.
Social Cohesion and Cultural Resilience — Forging unity while respecting diversity to create a shared national identity and purpose.
Adaptive Leadership and Long-Term Vision — Combining strategic foresight with the flexibility to learn and adjust.
Sustainable Resource Stewardship — Balancing present needs with intergenerational equity in environmental and fiscal matters.
These principles provide a universal compass for development, as evidenced by cross-national data from the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators and the UNDP Human Development Reports.

Core Strategies Across the Three Spheres

For Peoples (Individuals and Communities): Nation building begins with empowering citizens. Key strategies include universal access to quality education and skills development, robust health and social protection systems, community-driven development programmes, and targeted initiatives for youth and women empowerment. These efforts enhance social mobility, reduce vulnerability, and foster active civic participation.

For Corporates (Businesses and Private Sector): Corporates serve as the primary engine of wealth creation and innovation. Effective strategies involve creating an enabling business environment, promoting public-private partnerships, enforcing strong corporate governance and ethical standards, and implementing talent development and local content policies. When supported appropriately, the private sector generates jobs, technological advancement, and tax revenues that fuel broader development.

For Nations (State Institutions and Governance): The state provides the overarching framework for progress. Strategies include institutional reform and capacity building, decentralisation for better responsiveness, evidence-based policy making, and strategic regional and global integration. Strong institutions ensure equitable rules, policy continuity, and effective service delivery.

Sustaining Progressive Growth in Nigeria

In Nigeria, this integrated framework offers a practical pathway to convert demographic and natural endowments into sustained prosperity. At the peoples’ level, investments in education, health, and skills development can transform the large youth population into a productive demographic dividend. For corporates, policy predictability, infrastructure development, and public-private partnerships can drive diversification beyond oil into agriculture, manufacturing, and digital services. At the national level, institutional reforms, anti-corruption measures, and evidence-based governance would reduce policy inconsistency and enhance public trust.

When these elements reinforce one another, Nigeria can achieve higher productivity, reduced poverty, greater social cohesion, and improved global competitiveness — creating a virtuous cycle of inclusive growth.

Advancing Development in West Africa

Within the ECOWAS region, the framework supports deeper integration and collective resilience. Strategies for social cohesion help address cross-border challenges such as irregular migration, climate impacts, and youth unemployment. Corporate-focused approaches encourage intra-regional trade and industrialisation through harmonised policies and stronger value chains. Institutional strategies promote policy coordination, joint humanitarian response, and shared security mechanisms.

By applying this model, West African countries can move from fragmented national efforts toward coordinated regional progress, enhancing food security, energy access, and economic competitiveness while building resilience against external shocks.

Driving Continental Transformation in Africa

Across Africa, the principles and strategies align closely with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Sustainable resource stewardship helps convert natural wealth into long-term human and infrastructure investments. The corporate strategies support regional value chains and industrialisation, while institutional reforms strengthen governance and reduce trade barriers.

When implemented continent-wide, this approach fosters inclusive industrialisation, technological advancement, and reduced external dependency — positioning Africa as a major driver of global growth in the 21st century.

Global Relevance and Contribution

On the global stage, the framework provides timely lessons for both developed and developing nations navigating technological disruption, climate change, and rising inequality. The emphasis on shared prosperity and social cohesion offers pathways to mitigate polarisation. The integration of corporates as development partners demonstrates how private-sector innovation can serve public goals. Institutional strategies of adaptive leadership and evidence-based policy making are universally applicable in managing complex transnational challenges.

Nations adopting this model contribute to global stability by reducing conflict drivers, enhancing food and energy security, and participating constructively in multilateral systems. In this way, the framework supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and helps build a more equitable and resilient world order.

Conclusion: A Practical Pathway to Enduring Progress

The principles and strategies of nation building presented here constitute a balanced, interconnected discipline capable of sustaining productive and progressive growth across multiple scales. For Nigeria, they chart a course from potential to performance. For West Africa, they strengthen regional solidarity. For Africa, they accelerate continental transformation. And for the global community, they offer practical wisdom for building fairer, more stable societies.

True nation building succeeds when peoples, corporates, and state institutions reinforce one another in a virtuous cycle. Its greatest strength lies in this holistic integration — recognising that sustainable development requires empowered citizens, innovative enterprises, and effective governance working in harmony.

In an increasingly interdependent world, embracing these principles with consistency, courage, and collective ownership is not merely beneficial but essential. Nations and regions that do so will unlock enduring prosperity, resilience, and a respected place in the global community. The framework provides both the vision and the practical tools needed to turn potential into lasting achievement for current and future generations.

Dr. Tolulope A. Adegoke, AMBP-UN is a globally recognized scholar-practitioner and thought leader at the nexus of security, governance, and strategic leadership. His mission is dedicated to advancing ethical governance, strategic human capital development, and resilient nation-building, and global peace. He can be reached via: tolulopeadegoke01@gmail.com, globalstageimpacts@gmail.com

Opinion

Dear CDS, NSA, Your Prodigal Sons, Brothers Have Killed General Braimah

Published

1 day ago

April 11, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Almost five months since the yet to be explained killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba, another high ranking military officer, another Brigadier General, has been unlived. He was Brigadier General Oseni Omo Braimah, Commander of 29 Task Force Brigade Operation Hadin Kai, Maiduguri Borno State.

The sadness that followed the brutal killing of the Brigade Commander, can almost be touched, dear Nigerians, with special reference to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and his counterpart, the Chief of Defense Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede. These men, have at separate fora concassed for the kid gloves handling of terrorism activities, and terrorists.

Ribadu, it was, that asked that they be rehabilitated as they are ‘our brothers. Oluyede echoed the stand, saying the terrorists was equated to the biblical prodigal son, and therefore should be received with open hands. This he said to justify his latest ‘Operation Safe Corridor’, designed to welcome ‘repentant’ terrorists and bandits, and have them reintegrated into the society.

It is still these touted same brothers, and prodigal sons that overran a military base in Benisheikh, reportedly killing 18 soldiers including the Brigadier General. According to the Army, however, the number of deaths was overhyped, claiming that only two officers and two other soldiers were killed in the battle they said the military had the upper hand, and auccessfully repelled the assailants and maintained their positions.

Much as the military agreed that they lost four soldiers, they have failed to produce casualties, or even speak on the number, from the terrorists side, in a battle they said they had the upper hand. It’s still had to believe, only that the prodigal sons and brothers snuffed the life of a general, and according to reports, he was caught like a sitting duck.

The prodigal sons with the ‘brothers’ did not stop there; they proceeded to kill Forest Guard Commander and five others in Kwara, just as they mercilessly hacked to death eight members of the same family in Bokkos, Plateau. The list is endless. Of prodigal sons and brothers. Thanks to the NSA and the CDS.

Someone once said that that the only mercy a terrorist or bandit deserve is the mercy of God. And it is the duties of the authority to send them to God for such mercy.

Why do we keep handling merciless killers with kid gloves, and turn around to call them sons and brothers. They in turn, are only looking for opportunity to strike again.

These people have gone from being brothers to becoming animals, very dangerous and ugly beasts that have lost the capacity to show, and so should not be shown any mercy caught.

Dear NSA and CDS, you muat understand that these people have been extremely radicalised, and can no longer fit into the society of sane beings, and therefore, should be put away permanently. We can’t continue to safe corridor to experiment with the lives of Nigerians. No bandit or terrorist is worth rehabilitating, talk less of being integrated into the military. Whoever does that is complicit, and should be treated as an enemy of the Nigerian state.

The NSA and the CDS should begin now to revisit everyone they have ever pardoned or reintegrated into the society for they are part of our problem. They are culpable.

General Uba died saraa, as we say in our local parlance. We should let Braimah die saraa. We must not allow this irresponsibility happen again. I’m not borrowing any words from the president because all his words appear empty, while Nigerians continue in droves, even when the country is not really at war.

Time to jettison this brother, cousin, prodigal son rubbish, and deal decisively with terrorists and bandits.

Opinion

Ovation @30: A Triumph of Vision, Courage and African Excellence

Published

1 day ago

April 11, 2026

Eric

By Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba

There is an African proverb that says, “However long the night, the dawn will surely break.” No story embody this truth more powerfully than that of Chief Dele Momodu and the remarkable rise of Ovation International. Founded in April, 1996 at the height of the Sani Abacha regime, Ovation was born not out of comfort, but from adversity. In forced exile in London, faced with uncertainty and hardship, Momodu chose not to surrender to circumstance but to challenge it, daring to create a global lifestyle magazine at a time when Africa’s image was largely defined by negativity.

From that improbable beginning emerged a publication that would go on to redefine how Africa is seen by the world. Ovation introduced a different narrative, one of elegance, achievement, culture, and pride, documenting African success stories with unmatched consistency. At a time when global media often overlooked the continent’s brilliance, Ovation boldly projected it, celebrating milestones, personalities, and cultures across Africa and its diaspora. It became a powerful cultural bridge, connecting cities and continents while showcasing an Africa that is vibrant, accomplished, and globally relevant.

Over the past three decades, Ovation has not merely reported stories, it has shaped destinies and elevated generations. It has provided a platform for emerging talents in entertainment, business, and public life, often spotlighting individuals long before they attained global recognition. Its influence extended beyond storytelling into economic and social impact, creating employment for thousands across journalism, photography, real estate, design, and event production, while also setting new standards in lifestyle media, enterprenership and event documentation. Long before the rise of digital platforms, Ovation was already global, distributing African excellence to audiences around the world and strengthening the connection between Africa and its diaspora.

Through changing times and technological revolutions, Ovation International has remained consistent in quality, bold in vision, and authentic in purpose. Its ability to evolve without losing its identity is a testament to its strength as not just a magazine, but an enduring institution. Today, as it marks 30 years of impact, it stands as one of Africa’s most influential media platforms, one that has significantly contributed to reshaping global perception and asserting Africa’s place in the world.

This milestone is a celebration of resilience, vision, and legacy. It is a tribute to the pride of Africa Chief Dele Momodu, whose courage transformed hardship into history, and whose dream once considered unrealistic became a continental force. It is also a celebration of the entire Ovation family, whose dedication over the years has sustained and expanded this vision. Thirty years on, Ovation is not just a witness to Africa’s story, it is one of its most powerful storytellers.

A big thank you to Chief Dele Momodu for proving long ago that Africa is not synonymous with bad news, and congratulations on three decades of excellence proof that when the dawn finally comes, it can illuminate the world.

Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba writes from Kano, and can be reached via drssbaba@yahoo.com