Fayose and his Christmas Cloth Gaffe: Ojudu to the Rescue Femi Ojo

Senator Babafemi Ojudu. Picture courtesy of ERO 2018

Governor Ayodele Fayose, the current Executive Governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria is one political character who never stops to amuse me with his inherent brand eroding political actions. Just last week, the highly respected people of Ekiti woke up to hear the latest news of Oshokomole’ stomach infrastructure gaffe (his usual immediate gratification agenda that robs off the people of the state from demanding their rights) that if care is not

Governor Ayodele Fayose. Picture courtesy of Nigerian Monitor

taken, is capable of diverting one’s attention from his serial misgovernance of Ekiti State. Though his latest comic action was a slight departure from his everyday nutritive and appetitive branding of the people of the state through his reckless verbal outpours and habitual display of high level of ignorance on national political issues that clearly shows his lack of locus standi. Fayose’s latest political gaffe once again confirms the truism that he lacks the ability to govern Ekiti cerebrally and equally shows his insensitivity to the plights of thousands of impoverished people of Ekiti especially the civil servants that he has successfully depreciated  by not paying their five months’ salary and arrears as at when due. Fayose in his usual political gaffe jamboree, went out with his team in an epicurean manner to the indigent children of Ekiti State, with government funds and on a charity mission to donate low-grade Ankara cloth to 10,000 children of civil servants whose salary the governor refuses to pay.  This indeed, will be one Christmas festive period to forever remember …. a disempowering Christmas gift  for the  people of Ekiti is all Fayose can offer. What a gift? What an impulsive political gesture?

Indeed, this act of charity by Governor Fayose is nothing but mockery of democracy in Ekiti and a total disrepute to the good people of Ekiti home and abroad. For a Governor, who does not think that the laborers in his state deserve their wages to have earmarked a whopping N100 million to buy substandard Ankara uniform for 10,000 poor children is worrisome. The civil servants in the state currently are being owed about five months’ salary and more than ever in the history of governance in the state, they have had it so bad. But Oshokomole thinks that donating low grade Ankara uniform to the impoverished civil servants children is the way to solve and make them forget their aspirational hopelessness caused by only one man called Oshokomole. What an irony, what a pity!

Let me say that the policy action of Governor Fayose on this charity gaffe is not only wrong but its timing is absurd. Perhaps, we need to remind Fayose that the people he governs are not exclusively Christians but a people of pluralistic beliefs, doctrines and faiths.  In case the Governor has forgotten or is ignorant, Ekiti is made of people with dissimilar creed, we have in Ekiti state; Christians, Muslims, Traditionalists and the rest. It is pertinent to ask Mr. Fayose how he plans to extend his act of charity to other religion creed in the state whenever they have important festival to celebrate like Christmas?  Did Fayose ever think that his latest act of charity can be interpreted as a subtle way of promoting, imposing and an unjust preference for a certain religion over others? If Governor Fayose had thought about these posers or his handlers had put on their thinking caps perhaps they wouldn’t have embarked on a needless gaffe.

Again, the timing for this gaffe is equally wrong. Currently, Ekiti State is in an unfortunate situation, where it has become difficult for the Fayose to device a creative fiscal policy to lessen the hardship the civil servants face due to the inability of his administration to pay salaries as at when due…currently, Fayose owes the  civil servants about five months’ salary.  But instead of the governor to think deeply on the way out, rather he chose to be apathetic and embrace the most bizarre method to satirize the people he governs. This again demonstrates Governor Fayose’s farce leadership style in Ekiti since he took over power and it’s also a reminder of his constant satire of governance in the state.

It is a pity that Ekiti State, Nigeria’s intellectual capital and one of the nation’s centre of cultural heritage with extraordinary human potentials is being led by this type of political character called “Fayose”. But in the midst of Fayose’s psychosis, there is still hope of redemption come 2018. The hope is not in Fayose’s party neither is the hope in his anointed party…the opposition political party is the only hope that is viable to decimate the political maladies that Fayose has created in the state.  

But here is a caveat for the opposition party, particularly, the APC! If APC must win the state come 2018, the party must ensure there is unity of purpose amongst her fold. APC must strategically move to separate boys from men especially amongst those who presently parade themselves as possible governorship flag bearer for the 2018 governorship elections. APC as a matter of fact, must ensure she focuses her energy, attention and supports to only the serious candidates who have all it takes to send Fayose and his cohorts packing from Oke Ayoba. This is where Senator Babafemi Ojudu comes in to rescue the state from Fayose’s years of waste. Of course, Senator Babafemi Ojudu needs no introduction in the politics of the Ekiti State in particular and in Nigeria in general. He is well educated, exposed, connected, honest, cultured, social, experienced in the art of governance, humanity, activism, journalism and above all he is one fearless, bold and courageous individual that Ekiti needs at this moment even this Fayose and his cohorts in power know this fact  too well.

 To understand better my position on the man Ojudu as the solution to Fayose’s brigandage politics in Ekiti, please follow me on a brief trip on who the man Senator Babafemi Ojudu is.

Senator Babafemi Ojudu is the current political adviser to President Buhari on politics. He was a former senator that represented Ekiti Central in the 7^th National Assembly between 2011 to 2015. Before his foray into active politics, Ojudu was a foremost journalist and former Group Managing Editor of the Independent Communications Network Limited, publishers of The News, PM News and Tempo.  In the years of military rule in Nigeria, Ojudu was one of the victims of the military constant brutality because of the courageous roles he alongside other compatriots during the brutal military regimes, notably the dark days of the Abacha government. His many antagonisms of the military oppression of the masses of Nigerians  during this period led to his several  incarcerations, of note was his detention for months in a solitary cell at the State Security Service, SSS, cell at Awolowo Road Ikoyi, Lagos where he was inhumanly tortured.

Senator Babafemi Ojudu’s journalistic journey could be traced to his university days in the then Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife where he was at first a reporter with COBRA, a Campus Journal. And later Ojudu alongside with two other friends, established a journal called The Parrot, which he edited until he graduated in 1984.  He started his journalistic odyssey after graduation with The Guardian Newspaper in the 1980s’ as a youth corps member and upon completion of his mandatory National Youth Service Corps programme was employed by the then publisher of the Concord newspaper late Chief M.K.O. Abiola but Ojodu would later in 1993 again alongside with some of his colleagues establish the popular The News Magazine in Lagos, a radical news magazine that fought the oppressive military government in the 80s’ and 90s’ in Nigeria. He was the pioneer Managing Director of this organization and later became its Group Managing Editor of Independent Communications Network until 2010 when he ventured into active politics.

Senator Ojudu is widely traveled and has solid connections across the country and beyond with significant individuals, proximate political actors, institutions, organizations, governments just to mention a few. He is a man if elected as the next governor of Ekiti  that can use his strategic connections to bring positive development to Ekiti in 2018. Besides, Ojudu is humble, he is a friend to the rich and he is a brother to the poor and before his foray into active politics, Ojudu’s passion for humanity was unequal and up till date he derives joy and fulfillment in helping people across ethnic nationalities and religion creed. He is known to have sponsored many indigent Ekiti indigenes to acquire quality education up to post graduates level both home and abroad. Through his humanitarian gestures, he has trained hitherto unknown people to be doctors, accountants, engineers, lawyers, lecturers etc. He has equally on many occasions came to the aid of many poor parents in Eki

ti by providing free funds to them to establish businesses. During Ojudu’s  tenure in the red chamber between 2011 to 2015, it was recorded that he strategically used his legislative position to promote the interest of Ekiti State and carried out many projects not only in his constituency but in Ekiti generally that impacted positively into the lives of Ekiti people.

As Ekiti people look forward to a new election year in 2018, it is pertinent to say that the year presents in itself, a golden opportunity to break away from the present politics of exploitation and sarcasm by Fayose and his party and the year offers again, the many positive  possibilities that Senator Babafemi Ojudu’s candidature can offer.

Femi Ojo is a political scientist by academic training, a media strategist by profession, blogger and an aspiring public intellectual from the South West, Nigeria