Ekiti State Governor, Dr. KAYODE FAYEMI, is not given to parrying questions. He rather approaches them with candid and cerebral disposition, even when such posers appear intriguing. Such is the governor in this engaging dialogue with IKECHUKWU AMAECHI, OLUMIDE IYANDA, KANMI ADEMILUYI and EMEKA ALEX DURU as he talks on his second term ambition, efforts of his administration in repositioning Ekiti as well as his concern on the June 21 governorship election in the state, among other issues
Why should Ekiti people give you a second term?
Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi
I think they should give me a second term because I promised and delivered. I ran on a platform called Eight-point Agenda (Roadmap to Ekiti Recovery). When I entered Ekiti politics in 2006, I was very clear about what I was going to do here. I was precise about what the Eight-point Agenda was going to achieve. And the grand vision for us was how to make poverty history in our state. When you look about the entire framework of the things that I have done, it is clearly a social democratic agenda; protecting the weak and the vulnerable in a state that had been run on the basis of the survival of the fittest before I came into office. I do not believe that the world should be run on survival of the fittest platform.
I believe that we do have a responsibility; indeed, a duty to extend a protective hand to those among us who are less fortunate in the course of making their livelihood. So, whether you talk of infrastructure or education, healthcare or tourism, environmental sustainability or even industrial development, we have achieved much. We have revived more industries in this state than had ever been done in its 18-year history. We have set up more new industries than had ever been done in the last 18 years. In the education sector, yes, we took some pretty radical steps that, ordinarily, no opportunistic politician would take – merging three universities, merging secondary schools (junior and senior), running tests for teachers and insisting on accountability in the management of our school system. These were things that were pretty radical when we embarked on them. But a few years down the line, people are beginning to see the results. We are also beginning to win more plaudits for the action from outside. For instance, Ekiti, among the 36 states, won a $50 million grant from the World Bank because of our education initiative that has now enabled us to pay teachers who are prepared to go to the rural areas additional incentive or pay core subject allowance to address the deficiencies we noticed in such subjects as Mathematics, English Language, Basic Sciences and others.
When you talk of healthcare, it is not accidental that we have the lowest HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) prevalence rate in the country. It is not accidental that we have the highest life expectancy rate. It is also not accidental that we have one of the lowest maternal and infancy mortality rates in the country. All of that can be tied to our health programme and our social security scheme because if people have no support system, in an environment that we used to have what was called an extended family system that used to take care of the weak and the vulnerable, you need something that is systematic, institutional and does not need to diminish the dignity of the person who does not have enough to help support such a citizen. This was what informed our social security benefit scheme. It is heartening to me that no fewer than four other states have copied the scheme and are implementing it in their domains.
So, on all counts, there is hardly anything that we had put on our agenda that we have not delivered, at least, 70 per cent of what we promised.
But have we done everything? If we have, why am I running for a second term? You would ask. No, we haven’t. You can achieve much on a certain scale, no doubt. But reversal is one of the easiest things that can happen in a governance structure, if you do not consolidate what had been gained. The pure and simple reason I am running for a second term is because what we did was a roadmap to recovery. Now, we have established stability and Ekiti is not seen in the light it used to be seen before, in terms of the clarity of purpose in governance, integrity of the occupant in office, accountability to the people or compassion index in the society. On all of these grounds, we have clearly established a link between democracy and good governance. But we have not ensured that poverty has disappeared from our society. We still have a long way to go there because you may have initiatives as we do, including free education programme, social security benefit scheme, women and youth empowerment scheme. But they are just mechanisms for reducing and eradicating poverty. That is one leg of it. The other leg that is more crucial is wealth creation. And wealth creation cannot be done by government on its own. Government can create an enabling environment, but it needs to do more to ensure that the opportunities lead to blossoming investments and jobs. We are at that course in Ekiti now where we have established a very fair basis for people to begin to look at us in a different light from the way they used to look at us, and for gaining confidence and trust that government is genuinely interested in business of serving the overall interest of the people. There are a number of things we need to do, to fully establish that. For example, when people hear that we are laying fibre optic cables around Ekiti, they really do not understand what we are trying to do. Some see it as one of Fayemi’s fancy ideas because he spent sometime abroad. They do not link it to poverty eradication strategy that when you have a state where broadband access is faster, easier and cheaper, it is also better for business.
Are you worried when your critics accuse you of being too elitist in your approach to governance?
No, I am not, because when my critics say that, you need to ask yourself: What is elitism? What is the sociological definition of elitism? Elitism is not distancing yourself from the community; it is, rather, understanding in a more complex way the need of the community and being able to communicate and apply it. It is not stratification. I don’t see it that way. I am not going to apologise for the benefit I have of having a good education. But that does not disconnect me from my roots. I grew up here. My antecedents are known. Yes, I went out of Ekiti; I schooled outside the country. But that has enabled me to do things in more structured manner. I may not be throwing N200 to people on the streets, but the N5,000 I pay every elderly person eligible for the social security benefit monthly is a personal infrastructure that some of those people criticise me for not doing because I don’t throw it away. But it is institutional; it is backed by law; it is in the appropriation bill. People know how much that is being paid and they can investigate it. It is not just some nebulous money that comes from the pocket of the governor and somebody begins to hail you. I don’t come from that school of politics, and I am not going to apologise on that.
What I think is important is for people to feel the impact of governance on their life, directly. That is what gives me joy. That is the only reason I am a governor. For me, politics is too serious to be left in the hands of charlatans. So, I am an elite; but an elite for a purpose, not for its own sake – an elite for improving the lot of the people in my environment. For me, politics is nothing if it does not add value to the life of others.
Given your disposition to intellectualism, many had expected a debate between you and your opponents. Why is that not happening?
I know that this is an issue that has been of interest to many people. I signed up to a debate with a television station more than two months ago. The station decided that it was not going to run the debate because the two other candidates it considered serious, somehow, shied away from it. I also do not consider it appropriate for me to engage in a monologue. I have thrown this challenge openly. One of my opponents said I should come out for a road show for people to know who is more popular between us. I can’t understand such a puerile attempt at trivialising serious issues. Governance is not about road show. Road show may be good for entertainment. But what people want to know is; how are you going to improve my life? That is the fundamental issue that, sadly, many of them are not prepared to subject themselves to. Ordinarily, I should be the one running away from debate because I am the one that is really being tested. I am the one in the saddle. It is my programmes that can be criticised. It is unfortunate. And I believe that there should be a mechanism that should encourage the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include debate as part of electoral process in Nigeria.
Last Sunday, there was an ugly incident that occurred in the course of a rally by your party that resulted in the death of one of your supporters. Is that a foretaste of what to expect in this week’s election in your state?
I would hate to alarm the Nigerian public, but I think we are in for a very tough time in the Ekiti election. I am yet to find a most appropriate interpretation for what happened here last Sunday. Anyone who knows our party (APC) knows the tradition of the party. When our opponent holds a rally, our first reaction is usually what we call a tsunami sweeping the following day. This is not unique to Ekiti, but anywhere we are. And it is innocuous and, in fact, fun for us. Our people on the streets of Ado-Ekiti (Ekiti State capital) were dancing and sweeping. They had no guns, no cudgels. They had only brooms. All of a sudden, security agents, who were supposed to be their protectors, pounced on them, totally unprovoked; the death, totally avoidable.
I do not want to see it as accidental. I think it is a precursor to a well-choreographed partnership between security agents and the ruling party at the centre. I also think that what happened on Sunday spoke strongly to a fundamental issue that unapologetic federalists like me have always raised about the Nigerian security system, that there is no way we can have a successful federal arrangement without a multi-level policing structure because what we saw, purely, was a display of executive lawlessness from the top.
No mid-level career officer – a Superintendent of Police (SP) – would have the temerity to tear-gas the vehicle of, and by extension, the chief security officer of a state, if he doesn’t have some level of confidence that those who sent him to do so would protect him. That is why it is worrisome as far as the June 21 (Ekiti governorship) poll is concerned. But then, I hope they are students of history. If they are, they should know this part of the country.
What was the reaction of Abuja to your complaint on the matter?
Frankly, the reaction of Abuja was that of shock. I met with the National Security Adviser (NSA), and he could not believe that a mid-level officer would do that to a governor. Not only that, he went ahead to disarm and arrest some of their men on the governor’s convoy. At least, there was an expressed shock. I have known the NSA (Col. Dasuki) for some time and would want to think that he genuinely meant what he said and was genuinely shocked by the behaviour of the officer. When I also spoke with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), he, of course, expressed his apology on behalf of the institution, though he didn’t fully know what transpired and promised to investigate it. I am waiting for the investigation. But my own position is very clear; any one who could display this level of blatant bias and unprofessional behaviour does not deserve to head any sensitive security position. And the minimum irreducible condition for us in Ekiti is that the Commander of the Mobile Force here must be removed before the election.
Do you see all this happening because of the stand-alone nature of the Ekiti election? Secondly, as APC candidate and chief security officer (CSO) of the state, do you still see yourself obligated to ensuring the security of others, even those that appear to be working against you?
The people that attacked me on Sunday were men of the police; they are not an opposition party. I have not accused any opposition party of being involved. These were officers that were meant to protect the citizens. At the time I heard that someone died, I had not even realised at that point that the person belonged to my party. For me, it was out of genuine care that I raised the issues that made people see me as being angry on television.
To the best of my knowledge, I do more for the police here than the federal government that is actually supposedly responsible for the police. We kit them, we buy vehicles, we assist regularly, we support the communication system. We even built it. We virtually run the police here, if you don’t mind my saying so. Yet, that same police that is run with the tax-payers’ fund in Ekiti turned its gun on the people. I can confirm that the tear gas that was used on us was bought by Ekiti State Government for the police. But would that stop me? That is my constitutional duty – providing security and welfare to the people of Ekiti.
How confident are you that Ekiti people would give you a second term?
Ekiti people are intelligent; they are discerning. They are having the benefit of judging between two tested and, at least, one half-tested products. I am not discounting the remaining 15 candidates. I am just saying that none of the 15 had been tested in any capacity. But out of the three, one has been in the House of Representatives, which gives him a sixth of the state to represent out of our six members in the House. So, if I say half-tested, it is not a denigrating remark. It has more to do with the size of his responsibility right now. But for the two tested products, you can judge them on the basis of what they did. Interestingly, by the time this election takes place, both would have been in office for three and half years. So, you can judge the first three and half years on the basis of what transpired and how much Ekiti benefited under the period as well as the current three and half years and reach your conclusion. I believe the Ekiti people will reach the right conclusion in terms of safety and security, education, healthcare, human capital development and infrastructural development. I think the difference is clear.
But you can’t underestimate anyone in politics. This election is not just going to be fought on grounds of performances. If it were to be on ground of performance, I probably would not be out there campaigning as I am doing. This election, sadly, has become a proxy war for 2015. Therefore, as a stand-alone election that has become a proxy war, it is going to be more expensive because I am not fighting a local election again.
In the event of the election result going against the wish of the people, are you worried about the likely outcome, given past experiences?
Frankly speaking, I am worried for our country. And this is not just the local Ekiti issue. I am really worried for our country. I don’t think it is wise, I don’t think it is helpful, I don’t think it is going to be productive for the nation at large to open up another flank of uncontrollable crisis in the country. With what is happening in the North East, we all need to wage a concerted war against the insurgency.
What I see that is worrisome about the air out there is this arrogant and dismissive carriage by members of the opposition in this state that we are in government and that we will use the apparatus of government to take Ekiti and even if it is not possible, we are going to announce the result in Abuja. These are obviously silly remarks. But then, when you hear the vice president of the country talk about going to a warfront, then, you begin to treat such a remark with a level of seriousness that it otherwise would not deserve. This is because, at least, you know that the office that such a person occupies is one that does not call for flippancy, but restraint in whatever one says. That is what is worrisome about it. However, the reality is that Ekiti people are prepared for all scenarios.
