Gov Ayo Fayose - A TributeTo True Leadership

Governor Ayo Fayose Of Ekiti state was 56 years old yesterday and this is an Ode to celebrate him.

The Man


Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose is a prominent politician and charismatic leader, one thoroughly loved by his people, who has enjoyed their support and goodwill through his resolute determination and unwavering commitment to serve and deliver to them their dividend of democracy. He was born on 15th of November 1960 and grew up in Oyo State where he attended Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo and Oyo state Polytechnic, Ibadan. He currently holds an honorary Doctorate degree in public administration from the University of Ado-Ekiti. Married to Mrs. Feyisetan Fayose, Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose and his wife are exemplary parents to their five sons. 

Known for his tenacity of purpose, Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose is through steadfast service, dogged diligence and sheer hard work climbing up the ladder of success, one step at a time. Hardly forgetting his modest beginning, he has always readily identified himself with the masses as one of them, very rarely what you expect from a person in his position in today’s classist society as ours. This uncommon disposition of his has endeared him to the heart of his people. Defender of the weak, protector of the poor and advocate for the oppressed, Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose, is a fearless and audacious leader.


The Myth

Governor Peter Ayodele was first elected and sworn into office as the governor of Ekiti state on the 29th of May, 2003 and was ‘manipulated’ out on the 16th of October, 2006. He contested for a second time after 8 years and was re-elected on a landslide victory, winning at all 16 LGAs of the state, both times defeating the first-timer incumbents. Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose was sworn into office for the second time, on the exact same day he left, the 16th of October 2014, a position he currently occupies, and well deservedly so. It is almost as if he was divinely called back to continue exactly from where he stopped, like the time in between was of no consequence, almost as if he never even left.



The Meaning

There has been many and different interpretations to this, but it is pertinent that one appreciates there could be a divine side to all of this. Man can try and dispose for a while, but the proposition of God will stand the test of time. Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose is God proposed. A bridge builder especially amongst the leadership of South western Nigeria, he is a true Awoist, a rising nationalist and an aspiring Pan-Africanist.



 A firm believer in our shared prosperity simply as dictated by our shared humanity, Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose is an enigma. He is brazenly egalitarian by nature, chary of any form of bias or prejudice, elitism, nepotism, sexism, etc. and will openly express his disapproval for any kind of segregation that exhibits exclusivity or superiority. His disdain for unfairness, maltreatment, inequality, can be attested to by those who know him. Needless to say that this makes clearer the uncommon loyalty his kinsmen have for him, leading to an almost ‘cult-like’ followership anywhere is name is mentioned.


I remember driving behind his convoy one faithful day from the Akure airport enroute Ado-Ekiti, the streets were lined with people chanting ‘Oshoko, our leader, the lion, Osokomole etc’, with many more running out of their homes and stalls to join in the chorus. Children on their way home from school were not left out, all chanting different songs and calling out different accolades. I was astounded; it was an astonishing sight to behold. Taxi and ‘keke’ drivers were parking off the round to join in the hail. 


My first thought was, it was some kind of political arrangement because I wondered how the people of Akure knew he was coming through their streets. So I enquired from my overtly enchanted cabbie driver, who said to my surprise ‘those of us in these parts side of Nigeria know him white motor o’, he went on to explain that ‘once any person recognizes his convoy, they call out to the next, until the whole community joins them in the praise singing’, even he couldn’t seem to contain his excitement, it was easy to see that he would have gladly been a willing participant if he didn’t have a customer in his car. 

My mind quickly pictured a scenario where his Ogun state counterpart was in the same vehicle with him, it would have been an awkward moment, more so for the former.


I was so pleasantly disturbed by what I had observed I decided to probe a little further during my stay in Ado-Ekiti. I made it a point of duty to ask around randomly about this ‘unusual occurrence’ I had witnessed. I inquired from those both known (a few) and unknown to me, as it was my first time in Ekiti state. The testimonies abound, I never thought it was possible for members of the masses to ‘view’ a Nigerian ‘politician’ in such positive light.


 Beyond the songs of praises, chants of adoration, numerous expressions of endearment used to describe Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose was the passion, genuine, unfettered, almost palpable passion, with which the people spoke so highly of him.


Later in the week, I accompanied my host colleague for a community town hall meeting especially as he had mentioned it was routinely presided over by Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose. At this point, I had become really intrigued by Ekitians and their love for their governor. While we sat calmly to begin, Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose entered the building and immediately everything changed, the momentum, the tempo, the whole environment was suddenly awakened. He was quick to apologize and denounce all protocol to jump right into the agenda; which for that day was handing over cheques (with all above eight million naira) for community projects to various community representatives.


 When I noticed not all the communities represented got their cheques, I asked my host who explained to me that Governor Fayose had asked all communities to come up with projects they would deem beneficial to them. He had proposed that government will fund ninety percent if they could come up collectively with ten percent of the total required fund. This was plainly to instil in these communities a certain sense of ownership, a model which supported by evidence proves to contribute significantly to project manageability and sustainability. 

I watched in astonishment how he interacted with the members of different communities, particularly soliciting the opinions of ordinary residents while shunning the representatives, as he joked that they would most likely tell him what they thought he wanted to hear, simply because they worked for him. Basking in the excitement and euphoria, we jumped on our feet when the governor announced that he was going to the market for his routine inspection. Again I was ‘tickled’ and at the same time curious to see what this ‘routine inspection’ entailed.


 When we got to the market, we could notice whisperings in different corners accompanied by quickening of footsteps, everyone was swiftly moving items around to ensure that their environment was clean and their wares were not causing any kind of obstruction to traffic, it felt like being in Federal Government College all over again, those days when the senior prefect and his ‘gang’ come out for inspection. 

We noticed how Governor Fayose stopped intermittently to engage the people, answer their questions and provide solutions to their problems.


We witnessed an elderly woman approach him and complained about her step children taking over her late husband’s properties, living her homeless. He immediately swung into action in front of her, making calls to various people including his commissioner who oversaw such issues for advice, but much more significantly Governor Fayose there and then, rented a two-bedroom flat for the elderly woman while he sorted out her ‘house-property’ problem. This was just one singular example. At this point I had started to call what I had experienced the ‘Osoko kinetics’ – it is a form of energy around Governor Fayose that can only be present when Governor Fayose is present.

The attention with which Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose tends to his people is uncanny. From the royal father and his regal family to the road side mechanic and his humble household, Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose knows every single one of them by their names. He knows the moi-moi seller, Mama Sikirat slightly burnt her hand while cooking and that her son just got a job as a legal aide at the small law firm by the corner of the road, he knows that Taiwo the bricklayer and his wife just sent their daughter Omolara to boarding school in Ibadan, just outside Ekiti. Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose is aware that Egbon Gbenga the bicycle repairer is planning his newborn baby’s naming ceremony and that Aunty Funmi has just had her freedom party and now owns her own hair salon. 

Beyond their names and faces Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose knows his people in and out, and is genuinely interested in their affairs like they are all friends, like they are all one big family. Till date Ekiti state employs the highest number of physically challenged persons, compared to other states and even the federal government.


Still within the market space, I listened to one man give details to another on how to collect his government compensation due him, as his house was amongst those demolished for a road dualization/overhead bridge construction project. It was not common to see such a person in an elated mood, saying he had received his compensation, and that the process was thorough and swift. He further went on, pouring all kinds of accolades on the Governor, saying that it was being so transparently done, that any money paid from the N200miliion put aside for the process was public knowledge, so no one could say they had not collected their money if really they had. It was obvious even to the blind that Ekitians are totally taken to their governor and completely involved in their governance. They had indebt knowledge about the affairs of their state, the works, the economics, like nothing I had seen before. 

The cabbie driver had a dual function as a tour guide, as he had a story for everything we drove past. I noticed at a point that everything we drove by according to him was built by Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose, some during his first regime and more at present, I had to ask if he was the only one that had governed the state since its inception, because, if not so, I wanted him to enlighten me on what the others did during their time. He told me he didn’t know much about the others, but that he knows that even some of the projects completed by Governor Fayose, he Governor Fayose had named after some of his predecessors, even the ones that were opposition. 

He showed me a huge conference centre that was built by Governor Fayose and named after the late Mrs Funmilayo Olayinka who served (and died in service) as a deputy under Governor Fayemi. He said Governor Fayose told them he thought she should have been immortalized having died in service, but especially so being the first female deputy governor of the state. He also showed us the King’s market under construction, the judicial quarters, the Governor Fayose market. He was enthused to show us much more but that was all we had time for that day. 

The icing on the cake was when on our way back we drove past the site for the overhead flyover bridge; one could quickly see that it was a massive project. It was impressive to see the level of work and machines, the numbers of workmen and tractors; this got me thinking about everything. For starters, how did Governor Fayose get all these monies for all of these activities, Ekiti state is not an oil producing state, he is not an APC governor, as I was trying to eliminate any prospect that the state was getting additional funding or enjoying undue favors from the center. Then I remembered some time ago when I read in the dailies about some state governors who were claiming they couldn’t continue paying the already meager N18,000 minimum wage, Governor Fayose had responded that perhaps if these governors cut down on on trying to visit every part of the world while in office, they may just be able to make these payments, as the common man on N18,000 minimum wage was already living within poverty lines. That is Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose for you. 

What I call ‘oshoko kinetics’, my colleague calls ‘Osoko capable’ and defines it as the ability for a person to be like Governor Fayose - humble yet very charismatic, open minded yet thoroughly logical, sociable yet extremely private, compassionate yet really strict, simple yet truly fascinating. It is my over all opinion that the Nigerian media has been thoroughly unfair to this leader of men. Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose has been both grossly mis- and under-represented, within our news/social media space, whether this is intentional or not is story for another day.


Today I just want to celebrate the lion of the tribe of Oduduwa, Oshoko, defender of the weak, supporter of the common man, protector of the feeble, advocate for the oppressed, architect of the new Ekiti, the peoples’ champion, guardian of our democracy, my senior prefect governor. You sir have caught my fancy and you sir have earned my highest regard.

Happy Birthday to you Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose, may your leadership be long and your legacy live forever.

God bless His Excellency, Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose

God bless the people of Ekiti state

God bless Nigeria.

Yours sincerely,

A Non-Ekitian Friend of Ekiti.