Fayemi's Pull Out Parade in Ekiti; A Celebration of Illegality By Biodun Borisade

The recent change of Nigeria’s service Chiefs and the ceremonies that accompanied their exit from service led to the review and exit patterns of some elected Governors in the Nigerian State in recent times. The most controversial outing based on falsehood and illegality was the one perpetuated by former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Kayode Fayemi.

This review having critiqued General Buhari’s handover ceremony to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and juxtaposed his exit protocol with that of most immediate past Governors, lo and behold Fayemi goofed badly in breaking the norm and protocol as he probably thought of linking his PhD in War Studies cum Civil Military Relations to real military service; what a fiasco as this idiocy turned out to be.

Before I went on to write this article, I honestly had to experiment on a reversal role, by this, I mentally put myself in the place of an outgoing Civilian Governor. From my reversal role, questions began to spring up in my mind…

What does he, as an ex-Gov stand to lose by bowing out of office quietly?
What was next in his life journey, as the saying goes, 24 hours is ever so long in politics. Without any sense of entitlement, the Governors club is a privileged circle and to belong to it, the pecks of office, the title of His Excellency on address would get a weak minded person to think the appellation was amongst the names given him during his naming ceremony.

The thrust of this article is on sycophancy leading to misinformation, personal aggrandisement or better yet (and not lacking of a better word to qualify) hyperbolizing constitutional powers of office holders beyond legal limits,…

How Ekiti must never allow another ‘Bisi Omo logbalogba’ to dictate our affairs. His self aggrandizement went as far as attempting to twist a Guard of Honor (which every civilian Governor is presented with upon swearing-in) to be a ‘pull-in’ non existent process, their folly couldn’t last.

Sychophancy and Leadership: Effects on Ekiti body-polity.

Pulling out parade is not only pariah to the tenets of democracy but also anathema to it in every sense. The term ‘Pull-out’ however, is only fashionable in a military government and it’s neither synonymous nor have a place in any democratic environment like ours.

The question on the lips of every Ekiti indigene is whether, Fayemi was carried away by the praises of his praise singers or Did he do his innate wish? Those questions can only be answered by the former Governor himself, probably with article like this pricking his conscience.

Similarly, during the period, Fayemi held sway in Ekiti State, the
cacophony of adulation from the coterie of his wailing supporters was louder than any physical achievements of the administration. While the barge of ‘Omoluabi’ Fayemi was brandishing did not speak to the transparency and style of leadership of his administration.

It is equally worthy of note that the level of hero worshipping and sycophancy Ekiti people saw under Fayemi was unprecedented. And this became evident with the emergence of those groups of hungry people that were largely streets urchins coming together to form support groups like Just Keep following and TokanTokan. While the both groups were fighting each other for relevance, strangers and non Ekiti indigenes were feeding fat from the cookie jar. Funny enough, no member of either group is today better off than they were before as many of them already going cap in hand asking for appointments and contracts under the present administration. Today, they are all voiceless like the wood worms. Many are yet to reappear on stage, praising to high heavens the new Sheriff in the saddle.

On the long run, It is our people who suffer for their inability of hold their elected representatives to account for the resources of Ekiti as there is no gainsaying our common patrimony was severely milked and cornered by the opportunists that were in the corridors of power previously. Road construction contracts were awarded and mobilisation fees paid, but contractors never went to site. More so, Contract was awarded for CCTV but the lens of the camera cannot snap any picture. Ekiti was truly scammed big time.

These sychophants are everywhere, on social media platforms and the streets drumming support for the looters of our commonwealth. Sadly, these pillagers of our deliberately weaponised poverty to make crumbs from their tables a life saver of some sorts. What a tragedy of our existence. Is this really a ‘wasted generation’ as opined by Professor Wole Soyinka. Certainly, only time will tell.

Borisade is a former Special Adviser on New Media to Ekiiti State Government