.11 Years After: Garlands For Ekiti Models Of Honour
By Wole Olujobi
The road to Isan-Ekiti, Ekiti State, home of Governor Kayode Fayemi, was lit with grandeur that Saturday, March 5, 2011. It was the second since the governor’s assumption of office.
First was the thanksgiving service after the popular mandate of Ekiti people was restored to their leader. This second event was a civic reception for the victorious warriors of many battles and icons of the new dawn of honour in Ekiti State.
While the Governor fought and won both political and social engineering battles, the wife was a tyrant to poverty around Africa, who at various times had put hunger on the edge of her sword in a ferocious assault against want, bagging many global honours to the bargain.
The event presented a clear element of the radiance of the king, for in his immaculate white agbada robe, Governor Fayemi shone glowingly, radiating the innocence and essence of the honour he keeps in trust for the people of Ekiti State. And in their hundreds people raced to Isan-Ekiti to be part of the continuation of the emerging glorious history in Ekiti State.
His wife, Chief (Mrs.) Olabisi Fayemi, in her natural grace, stood beside him in such a controlled environmental temper that reminds of the calmness she exuded during the turbulent three and half years that the potentates held Ekiti people, nay Nigerians hostage.
Even though it was supposed to be a scorching sunny day in a semi-savannah zone of the state, however, King Pheobus, the god of the Sun, kept away the fury of its flaming tongues, as nature smiled at Fayemi and his guests, including the entire Isan-Ekiti people.
The clement weather showed the flashes and freshness of the month of May in March: no sweaty robes to provoke offensive odour and the dusty environment in such a gathering was completely absent.
In his address at the event, the Oba of the town, the Onisan of Isan-Ekiti, Oba Sunday Owolabi Ajiboye, thanked God that made Fayemi and Ekiti people’s dream a reality.
Likening Ekiti people’s battle with the usurpers of their mandate with the battle between David and Goliath, Oba Ajiboye said Fayemi owed his victory to God and the support of Ekiti people. The monarch also spoke in retrospect, lamenting the horror the last administration visited on the state, including the burning of his palace, to further intimidate him for his unalloyed support for Fayemi to retrieve his stolen mandate.
Turning to Governor Fayemi, the monarch said: “ Our Dear son, Oluwakayode, as your name implies, you have brought succour to Ekiti people with your Eight-point agenda. May Almighty God continue to guide you aright in your bid to take Ekiti State to greater heights. Isan-Ekiti will continue to pray for you and the entire Ekiti State is solidly behind you. No weapon fashioned against you shall prosper because you stand on the Rock of Gibraltar.”
He praised Erelu Bisi Fayemi for standing by her husband in the days of trouble, even as he appealed to the governor to provide basic needs hitherto lacking in the community. According to him, these include street roads, befitting palace, extension of streetlights and opening up of feeder roads, among others.
Speaking at the event, Fayemi thanked God for his blessing, saying the reception organized by his community was a recognition of that blessing.
“The final retrieval of our stolen mandate as the democratically elected governor of Ekiti State is a long and tortuous journey up to this point, but God in His infinite mercies guarded, guided and protected all of us so that we can all come around and glorify his name,” the governor said, adding that even though the day was a period to glorify God, it was also a period for sober reflection.
The governor reiterated his pledge during inauguration to ensure reconciliation among different political tendencies, vowing never to engage in witch –hunting that would further plunge the state into deeper crisis.
He explained that he demonstrated this recently when he redeemed his promise to pay all past political appointees who were owed severance allowances.
He added: “The totality of my message to Isan community and Ekiti State at large is that service has no colouration. It does not have ethnic colouration; service in all sincerity is service and what we promised our people is to serve with all our hearts and hands to show commitment in all we do to the glory of God and benefit of mankind.”
Fayemi praised all the Kabiyesis for their support so far, saying: “ I revere our traditional institution. I respect our Kabiyesis because I know that without the humane efforts they are making in their domains, our communities will not know peace as much as they do today”.
The highpoint of the event was the conferment of the title of ERELU of Isan Kingdom on Chief Bisi Fayemi by Oba Ajiboye, who praised the new title holder for her sterling qualities and unbreakable pillar of support for her husband.
The Erelu thanked the community for the gesture, promising to lift the honour of the history of Isan Community and contribute to the overall growth of the town.
The occasion was graced by many eminent personalities, the royal highnesses, a delegation of Igbo Community in Ekiti State and top government functionaries. Traditional and cultural groups, including the state cultural troupe entertained at the occasion.
Also on hand to receive guests was Governor Fayemi’s biggest supporter of all time, Mr. Kayode Ogundana, a burdened member of the Action Congress of Nigeria and the Governor’s Domestic staff, who personally made sure that in his little way the guests on the sidelines of the arena had something to quench their thirst.
Olujobi is Senior Special Assistant, Speech Writing and Communications to Governor Fayemi (As at then)