Ekiti State Governor and Chairman, Nigeria’s Governors Forum, Kayode Fayemi has explained his sojourn into politics saying he was ‘stupidly’ convinced into it by Former Governors, Niyi Adebayo and Bola Tinubu.
Fayemi, in an Instagram live chat with the publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu said though politics was an extension of his activism background, it was never his intention to be partisan but was convinced into taking a shot at the governorship seat in 2009.
“I allowed myself to be stupidly convinced into politics. It was really not my intention to join partisan politics. When I returned to the country, I was running the Central for Democracy (CDD)…I’ve always been active, I was involved in Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Think Tank and his preparation for office in 1999. I was also involved in my own State when Otunba Niyi Adebayo was Governor. Basically on a strictly adviser basis and I was responsible for bringing DFID into Ekiti State at that time.
“The truth of the matter is, I was invited, I didn’t go into partisan politics because I had the ambition to run, I was asked to come and run for office by Governor Niyi Adebayo because he wasn’t running again and he felt I could really help our state. He was actively supported by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who I worked with when I was in exile, he too supported that. So I stupidly allowed them to convince me but it turned out well and I’ve learnt a few lessons and developed a lot of grey hairs in the process.” He said.
Amotekun Has Come to Stay
Responding to a question on the state of Amotekun, the Western Nigeria Security Network setup to curb insecurity in the region, Fayemi insisted that the outfit has come to stay.
Although, the Governor admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down the take-off of Amotekun operation in the region, he said the scheme is presently at the recruitment phase while training and deployment will follow.
“Amotekun is alive and well, COVID-19 has gotten in the way a little but Amotekun has not gone anywhere, all the States (in the South West) have signed up on the laws. The training is about to start, we are at the recruitment phase of Amotekun corp and the followed by training, from there, we get to deployment and they will be deployed primarily to their own local government areas where they have been recruited.
Owing to the controversies that trailed the setup of the security outfit, there had been speculations in some quarters that the security network had died prematurely as it failed to take-off after the Governors of the region and their State Houses of Assembly passed it into law. However, Governor Fayemi extricated this saying the Amotekun project ‘is alive and well.
“people should not entertain any fear, we are very committed to the Amotekun agenda which is for us is simply putting a community policing agenda in western Nigeria.” The governor said.
