AT 60: Is Fayemi slowing down or revving up?

…All journeys have secret destinations for which the traveller is unaware – Martin Buber

Indeed, life has been kind to Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, CON. The democracy in Nigeria is favourable to him too, as he clocks 60 years. The two-term governor of Ekiti State (2000-2014 and 2018-2022 respectively) was adequately compensated for the forefront role he played in wresting power from under the jackboots of the military dictators and restoring democracy back to Nigeria. His was a voice that counted in the pro-democracy years and his voice has not stopped counting still. Or so it seems.

Not that the journey was smooth for him though. He won an election but was denied the victory for three-and-half gruesome years until the judiciary, which he put his trust in, eventually paid off for him. He also was shoved out in a controversial election, four years later, only to return four years after and consolidated on the governorship position for the party, All Progressives Congress (APC), culminating in his handing over power to a successor from the same party for the first time in the history of Ekiti State.

The second term of Dr. Fayemi as governor was not only eventful but peaked superbly. The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) will not forget him for it, for that was the time Fayemi became the chairman and changed the face of the forum for good. Before the Fayemi chairmanship, the forum was the punching bag of the country’s critic. It was seen as the lap dog of the federal government and the bastion of political corruption in Nigeria. Fayemi changed all that for good, making the forum to engage in advocacy and setting a clear agenda to chart an independent path from that of the federal government. And as if to compensate him for changing the face of the NGF, Fayemi emerged the President of the Forum of Regions of Africa (FORAF) in September 2022, about a month he was to hand over the baton of governorship of Ekiti to his successor in office, Gov. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji. The Forum brought together for the first time the Presidents of regions, counties and federal states of more than 20 African countries that have a second level of decentralised territorial government, including Nigeria, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, etc.

Turning 60 after having crossed such a reasonable threshold of success should therefore, be a big deal. It should be a momentous occasion that deserves to be celebrated with heartfelt words and back-patting amidst pomp and ceremony. It should be a time for deep reflection too.

But, I bet, the likes of Fayemi will not see such as a reclining time. He won’t see it as a big deal or time to slow down. To him, 60 is a number that must be accounted for, just the way of other numbers. Be assured that Dr. Fayemi will prioritise a lecture on national discourse to be delivered in his honour more than clinking of glasses. After all, that is what he had devoted his quality years to, and it shouldn’t stop abruptly. Fayemi will trust the partying, jollification and social do to the organisational ability of his bosom wife and fellow traveller through the Odyssey of life. That is the motherly Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi.

For Fayemi, the only thing that will count as people share the day with him is new experience. He has too much still in his heart and head for the country Nigeria, the continent of Africa and the entire globe to want to see 60 as his resting year. He is convinced he has not poured out enough regarding national development, he has not written half the books he intends to write. He still wants to storm life with more intellectual disposition. He is still busy searching for that yet unsaid words that he must say for things to turn around 360° positively for the betterment of his environment, especially his country Nigeria.

In the words of Arthur Ashe, success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.

So, to answer the question as to whether Fayemi will be slowing down or revving up as he clocks 60 years, which is often associated with retirement and senior citizenship, we may need to compare him with a vehicle. Slowing down a vehicle involves braking, which converts kinetic energy into heat energy. Revving up a vehicle’s engine increases its speed while the car is stationary. In other words, whichever way Dr. Fayemi has chosen to celebrate his 60th sojourning years on Planet Earth, his energy remains intact and cannot wane even a bit. May he continue to find grace to fulfil his dreams of giving his best to life.

Happy Birthday, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, CON. May the lines continue to fall for you in pleasant places.