The Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has lamented a situation where intellectualism has no place in Nigeria’s politics.
Fayemi, who was apparently referring to the outcome of the June 21, Ekiti State gubernatorial election, which produced Ayo Fayose, regretted that what counts is grassroots attachment rather than intellectual capacity of the candidate.
According to Fayemi, who spoke Wednesday night at the maiden award/dinner ceremony of the Senate Press Corps in Abuja, where he was special guest, “if you are an intellectual, you are an elite, and an elite is what should be thrown into the dustbin not to be associated with.”
Fayemi said he attended the event primarily to pay homage to service, intellect and activism, stressing that most of the award recipients were people he respects a lot beyond partisanship.
According to him, “although I came for my friend, but looking at the array of people being honored this evening, I happen to know many of them and they are people I respect a lot, beyond partisanship. They have demonstrated what it is to be committed to humanity.”
Five senators and the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa were honored by the press corps for their outstanding performances at the senate.
The senators are: Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egab (Cross River Central), Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom North-east), Aisha Alhassan (Taraba North), Domingo Obende (Edo North) and Olubunmi Adetunmbi (Ekiti North).
The governor praised the senate press corps for identifying the sterling qualities of the lawmakers so honored, noting that, “I know you are honoring them because they really have consistently, contributed to deepening this democracy which is in dire straits. I hope with the courage they displayed in the times they have been serving in the senate, they can also be able to do that beyond partisanship because we run the risk of under-manning this democracy, and the senate and its counterpart, the House of Representatives, may well be the last hope of democracy if they will not chicken out in speaking the truth.”
The governor described one of the awardees, Adetunmbi, as a committed parliamentarian who comes to the senate always very prepared.
“Even as a very keen and detached interested observer of the senate, I always stand very tall every time I listen to my own senator, my own representative in the senate speak, and I also, notice that the senate is always, really silent, every time senator Olubunmi Adetunbi is on his feet because he never speak from the partisan point of view. He comes, prepares with facts, figures and with conviction. We are very proud of him in Ekiti because he continues to represent the future really that we aspire to,” Fayemi said.
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