RE-JKF & HIS FB COMMISSIONER: MATTER ARISING

DRA

Mr Debo Ranti Ajayi later called me on phone yesterday to explain that he was misquoted & misconstrued. According to him, having lost contact with JKF since their UNILAG days, he actually saw Fayemi's poster when he visited Nigeria during the 2010 re-run election & they met before he returned to Dubai. All this was well after the 2007 election. He said he travelled back abroad where he was Chairman of a multinational company.

According to him, during one of his visits to Nigeria again when Fayemi was already a governor, he granted an interview with the Punch newspaper which Fayemi saw & this prompted him (JKF) to invite him to come and be Commissioner  which he said Fayemi did in good fate.

However DRA told me that if he had his way then, he would have preferred to be appointed as Special Adviser rather than Commissioner bcos "as at the time of my appointment as a Commissioner, I didn't know anybody. I didn't know my ward & neither do l know the party structure other than go to the palace to see the Oba & chiefs, then returned to Ado". The same way Mr Wale Fapohunda who never participated in Okemesi or Ekiti politics was appointed but he blended easily & brought all the factions in Okemesi ACN then together. Up till now he still comes home to hold meetings with us & he is still a rallying point.

Though DRA said he has now known everybody at home because since then he remains in Ekiti without jetting out of the country like many other appointees did. He explained that he did not say all he said at the meeting to disparage JKF but to extol him as a man who goes for quality wherever he finds one irrespective of whatever it will cost him. On loyalty, he said he had met JKF before he started his campaign & that JKF gave him  the go ahead to carry on with his campaign.

My Take:

Whether he was contacted via FB or Punch newspaper, my unassailable point which I stand by, is that there were more qualified people on ground here who could have served well in that position having toiled day & night with JKF while DRA was away before he was searched out on the pages of Punch newspaper. Thank God, DRA himself confirmed that he would have at best been appointed as Special Adviser and not a Commissioner. We are just blaming Fayose but have we forgotten that it is not everything he does that's wrong? For instance, his appointment of Docky (Tunde Ogunleye) as a Commissioner, is a good way of rewarding hardworking, loyalty & not mere comradeship. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who would be Governor in Ekiti now should be able to combine the international aura & intelligence capability of Fayemi with the grassroot tendency & native intelligence of Fayose. For a leader to possess one out of the two without the other, it will always lead to political disaster. My humble opinion.

Meanwhile DRA Reacted by saying, "I have taken some time before writing a response as I struggled between my love for the truth and the path of ignoring materials with malicious intent. It appears the more I try to let people appreciate the truth and one another the more the story gets twisted for their personal agenda.

It is now obvious that those looking for opportunity to attack our esteemed former Governor Kayode Fayemi only need any material to work on to build their attacks. It's really unfortunate for us in APC that we will stop at nothing to pull down ourselves/our heroes.

I'm not here to defend JKF, as his record speaks for him but I stand today a living witness that his bringing of people like me to Ekiti has added tremendous value to Ekiti and I have remained back in Ekiti to continue to add value. The best is still coming as a result of the leadership that JKF has provided and in his foresight of identifying talents for the development of Ekiti.

We need to realize that many of us came to serve in honor of JKF's invitation at great personal sacrifice.

Yes, I do sympathize with those who worked tirelessly to get JKF elected in anticipation of the reward of political appointments. Yes, it's a lesson I will apply should I be given the chance to serve as Governor of Ekiti. And, yes I could do the same thing as JKF (in attracting Ekiti talents around the world to come help the transformation of Ekiti) except that I've learnt firsthand the enormous sacrifice people make to support their candidates for election.

I make bold that the future development of Ekiti lies in attracting more of our diaspora home and not by scaring away those who have made that bold comeback home. We complain there are no private sector jobs but then scare away those that are here to create those jobs.

For those hoping to drive a wedge between JKF and I, you're doomed to fail in that quest. Like with all my friends, i relate with JKF on the basis of mutual trust and respect. We will never do things that we cannot defend/explain. My love and respect for JKF is because he's an intelligent and visionary person, a decent, lovable man who is honestly aiming to do the best he can wherever he's placed.

Ekitikete, we need the ability to rationalize and be flexible. We need to know that we don't have to score a perfect mark before we are considered a success. We cannot focus on the missing 1% only to lose sight of the 99% in place.

I've deliberately avoided some nauseating details or insinuations in statements made earlier because I have no desire or interest to wrestle in the mud as that will only excite those comfortable in that realm.

I will not respond to those aggrieved because they didn't have their way. As for me, my conscience is very clear that I served Ekiti meritoriously and sacrificially too, and the results are there to show. And, now, I'm prepared to take Ekiti even further. One day the books will be opened on each person to give an account of their service.

Thanks for enduring this response which turned out much longer than I had intended".