Many achievers all over the world at some point in their lives leave their local environments – hometowns and villages to explore bigger cities either for better lives in terms of education, employment or business.
Many hardly come back home except for the end of the year festivities or short visits to see their parents.
Interestingly, most people begin to sneak in and out of their villages or hometowns after leaving because they don’t want to be disturbed either by those who would be asking for favours or because they’re suddenly afraid of the witches of the community who will ‘eat’ them.
Long before Dr. Kayode Fayemi became governor of Ekiti State in 2010, he did not only have his parents living permanently in Ishan Ekiti, he had his private home in his village.
His village home (known as country home to the oyinbos) was not a place he used only once in a while. For him, that was his main abode. He would rather spend time in Ishan than in Ado-Ekiti, the capital of his state.
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His idea of a village home was not a small place. No. He wanted a real home where he could relax, read and write and even host family and friends from anywhere. So, he built a guest chalet to accommodate people who might be visiting from anywhere. From then on and till now, Ishan is his home sweet home.
For a man who loves his home town so much, it is therefore pertinent that he would ensure that everything runs smoothly in his environment.
He’s a PhD holder, not a medical doctor. Ado-Ekiti is about 30 minutes away from Ishan. So, if he falls sick, to get to Ado-Ekiti for medical assistance would be dangerous. He knows that.
Apart from himself, he knows how bad if would be for his people in Ishan not to have quick access to health care delivery. Being a lover of people, he wouldn’t bear seeing anybody hurt or without the basic things of life.
It is thus important to him that his hometown has a well equipped medical centre with everything a centre like that would need for day to day health challenges to cases emergencies.
The roads in other communities in Ekiti are well tarred. Why would the road in his own hometown be left untarred?
Would he want his cars to be entering pot holes? For a man who cares a lot of the impression his people have about him, would he leave things in deplorable conditions and not do anything about them? Not the Dr. Kayode Fayemi that people know as Omoluabi. That’s a name that cannot be bought with money.
Dr. Kayode Fayemi is not one to go for traditional titles. He’s a man who ensures that his traditional community has titles amongst the rest.
On betrayal of certain people, why would something like that even become a matter for public debate? The first person to allege that he has been betrayed is the chief betrayer.
If you feel betrayed, go straight to the person betraying you and settle score with him. Anything outside that is an attempt to deliberately rubbish the person’s reputation.
Let anybody who has had any dealing with Dr. Fayemi first come out to say what he or she has benefitted from him before talking about being betrayed.
Dr. Fayemi is not one to make demands of people except on rare occasions. But he’s always ready to improve the lives of those he meets. Everything is not about money and position though. So if he has done you good at different times and it is the turn of other people to get the same kind of good, can you blame him for being generous to them? Enikan o le jeun kila fe. That’s a Yoruba saying that explains that only a few people cannot always benefit from a cause.
Dr. Kayode Fayemi cannot be pulled down. The silence of a leopard does not mean it is weak. Let those making noise go and chill. They’re dealing with a man who cannot be distracted.
What’s the next project do for Ekiti and for humanity? This is what is on his mind.
Next….
Alhaja Adeola Agoro is a journalist/businesswoman based in Abuja
