The governor spoke on his monthly public enlightenment programme, “Meet Your Governor in Ado Ekiti.

He said since the Supreme Court had ruled that his impeachment was illegal, null and void, he reserved the constitutional right to so contest the removal.

According to him, since his tenure had been adjudged by the Supreme Court to have been illegally truncated, he had no option than to approach the same court to seek interpretation of the judgement.

The governor said the pertinent question to ask the court was whether by virtue of an earlier judgement in his favour dismissing his removal, he had no right to seek to complete his remaining tenure of seven months.

He emphasised that the case as to whether he was entitled to complete his tenure or not must first be determined before there could be another governorship election in the state in 2018.

Fayose got sworn-in for the first term tenure in May 2003, but got his tenure terminated through impeachment on Oct. 16, 2006.

Meanwhile, the governor has said that he was not bothered by the ongoing strike by fuel dealers in the state.

He said he would not rescind his decision to stop further erection of filling stations in residential areas, even if they strike for one year.

He said full demolition of such fuel stations, including those erected near schools would commence on Tuesday.

Besides, he placed a ban on commercial activities in all fuel stations that were currently on strike.

He said there was no way he could allow shops attached to fuel stations to be opened to business when the real filling station was closed to motorists.

Fayose expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for renaming the Federal University, Oye Ekiti after the late Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo, adding “I begged for it.”

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Aremo Oladotun Hassan, the founder and President of the council, who gave the commendation in Lagos, said the late Adebayo deserved the recognition and more.

The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, had announced the government’s decision to rename the university on Saturday at the burial service of the late general in Ekiti.

The acting President said the honour was done to immortalise Adebayo for his immense contributions to the unity and development of the Nigerian nation.

Hassan said that the late general was a nationalist par excellence.

He said: “As a council, we first of all commend the Federal Government for the recognition of Adebayo who stood, until his death, for the unity of this country.

“As a nationalist, however, we would have appreciated if a national monument such as the National Arts Theatre, Lagos or the International Conference Centre, Abuja was named after Adebayo.

“The glory of Adebayo should not be reduced to Ekiti where he hailed from. As much as we commend the Federal Government, however, we urge the Federal government to do more.”

According to him, the late military governor of the old western region, comprising Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and Lagos states, should also be immortalised by considering what he stood for.

Hassan, a legal practitioner, urged the federal government to re-engineer the Nigerian Constitution to reflect fiscal federalism and constitutional democracy, which Adebayo stood for.

“We want this unfinished vision of Adebayo implemented by the Federal Government, all efforts should be concentrated on restructuring for national unity and development,” he said.

The youth leader said enshrining Adebayo’s ideals and philosophies in the constitution would go a long way to reposition the country.

According to him, Adebayo fought relentlessly for the unity of the country during the civil war that ravaged the country between 1967 and 1970, and remained a symbol of peace and unity.

Adebayo, who died on March 8 in Lagos on the eve of his 89th birthday, was buried in his home town in Iyin-Ekiti, Ekiti State on Saturday.

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He described Osinbajo as “a consummate team player who does not seek individual accolades but one, who without personal notoriety or fanfare, does his best to advance the policies and interests of the government in which you serve”.

Osinbajo has been acting as president since President Muhammadu Buhari proceeded on leave, during which time he is seeking medical attention.

In a page statement released by Tinubu Media Office and personally signed by him, Asiwaju Tinubu said: “I congratulate Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on his 60th birthday March 8.

“We know that you will have little time to celebrate as your birthday comes at a momentous time this year. As the humble and selfless person you are, you shall be busy promoting the policy agenda of your principal and our President Muhammadu Buhari.

“You have been a faithful and dedicated lieutenant to our president. We wish you nothing but the best and congratulate your loyal service to him and to our beloved country.

“From my experience working with you when you were the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, I can say that you are a consummate team player who does not seek individual accolades but one, who without personal notoriety or fanfare, does his best to advance the policies and interests of the government in which you serve.

“As you do your best to serve President Buhari and the nation, I cannot help but wish you the best on the occasion of your 60th birthday.

“As always, you have conducted yourself with the decorum and circumspection your office and this moment require. You have been faithful to the letter in following the guidance and instruction of your principal, President Buhari. I know that you shall continue to do so.

“I use this medium to join you and all caring Nigerians in praying for the imminent and safe return of President Buhari to continue to lead our beloved country toward the progress, prosperity and reform that shall turn Nigeria into the better nation that is its true destiny”.

Meanwhile, Tinubu has described General Adeyinka Adebayo, who died Tuesday on the cusp of his 90th birthday, as a symbol of unity, stating that the late General was also unapologetic about being a Yoruba man.

In the statement, the All Progressives National Congress (APC) National Leader said “General Adeyinka Adebayo was a committed father, true patriot, elder statesman and untiring leader with great acumen.

“Though he was proud to be a Yoruba man, General Adebayo was a symbol of unity in the country. He canvassed against the use of force in resolving the Biafran crisis.

“This position might have informed his appointment after the civil war by former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, as the Chairman of the Committee on the Reconciliation and Integration of the Ibos back into the Nigerian fold.

“In the military, he distinguished himself. As Governor of the old Western State from August 1966 to April 1971, succeeding late General Adekunle Fajuyi, General Adebayo contributed immensely to the development of the region.

“He particularly promoted agricultural extension services in the region with the establishment of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Moor Plantation, Ibadan.

“General Adebayo saw himself first and foremost as a Yoruba man before being a Nigerian. His death has further diminished the rank of reputable Yoruba leaders and national icons.

“I wish the General eternal rest. I pray that the children he left behind would continue to push forward the legacies he left behind”.

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He died on Wednesday morning in Lagos, on the eve of his 89th birthday, having been born on March 9, 1928.

A family source said he suddenly took ill at his GRA Ikeja, Lagos home and was taken to the hospital where he died.

Alhaji Balarabe Musa, former Governor of old Kaduna State, in a telephone, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Nigeria had lost one of its oldest retired military officers.

He said Adebayo was a fine gentle man and knowledgeable leader.

Balarabe described him as a noble elder statesman, who worked for the unity of the nation.

“He was a good and hardworking officer who worked for the unity of this nation and one of the leaders needed to make adequate corrections in this country.

“Today, I offer condolences to Adebayo’s family, and my sympathy and prayers to the people of Ekiti, Nigeria and the continent as they mourn the passing away of a man of the people, old fine military officer.

Balarabe described him as a world leader, who played a significant role in his days as a military man and upon retirement, influenced the direction of various affairs and welfare of the nation.

Chief Mrs Remia Adiku Bakare, a society woman and politician, described the death as a great loss and sad time for the country.

She said Adebayo portrayed gentleness and having served as the governor of the defunct Western Region, left a worthy legacy.

“Although he had served as a governor for a very long time, he was almost the best governor the axis ever produced.

“His sincerity, selflessness and commitment will forever be remembered; may God rest his soul and give the family and the nation the fortitude to bear the loss,’’ she said.

Adebayo became governor after Col. Francis Adekunle Fajuyi’s death in the 1966 coup, ruling from Aug. 4, 1966 to April 1971.

Gboyega Aribisogan, a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, described his death as a pain to the continent, describing him as a man who, through determination, replicated good governance at the old Western Region.

He said Adebayo, as an elder statesman, lived exemplary life in the service to humanity and would continue to live in the mind of every Nigerian.

“As a closure in the life of men, Adebayo will always be remembered for his legacy, mostly the importance of education and civilisation.

“As an Ekiti man, he was a leader who gave back to the people what they truly deserved; Adebayo was an ICON whose beats will continue to reverberate through the length and breadth of the continent; may his soul rest in peace,’’ he said.

Adebayo was born in 1928 in the present Ekiti State and joined the West African Frontier Force in 1948 as a regiment signaler.

He later completed the Officer Cadet Training Course in Teshie, Ghana, from 1950 to 1952 and later passed the War Office Examination for Commonwealth Cadets in 1952 and the West African qualifying examination in 1953.

Adebayo was commissioned as an officer in the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) as the 23rd West African military officer with number WA23 and 7th Nigerian military officer with number N7.

He later attended the Staff College course in Kimberley (Surrey) in 1960 and the prestigious Imperial Defence College, London in late 1965, where he was the only African officer.

He was constantly commended for promoting agricultural extension services and for establishing the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Moor Plantation, Ibadan, as governor of the western region.

He was also known to have rejected the use of force in resolving the Biafran crisis.

Adebayo later became the Chairman of the Committee on the Reconciliation and Integration of the Igbos (Biafrans) back into the Nigerian fold.

Before his death, he was Chairman of the Yoruba Council of Elders.

His eldest son, Niyi Adebayo, was a Governor of Ekiti State from 1999 to 2003.

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The indisputable truth is that one may quarrel with your politics but your sagacity is never in doubt. Even those who don’t see eye to eye with you agree that you are imbued with unusual native intelligence, uncommon people skills and unrivaled foresight. You, more than any other person, has been the game changer since the advent of democracy in 1999. It is for these reasons that I have chosen to direct this letter to you.

My singular purpose is to tug at the strings of your heart. I am not writing to appeal to partisan considerations but to see, if per chance, I can pour out my heart to you in a manner of speaking. God has blessed you even beyond your wildest imagination. You have installed Senators and Governors. You have removed Governors and even a President. You have also installed a President. There is nothing you have wished for or desired that you didn’t get. Fortune has smiled on you. Goodwill follows you everywhere you go. You have done very well- more than most men ever will.

However, there is one area that is begging for your urgent attention. This area may well define you and all you have ever achieved. This matter, in my opinion, is the only difference between you and the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Let me restate for the purpose of emphasis that this is the area in which the late sage and Leader of the Yorubas stand head and shoulders above you. It is the reason his name has been a constant denominator in our regional and national politics. It is the reason politicians, friends and foes invoke his name for political advantage and personal glory. It is also the reason why we can’t stop talking about him almost thirty years after his death. What will anyone say about you thirty years after you have transited?

Asiwaju Sir, you may be wondering what I’m talking about? It is the issue of legacy. According to Peter Strople, ‘Legacy is not leaving something for people, it is leaving something in people’. Legacy is building something that outlives you. Legacy is greater than currency. In the words of Leonard Sweet, ‘ What you do is your history. What you set in motion is your legacy’. You can’t live forever, Sir. No one can. But you can create something that will. Enough of speaking in parables- I shall now speak plainly.

When destiny brought you on the scene, we were enamoured because you championed the case for true federalism. It was your belief then that the Yoruba nation will fare better under a restructured arrangement than under the type of unitary government we run while pretending by calling it a federal government. Everyone knows that there is nothing federal about our government at all. If truth must be told, the Yoruba nation has fared very badly since the advent of our new democracy. And this is not about holding power at the centre.

Let me bring this home: someone passed a comment recently that he would want Biafra to become a reality because he knows the Igbo nation will survive. That comment led me to deeper introspection as I wondered if the Yorubas can truly survive. Let me cite my first example. From Oyo to Osun, Ogun to Ondo, Ekiti to Kwara and Lagos, hardly will one see any serious industry or manufacturing concern owned by a Yoruba person. I am not talking about portfolio businesses or one-man business concerns. Most industries in Oyo State are owned by the Lebanese.

The native business and industry gurus who dominated the landscape- Nathaniel Idowu, Amos Adegoke, Lekan Salami, Alao Arisekola, Adeola Odutola, Jimoh Odutola, Chief Theophilus Adediran Oni and others- are all gone with no credible replacements. I’m sure you remember the tyre factory of the Odutolas and how Jimoh Odutola was even asked by the Governments of Kenya and Ghana to set up a similar factory in their countries. Chief Theophilus Adediran Oni, popularly called T.A Oni & Sons started the first indigenous construction company in Nigeria. He willed his residence- Goodwill House, to the Oyo/Western state government, to be used as a Paediatric Hospital, which is now known as T.A Oni Memorial Children Hospital at Ring Road in Ibadan. This sprawling family Estate and residence was cited on a 15acre piece of land, 65 rooms, with modern conveniences, Olympic Swimming Pool and stable for Horses, etc.

People like Chief Bode Akindele started companies like Standard Breweries and Dr Pepper Soft drink factory at Alomaja in Ibadan. Broking House built by the late Femi Johnson, an insurance magnate, still stands glittering in the mid-day sun as an epitome to a rich history that Ibadan has.

The most serious and only notable Yoruba entrepreneur we have now is Michael Adenuga. I say this quite consciously because most of the other names are oil and gas barons. Most of what stood as testaments of industry in Oyo State are gone- Exide Batteries, Leyland Autos and many others. In its place are shopping malls and road side markets but no nation develops through buying and selling alone- especially when you’re not actually producing what you’re selling. Hypermarkets and supermarkets have taken over because of the need to feed our insatiable consumer-appetite and foreign tastes.

In one instance, an ancient landmark in the form of a hotel was demolished to pave way for a mall. That is how low we have sunk. If our past is better than our present- if we always look back with nostalgia frequently, then there is a problem.

The case of other states is not different. Osun’s case is pathetic. Ditto for Ondo and Ekiti. Ogun State can boast of some factories at Sango-Otta and Agbara axis but most of them are not owned by the Yorubas. There is no significant pharmaceutical company owned by any Yoruba except for Bond Chemicals in Awe, Oyo State- and its wallet share is very insignificant.

For Lagos State, more than 70% of the manufacturing concerns and major industries in the State are owned by the Igbos. If the Igbos were to stop paying tax in Lagos State, the IGR of Lagos State will reduce by over 60%. In contrast, Sir, go to the South East and look at the manufacturing concerns in Onitsha, Aba and Nnewi. Please don’t forget those were areas ravaged by civil war a mere forty something years ago. The Igbos have certainly made tremendous progress but the Yoruba nation has regressed. I wish to state that this letter is not meant to whip up primordial considerations or ethnic sentiments but just to put things in proper perspective.

Asiwaju, I will like to also talk about the state of education in the Yoruba nation. Our education has gone to the dogs. We have a bunch of mis-educated and ill-educated young men and women roaming the streets. Ibadan, for instance, had the first University in Nigeria and the first set of research centres in Nigeria (The Forestry Research Institute, the Cocoa Research Institute (CRIN), The Nigerian Cereal Research Institute Moor Plantation (NCRI), the NIHORT (Nigerian Institute of Horticultural Research), the NISER (Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research), IAR&T (Institute of Agriculture, Research and Training), amongst several others). Ibadan was the bastion of scholarship with people like Wole Soyinka, JP Clark, D.O Fagunwa and Amos Tutuola as residents.

In the May/June 2015 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, Abia came tops. Anambra came 2nd while Edo was 3rd. Lagos placed 6th while Osun and Oyo was 29th and 26th. Ekiti was 11th, Ondo State was 13th and Ogun State was 19th. In 2013 WASSCE, only Lagos and Ogun States were the Yoruba States above the national average. If we do an analysis of how Lagos placed 6th in 2015, you will discover that it was substantially because of other nationalities resident in Lagos.

For proof, please look no further than the winners of the Spelling Bee competition which has produced One-Day Governors in Lagos State. Since inception in 2001, other nationalities have won the competition six times (Ebuka Anisiobi in 2001, Ovuwhore Etiti in 2002, Abundance Ikechukwu in 2006, Daniel Osunbor in 2008, Akpakpan Iniodu Jones in 2011 and Lilian Ogbuefi in 2012). Sir, there is something seriously wrong about our state of education. From the vintage times of Obafemi Awolowo who initiated ‘free education’, we have regressed into a most parlous state.

Let me talk about roads, housing and infrastructure. The first dualized road in Nigeria, the Queen Elizabeth road from Mokola to Agodi in Ibadan was formally commissioned by Queen Elizabeth in 1956. The first Housing Estate in Nigeria is Bodija Housing Estate (also in Ibadan) which was built in 1958. The state of roads in the Yoruba nation has become pathetic. Our hinterland are still largely rural. Even some state capitals like Osogbo and Ado-Ekiti are big villages when you compare them to towns in the South East. How many new estates have been built over the last decade? Even Ajoda New Town lies in ruins.

We have abandoned the farm settlement strategy of the Western Region and only pay lip service to agriculture. Instead of feeding others like we once did, others now feed us. We plant no tomatoes, no pepper and the basic food that we require. The Indians have bought the large expanse of water body that we have in Onigambari village. The water body in Oke Ogun of Oyo State can provide enough fish to feed the whole of the South West.

From being a major cocoa exporter many years ago, one can point to just a few vestiges of factories that still deal with Cocoa in the Yoruba nation. 80% of Cocoa processing industries in the South West have been shut down. The Chinese have taken over the cashew belt at Ogbomoso in Oyo State. They have even edged out the indigenes as brokers. They now come to the cashew belt to buy from the local farmers, sell on the spot to other Chinese exporters who now process the cashew nuts and import them back into Nigeria at a premium. Sir, there are only 7 major cashew processing plants in Nigeria and you can check out the ownership. The glory has departed from the Yoruba nation.

Apart from Asejire, Ede, Ikere Gorge and Oyan dams built ages ago, where are the new dams to cater for increased population and water capacity for the Yoruba nation? How have we improved on what our heroes past left us? Maybe apart from certain areas in Lagos State, others can’t even supply their citizens with pipe-borne water.

Our youth which we used to take pride in are largely a mass of unemployed and unemployable people. Have you noticed the abundance of street urchins, area boys, touts and ‘agberos’ that we now have all across the Yoruba nation? Have you noticed the swell in the ranks of NURTW (I mean no disrespect to an otherwise noble union)?

Have you noticed the increase in the number of Yoruba beggars? There was a time that it was taboo for a Yoruba man to beg- but no more. The spirit of apprenticeship is dead. There was a time that people who learn vocational skills celebrate what we referred to as ‘freedom’. While that is largely moribund now in the Yoruba nation, the Igbos still practice it with great success.

The only thing we can boldly say the Yoruba nation controls is the information machinery- the press. We own largely the newspapers- the Nation, Punch, Nigerian Tribune, TV Continental and a few others. It is because of our control of this information machinery that we have rewritten the narrative in the country with the misguided self-belief that things are normal and we are making progress.

A look beyond the surface will prove that this is so untrue.
We are largely divided. For the first time in the history of the Yoruba nation, religion is about to divide us further- and it is starting from Osun State. You are married to a Christian. My own father-in-law is an Alhaji. That is how we have peacefully do-existed but the fabrics are about to be torn to shreds because of poor management of issues. Afenifere has been reduced to a shadow of itself. OPC that once defended Yoruba interests has gone into oblivion.

Yoruba elders have been vilified in the name of politics and partisanship. It is no longer news to see teenagers throwing stones at their elders because of their political indoctrination. Even under the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Yorubas never belonged to just a single party- yet our unity was without blemish. Now, our values have gone down the drain.

Asiwaju, I believe I have said enough. The task is Herculean but I believe Providence has brought you here for such a time like this. It is time for the Yoruba nation to clean up its acts. What do we really want? How can we quickly right the wrongs? The Yoruba nation is in a state of arrested development. The Yoruba nation is gasping for breath and crying for help.

Will you rise up to the occasion? I am aware you understand that all politics is local and charity begins at home. Our fathers gave us a proverb: ‘Bi o’ode o dun, bi igbe ni’gboro ri’. I know there are no quick fixes but I also know that if there is anyone who has the capacity to do something about our current situation, that person is you.

This should be the legacy you should think of. Your legacy is our future.

This article by Adeyinka, a blogger, a banker and a pastor was written few months ago and it’s being revisited because of the topical nature of the issues raised therein

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Oyediran who said that she had been praying that a descendant of Awolowo became President of Nigeria in the nearest future, stated this while playing host to some prominent dignitaries who visited Awolowo family house in Ikenne, over the death of their matriarch, Chief HID Awolowo.

”I used to pray daily that, one day, a descendant of the Awolowo family will become the President of Nigeria, but I stopped and I do not know why I stopped, but I want to say it again that one day a descendant of the Awolowos will become the President of Nigeria.”

Those who paid tributes at the Awolowo’s Ikenne home Tuesday included Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Chairman of the Yoruba Council of Elders, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo; Chairman of Oodua Investment Group, Dr. Isaac Akintade; Representatives of traditional rulers of Ife; Kofoworola Akerele-Bucknor; members of the Ogun State House of Assembly, led by the Speaker, Hon. Suraj Adekunbi Ishola; wife of the governor of Ogun State, Olufunsho Amosun; Gen Oladipupo Diya; members of the Yoruba Unity Forum, among others.

In his tributes, chairman of the Council of Yoruba Elders, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo said: “Mama contributed highly to the unity of Yorubaland. She lived a remarkable life worthy of emulation. Her lifetime is a lesson to the rest of us to teach us how to live our lives.”

Senator Oluremi Tinubu in her remarks said: “We have lost a woman of substance. An enigma, a woman of all seasons that touched virtually all spheres of life. She came, saw and conquered.

“A mother, wife, political icon. A woman of many parts. A role model personified. A mother I loved and admired. A loss not only to her biological children, but to the Yoruba race and Nigeria at large.”

The Ife Traditional Council of Kings led by Oba Adeoye Adefarakan, Oloyere of Iyere Ife said “the Ife Kingdom appreciates the contributions of Papa and Mama to the unity of Yorubaland.

“What we can say of Mama and Papa is that they contributed greatly to the development of Ife kingdom. This place (Ikenne) is the headquarters of Yorubaland in terms of politics and administration while Ife is the home of Yorubas.”

Also, former Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Sen Florence Ita-Giwa has described the late Hannah Dideolu Awolowo as a unifying factor, who contributed immensely to national development. Ita-Giwa in a statement, described the deceased as a nationalist and mother of the nation.

She recalled how she was privileged to have spoken with the matriarch on phone two months ago, adding that Mrs. Awolowo urged her never to give up in her struggle for Bakassi people.

The Bakassi leader also said the deceased made fundamental contributions to the media in her capacity as the Chairman of the Tribune newspapers.

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