Immediate past governor of Ekiti State and current Minister of Solid Minerals and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi has vowed that his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), will bring back the legacies of late renowned politician and friend of the masses, Chief Obafemi Awolowo by reclaiming power in July 14 gubernatorial poll.
Fayemi identified the legacies of Awolowo as the usual four cardinal points of social development now adopted as APC’ s manifestoes, as free education, free healthcare for children, pregnant, old and disabled, job creation and rural development.
He reminded the people of Ekiti who attended the 109th birthday anniversary of late Awolowo organised by the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), and held at the Eagle hall, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, that his government in Ekiti had delivered the four cardinal points.
He lamented that the legacies he left behind has now vanished in the state.
Fayemi vowed that come July 14, his party would do all it could to bring back Awo’s legacies.
His words: “If we remember, for the past eleven years we have been celebrating Awolowo s birthday, since 2017.
“What is most important is that those of us behind whom God has given the opportunity to lead, must pay our dues and help our people in Yoruba land. Awolowo has done a great deal and that is why we are celebrating him since he died in 1987. He is still being celebrated in Ikenne today like we are doing in Ekiti
“Pa Fasanmi once told me that Awolowo wished he had been born in Ekiti because then his largest followers were from Ekiti and he knew everyone in the state. If he was alive today, he would have been in APC as his political party. This is because this party was founded on Awo’s political ideals. We are Awolowo’s descendants in Ekiti
“We know Awolowo for what we call four cardinal points, from the days of the Action Group (AG) and Unity Party, these are free education, free healthcare for children, pregnant, old and disabled, job creation and rural development. If you remember , all these points were what we ensured when we were in power in Ekiti, sadly they are no more in the state.
“Don’t let us not lose hope, just like governor Akeredolu has said, all these ideals of Awo, we will ensure we do all we could to return them to Ekiti.
“I appreciate the ARG for celebrating Late sage Awolowo. In truth all of us who are of Yoruba race, it is high time we took up our role as leaders. We are the leaders of the black race, ” he said.
Also extolling the virtues of late Awo, governor Akeredolu of Ondo State said: “We are celebrating what Awolowo stood for which is the advancement of the Yoruba and African race. Ours is pureness of heart. Awolowo has played his part, it remains us to play ours.
“We cannot all forget the immense contribution of Awolowo especially among the Yoruba race. Afenifere song was composed by Awolowo. The song says that We the Yorubas are the light of the Black race may God not allow us to draw ourselves backwards.
“When Awolowo was incarcerated in those days, Hubert Ogunde counselled us to have a rethink in his popular song Yoruba Ronu.
“Celebrating Awo’s legacy would make us remember the great contribution of our great forbears. I urge all Yorubas to have a rethink and reunite. We must all work together for our progress.
“We are in the quagmire in this country, and God will not come down to help us. He would send someone. Once we have seen the person we will know with what he has done and what he would do. You know we are the same, I cannot deceive you, we have brought goodies for you in APC,” he said.
Elder Ayo Afolabi, representative of the chairman of Afenifere Renewal Group, (ARG), Wale Osun, said: “Every society reveres it forbears. We all talk about Awolowo. His works shall not perish.
“We are here to celebrate Awolowo so we won’t forget his legacies. APC is the party that we the Afenifere have embraced. It is the party that can assist the Yoruba race to the promises land. We enjoin all people to vote for the party in Ekiti.”
A guest lecturer at the occasion, Professor Williams Fawole, whose speech, entitled: Obafemi Awolowo and Transformative Politics: Sustaining The Worthy Legacy’, lamented that many politicians seeking political office in the country lack germane ideas to lead because they haven’t groomed themselves by reading and getting exposed to ideas that would make them better leaders.
He therefore urged politicians to imitate Awolowo by being original, saying: “what stands Awolowo out as a unique politician and better leader is his original ideas. Anyone who doesn’t have a freshness of ideas cannot be seen as a true leader. Awolowo’s legacies can not perish, we urge our politicians today to follow his footsteps so their own contributions could be remembered.
“Thus far in Nigeria democracy, only Awolowo can be seen as a philosopher king.
“Until we have leaders who can give themselves to rigourous analysis of our situation and profer sound solution to it. Only the deep can call to the deep, We can replicate a new Awo by electing into office people of great intellectual prowess,” he said.
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