The former Governor of Ekiti State, and former Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has warned that weakening institutions pose Nigeria’s most dangerous threat, saying the erosion of institutional capacity is fuelling insecurity, economic vulnerability and governance failures that continue to undermine the country’s national strength.
In an exclusive interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, the former governor argued that Nigeria’s declining institutional strength is at the root of its inability to translate its vast resources and strategic assets into sustained influence at home and abroad.
“I think it’s weakening institutions. Everything stems from weakening institutions.”
“Quite a huge chasm between the country we believe we are and the country that our laws allow us to be—that is, between aspirations and capability.”
Fayemi also attributed Nigeria’s challenges to both leadership failures and structural weaknesses, arguing that changing political leaders without addressing the underlying system may not significantly alter the country’s trajectory.
“It’s both. It’s a leadership problem and it’s a structural problem. Whatever is happening by way of insurgency, banditry, insecurity is also a consequence of that unsettled national question. You can then add other things to it: leadership challenge, poverty, inequality, you name it. But unless we settle the question of what is this country called Nigeria, what does it mean to its citizens, how do we then define our national objectives based on a settled vision?”
On how the country can resolve its longstanding national question, Fayemi advocated revisiting the Constitution through a Sovereign National Conference to establish a framework that genuinely reflects the will of Nigerians.
“I believe for us as a country, and for those of us in the activist movement in the pre-1999 days, one of the reasons why we were ambivalent about the 1999 transition program was that we felt this question had not been settled. We used to talk about a Sovereign National Conference at that time to look at the Constitution and ensure that it is a ‘We, the people’ Constitution, not one that is imposed on the state.”
Speaking on the APC’s founding vision and its evolution since the party came to power in 2015, Fayemi said the party was established as a “rescue mission” aimed at responding to Nigerians’ aspirations, with a strong emphasis on democratic processes and accountability.
He, however, pointed to the party’s recent defeat in Osun State as evidence of the consequences of failing to uphold those founding principles, particularly the need for transparent internal processes and a clearly defined candidate.
“If you look at the 2015 manifesto of the APC, we were very clear about the restructuring of this country. If you go back to what we said we wanted to do, it was a rescue mission for the country in 2015, and we defined what we meant by the rescue mission, which included having a party that speaks to the yearnings of the people in all its ramifications.
“That’s not the kind of contestation we have been dealing with, as you can see, which earned us defeat, if you don’t mind my saying so, recently in Osun State. If our party had gotten our act together and allowed a process to culminate in a clearly defined candidate for the party, maybe we wouldn’t have ended up the way we did. Those are the kind of issues. When we started the party, the leaders of the party were very insistent that we must let it be democratically driven.
“I believe that lessons would have been learned from what happened in Osun State. I hope these are lessons that will then stick, and the party machinery will begin to reflect and ask itself some questions about this.”
Fayemi also warned against placing excessive emphasis on electoralism, arguing that Nigeria’s democratic system must prioritise consensus-building and broader political inclusion rather than a winner-takes-all approach.
“So if we focus too much on electoralism without looking at a way of building consensus and bringing everybody to the table so that they are all political stakeholders—and I’ve been preaching this since the 2023 election day, if not long before then—we’re not going to resolve that point you just made.”
On the political situation in Ekiti State, the former governor rejected suggestions that he has emerged as the governor’s political kingmaker, stressing that Governor Biodun Oyebanji is independently running the state, has continued the 30-year development plan he inherited from him, and has brought political stakeholders together across party lines to promote unity and accelerate development.
“I don’t think it’s a fair assessment. What we have in Ekiti is a governor who is committed to deepening democracy in the state, and he’s also committed to bringing all the political stakeholders together in the manner that I’ve described that we need to do at the federal level. He has succeeded in doing that so far, so good. I give kudos to our governor for that.
“As to whether one is a kingmaker, I don’t know what they mean by that. I’m hardly ever involved in the minutiae of activities in the state. The governor is running the state in a reasonably focused manner. I left a development plan, which is a 30-year development plan, when I left office and handed over to him. He has continued with that development plan. The trajectory is on the upswing. The state is doing reasonably well.”
On whether he would seek national office in the future, Fayemi said he could not predict what lies ahead, stressing that while he remains politically active, he is not currently pursuing any partisan political ambition.
Fayemi said his current focus remains on policy research, international engagement and mentoring emerging leaders, through his policy think tank and academic work with institutions including the African Union, ECOWAS and the United Nations.
“I honestly do not know, and I don’t want to speculate on that. I am still a political animal and still a politician. I am not retired from politics. I set up a policy think tank when I left office, and that policy think tank has been working with the African Union, with ECOWAS, with the United Nations, and foreign institutions, and also focusing on helping to build emerging leaders who want to go into the public policy arena. That work has continued, and I don’t think I’m going to stop that. My work is also going on; I’m a professor in the School of Global Affairs.”
On his political future, however, the former governor said he remains active in politics but is not currently pursuing any partisan ambition, maintaining that his priority is to support efforts that advance better governance in Nigeria.
“I may not be pursuing any partisan political interest at this particular point in time, but I’m interested in better governance for our country, and however one may get to that point, I will always line up to support that process.”
Reiterating his membership of the APC, Fayemi said the party remains his current political platform, while leaving his future direction open.
“Well, I’m APC now, and APC is the ruling party now. Again, we all have to see what the future portends.”
Favour Odima
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