By Donu Kobara
As Ekiti State indigenes prepare themselves to vote in the upcoming gubernatorial election – which will take place tomorrow – I feel moved to reflect on the character of the incumbent Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, whom I’ve known since we were both young students and workers in London.

He has distinguished academic career credentials that are especially appropriate for the Oga of a state that is famed for producing intellectuals (it is often said that almost every family in Ekiti contains at least one PhD!).

He is a prolific author who has lectured in Africa, Europe, the Americas and Asia; and he has been, to name but a small handful of the posts he held before he entered politics, an Adjunct Professor of Security Studies at the National Defense University in the US, a Member of the Management Review Board of the ECOWAS Secretariat, an Advisor to the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the pioneer Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (a research and training institute that was dedicated to the study and promotion of development, peace-building and human security in Africa).

Gov.Fayemi addressing the press

But he is not an emotionally remote Oyinbo-ish bookworm who inhabits an ivory tower and struggles to relate to anyone who is not a foreign-trained egghead.

Fayemi is a true Man Of The People. He was educated in Nigeria as well as abroad. He understands down-to-earth local realities as well as sophisticated international environments. And I can honestly say that he is one of the most sincere, caring, uncorrupt and utterly unpretensious people I have ever met.

Whenever I express a high opinion of a Nigerian dignitary, certain Vanguard readers – I call them The Usual Cynics! – accuse me of having been paid to do so.

But I can swear on the Bible that Fayemi did not ask me to write this flattering article or offer me a dime. And that even if he HAD offered me money to sing his praises on this page, I would have firmly rejected it because he is an exceptional Nigerian who deserves free, honest, heartfelt compliments.

For me, this is about the quality of an individual, not a matter of one party’s candidate versus another party’s candidate. Fayemi happens to belong to the APC. But I’d have regarded him as ideal, whatever party he belonged to.

When one looks at Dr Fayemi’s CV, there is so much to admire. He has bravely risked his life. During military rule, he ran an opposition radio station – Radio Kudirat – and undertook several other underground activist assignments.

He has also delivered on large chunks of the eight-point agenda he unveiled in his inaugural speech on October l6, 2010.

He kicked off by assuring his constituents that: “…The vision is clear…It is to make poverty history in our land. While it is going to be a daunting task, it is not an insurmountable challenge…Ekiti State is bigger than us all…”

And he has indeed made great strides in terms of participatory governance and accountability, infrastructure, modernisation of agriculture, education and human capital, healthcare, industries, tourism and female empowerment.

Fayemi’s progressive attitude towards gender issues is one of the things I like about him. He has said that: “The skills and experiences that women bring to the leadership table are as important as what men have to offer.”

And he has always treated his clever, charming and hard-working First Lady, Erelu Bisi, like an equal partner.

Erelu Bisi Fayemi is, in her own right, a force to be reckoned with. As far back as I can remember, she was sturdily standing by her man, but not in a slavish way, and eloquently championing the female empowerment cause with his help.

The Fayemis are a great team and inspirational role models. Even when they were kids, they were un-frivolous, mature and just plain decent.

They have, for the past 30 years, made substantial sacrifices and embraced socio-economic reform initiatives with passion and compassion. They are not arrogant or greedy or interested in wealth acquisition or oppressing citizens.

When they eventually made it to Government House in Ado Ekiti nearly four years ago, I cheered like crazy, knowing that Ekiti people were lucky to have them.

I hope that I will have cause to cheer again after tomorrow’s election.