Isaac Fayose, businessman and entrepreneur, has given his reasons why he’s not interested in getting involved with partisan politics in Nigeria.
Although, Fayose agrees that if the country is hungry for people who think and behave differently in positions of political leadership, a man like him is considered. However, he said he’s concerned about the systems that crown political leaders in Nigeria.
Fayose is not a stranger to politics. He has been privileged to operate closely at the power corridor when his older brother, Ayodele Fayose ruled Ekiti State for eight years. Based on his close experience and what is believed to be his exceptional disposition to governance, many have invited him to join a political party and run for an elective office. But Fayose says no. He is not made for real politics. However, he made a promise; “I’m going to use my advocacy and experience to propagate and support good governance.”
Fayose, noted for philanthropy, now runs Food Bank, a daily charity support on his social media to assist the poor and the needy in society. He says that initiative is one of his efforts to cushion the effects of hardship willfully created by the leadership of Nigeria.
Fayose believes Nigeria has not been blessed with a sincere leadership since independence, save for brief moments in her political transitions. His assertion suggests that Nigeria is like a business empire where everything is functional based on lies and deception where if you have to survive, you must kill, lie and embezzle.
“What I hate about politics is that, people who are elevated via a political party can wake up the next morning and destroy that party. I have an example in my elder brother (former Governor Ayodele Fayose) and Wike (former Governor of Rivers State now FCT minister) trying to destroy PDP, the party that made them.
I have seven children. Not that I cannot afford it because they’re getting their upkeep allowances as and when due. But I have no fear. The reason is that I don’t have my children in Africa. I have them in Australia, America, UK where school education is free up to the university level.
In Australia, America, UK they pay my children’s school fees. They pay for their medicals. I don’t have to visit the pharmacy to get malaria drugs because these countries have systems that work.
I don’t go through what my people go through in my country of birth, Nigeria. I don’t pay school fees,” Fayose revealed.
According to the young entrepreneur, Nigeria is a country where if you talk about killing corruption, you’re going to be the first victim of corruption. “I have taken bullets for my brother while he was in power and even neglected me. I had protested against an EFCC chairman and he ordered that anything must be found to pin on me so I could be jailed. I have been arrested for murder in Nigeria for speaking out the truth. I narrowly escaped been jailed. Others that were arrested with me were not so lucky.
Every sector in Nigeria has been corrupted. Kings from my country are in jail in America. Even pastors from Nigeria are in jail for fraud. The law judges in Nigeria are giving conflicting judgements because of money. That is my fear about politics in Nigeria. Nevertheless, I’m going to continue to play my roles to impact governance in many ways that I can. I can only hope that God heals my country,” he concluded.
-Folorunsho Hamsat
