Former Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, has criticized former President Goodluck Jonathan, stating that he lacked the necessary courage to implement the removal of the fuel subsidy during his administration, despite having the backing of key stakeholders at the time.
Fayemi made the comments on Tuesday in Abuja while speaking at the Oxford Global Think Tank Leadership Conference. His reflections covered Nigeria’s economic policies, leadership values, and the decisiveness required to make difficult governance decisions.
The former governor, who also served as Minister of Solid Minerals Development, revealed that contrary to popular belief, many governors under Jonathan’s administration—including himself—supported the removal of the fuel subsidy, even though the then-opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), politically opposed it.
“When we’re talking about 2012 Occupy Nigeria and the opposition to President Jonathan, the truth of the matter was that the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, of which I was a member, were the major advocates for subsidy removal,” Fayemi said. “Yes, my party, the Action Congress of Nigeria at the time, did not support subsidy removal. In fact, myself and Oshiomhole were active promoters of it in all the town hall meetings that were held at the time.”
Fayemi criticized Jonathan for succumbing to political pressure instead of holding firm on what he believed was an economically sound policy.
“I think when people want to blame the opposition for not lining up behind President Jonathan, there’s something to be said for President Jonathan lacking the conviction to go ahead to do what he believed in and ensure that subsidy is removed,” Fayemi stated.
Drawing a comparison with the current administration, Fayemi commended President Bola Tinubu for demonstrating decisive leadership by ending the fuel subsidy on his first day in office, despite the inevitable economic and political backlash.
“What did President Tinubu do? He came in and said subsidy is gone from day one” he noted. “He could have opted out of it, especially when the pressure started mounting in the first month and prices began to rise. But he stayed on course — and that is the courage we must commend him for.”
However, Fayemi cautioned that while having the courage to make bold policy changes is important, managing the consequences of such decisions is equally critical.
“The devil is always in the detail,” he noted. “What comes after is how you manage it so that the population does not feel a sense of loss, as they are feeling at this particular point in time.”
The former Ekiti governor also used the platform to urge Nigerian youths to actively participate in nation-building without waiting for a formal invitation, emphasizing the necessity of courage, initiative, and selfless service.
“Young people should not wait to be invited,” he advised. “Nobody invited me in; it was my values and belief that a better Nigeria is possible that drew me into activism from academia, and from activism into politics.”
He concluded by stressing that leadership should transcend political ambition and material gain, highlighting the importance of integrity, mentorship, and delayed gratification in public service.
