Profile
John Olukayode Fayemi served as governor of Ekiti State from 2018 to 2022 under the banner of the All Progressives Congress. He previously served in this governorship office between 2010 and 2014. Fayemi was also the Minister of Mines and Steel Development in President Muhammadu Buhari‘s cabinet from November 2015 to May 2018, when he resigned to contest for a second tenure as Governor of Ekiti State.
Personal Life
He was born on 9th February 1965, in Ibadan to Ekiti’s parents from Isan-Ekiti, Oye Local Government, Ekiti. Fayemi is married to Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, and they have a son, Jimi Fayemi . He has authored several books on governance and democratization, civil-military relations and security sector issues in Africa, including Deepening the Culture of Constitutionalism: The Role of Regional Institutions in Constitutional Development in Africa, and Out of the Shadows: Exile and the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in Nigeria.
Education
| School | Qualification | Year |
| King’s College, London, United Kingdom | Ph.D War Studies (specialization in civil-military relations) | 1989-1992 |
| Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State | Degree in International Relations | |
| University of Lagos, Lagos State | Degree in History | |
| Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State | West African Senior School Certificate | 1975-1980 |
| ICC Primary School, Agodi, Ibadan, Oyo State | First School Leaving Certificate | 1970-1975 |
Work History
| Place | Position | Date |
| Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) | Chairman, Governing Board | |
| Centre for Democracy & Development (CDD) | Founding Director | 1997-2006 |
| Nigeria-Now | Editor | |
| City Tempo | Journalist | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | Journalist | |
| Media Empowerment for Africa (The Radio Foundation), London, United Kingdom | Secretary General | 1995-1997 |
| Deptford City Challenge, London, United Kingdom | Strategy Development Adviser | 1993-1995 |
| King’s College, London, United Kingdom | Tutorial Fellow, War Studies Department | 1992 |
| African Research and Information Bureau, London, United Kingdom | Research Officer | 1991-1993 |
| Development & Management Consultants, Ikeja, Lagos State | Research Officer | 1987-1989 |
| Nigeria Police Training College, Sokoto State | Lecturer | 1985-1986 |
JKF
Ekiti State
9 February 1965
Ekiti State
APC
Christianity
Governor, Ekiti State (2010-2014)
Minister of Mines and Steel Development (2015-2018)
Governor, Ekiti State (2018-2022)
N/A
Political History
Fayemi’s political journey began in 2006 when he began campaigning for the governorship seat of Ekiti State, ahead of the 2007 elections. He contested for this seat on the platform of the defunct Action Congress. After three and a half years of fighting through the legal system, on 15th October 2010, the appeal court sitting in Kwara state declared Fayemi the duly elected Governor of Ekiti State, thereby marking the end of Olusegun Oni‘s administration as the then Governor of the state.
Fayemi served as the Governor of Ekiti between 2010 and 2014. He contested for re-election in the 2014 gubernatorial elections of the state, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. He was defeated by a previous governor, Ayodele Fayose of the People’s Democratic Party.
Following this, he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as the Minister of Mines and Steel Development. He served in this capacity from 11th, November 2015 to 30th, May 2018, when he resigned to contest for a second term as Governor of Ekiti State. Fayemi ran for the 2018 gubernatorial elections under the platform of the All Progressives Congress. He was declared the winner on 15th July 2018 – winning by 19,345 votes against the closest rival, Kolapo Olushola of the People’s Democratic Party.
Fayemi was also unanimously elected the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum in May 2019.
Leadership Style/Philosophy
Awards & Honours
2021 Freedom of Information Act (FOI) Award conferred by the International Press Centre
2021 Governor of the Year Award by SERAS CSR Awards Africa
2019 Governor the Year Award by Vanguard Newspaper
2013 Zik Prize in Leadership Award
2013 Good Governance Award by Nigeria-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC)
Fellow of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Ibadan
National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON)
Project
- Rehabilitation of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti
- Established the Ekiti State Polytechnic in Isan-Ekiti
- Attracted $250,000 funding from the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) for the feasibility study of the Ekiti Knowledge Zone (smart city project)
- Installation of four 500KVA distribution substation transformer in Ido Ekiti
- Construction of International Cargo Airport
- Distribution of ₦497 million to 70 communities to complete ongoing projects in their domains and to initiate new ones
- Construction of Ekiti Civic Centre located at the Business District Area of Fajuyi Square, Ado Ekiti.
- Creation of 19 additional Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs)
- Rehabilitation of Ekiti State Teaching Hospital
- Construction of major federal roads across Ekiti State
Criticism/Controversy
- In 2016, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) investigated Fayemi’s tenure as Governor of Ekiti State from 2010 to 2014, for alleged misappropriation of over N25 billion infrastructure bond by his government. Similarly, in July 2020, he was accused of “financial impropriety” relating to the Ajaokuta Steel Mill during his tenure as Minister of Mines and Steel Development from 2015 to 2018. All charges were later dropped and he was found innocent. However, several petitions have been filed against him at EFCC based on various corruption allegations ranging from misappropriation of public funds and gross high handedness during his first tenure as Governor.
In January 2022, Fayemi was accused of bribery and electoral fraud surrounding the 2022 Ekiti APC gubernatorial primary. Reports showed that Fayemi had allegedly bribed the APC primary committee and INEC officials in the days before the primary, leading to the withdrawal of all candidates aside from the Fayemi-supported Abiodun Oyebanji. Oyebanji emerged victorious from the primary, receiving nearly 97% of the vote with a margin of over 100,000 votes. Such extreme efforts were speculated to be connected to Fayemi’s desire to have an ally as his successor to give a boost to his likely 2022 presidential candidacy.
