Governor Fayose has, in recent weeks, become an instructor extraordinaire, as he vocally criticizes the Muhammadu Buhari administration, the All Progressives Congress and his critics.

Although, many might dismiss the Ekiti State governor as garrulous and effusive, Fayose remains unshaken in his stance and ever ready to defend himself and make his contribution to political discourse.

In this no-hold-barred interview with Premium Times, a continuation to a previous interview, Fayose touches on several issues.

Here are 10 things we learned.

All comments in quote were made by Governor Ayodele Fayose.

1) Obasanjo is not a democrat.

When asked if he disdains Former President Olusegun Obasanjo because of the role he played in his impeachment in 2016, Fayose stated:

“No sir. I say it as it is. The military in Nigeria should subject themselves to democratic rules. When Obasanjo was there he was behaving the same way Buhari is behaving today. It was under Obasanjo that the EFCC would lock people up because the president has power to order arrest, because the president appoints the IGP, the DG of SSS and others. He has power of coercion. The fact remains that the constitution allows me the right even in the face of accusation to enjoy my liberty. Obasanjo is not a democrat. Today, former Governor (Bola) Tinubu of Lagos would recall what Obasanjo did. It doesn’t matter what our political alignments are today, history cannot be taken away. So my position has not changed and it will never change.”

2) Citing several examples, Fayose tacitly described Obasanjo as dishonest, cunning, corrupt and shameless. He further averred that President Obasanjo, who insulted Buhari when he was President, now goes to visit Buhari in Aso Rock.

“When Obasanjo was there for eight years, Buhari didn’t go there? Everyday Obasanjo goes to kiss the ground in Aso Rock. Everyday Obasanjo has something to go and tell him there. There are some places elders would have a bit of shame. They would know that sometimes we should not go to this place. Even if you look at the pictures taken of his visit you see him bending down. When he was in government he was busy abusing this Buhari. Obasanjo was busy insulting Awolowo. One of the things Obasanjo wants to lay claim to in life is that he is the longest serving Nigerian president. When you add his military rule to his civilian regime, you understand. So, Obasanjo doesn’t like anybody to excel or exceed his record. That’s the truth. Obasanjo, who now seems to be the father of gangsterism or whatever he seems to be today, is the same man that we used to talk about every other day. Today he is there.

“The most painful aspect of it is for Obasanjo to be coming out and be claiming he is a very honest man. Where did he get the money that was given to the National Assembly that time? Where did he get the money? Each senator and member of the House of Representatives collected N50 million each.

“How about that $2billion Halliburton money? They jailed some people in America because of Halliburton. Obasanjo knows everything about Halliburton. Let us put Halliburton to trial and see what happens. That is why I told you that this fight must not be selective. If truly we want to fight corruption, let us fight corruption head on. And the fact remains that men will judge, God will judge again.”

3) Fayose, in a few words, stated that past presidents should be probed and their asset declaration examines– especially Obasanjo. He said this when he was asked if he was suggesting that Nigerian past presidents should be probed:

“I am not suggesting, I am saying it. What is the meaning of suggesting? Excuse me sir, let Obasanjo declare his assets. Let us go to Obasanjo’s declaration when he came in 1999 and his declaration in 2007. Who is fooling who? Buhari now declared mud house and herds of cattle. When he is going now he will go and build one house in Daura with salary. That time the mud house will now become ancient mud houses. The cattle will now become limo Mercedes bullet proof. I beg my brother! Those people who are stealing cow, should stop fighting people stealing rats.”

4) It is worthy to note that the PDP ‘might’ come into form following its loss in the 2015 presidential election and the controversy that has tailed the party ever since. Gov. Fayose stated that time will tell what will happen to the former ruling party and that the APC wants to muzzle the PDP:

“Let me explain something to you. When you have an accident, God forbid, you don’t gather momentum immediately. Life is physical, it is normal. What the PDP is going through now is a deliberate effort to destabilize the opposition by the APC and we know that. These are issues for time. Not even more of what the opposition is doing, but the implosion of the party that is the problem. The PDP is a situation that calls for major repairs and correction, but the fact remains that it is just about seven months ago and from all indications the federal government-led APC is muzzling the PDP. I want to tell you that it is not enough; time will tell. If you told somebody that APC would come and take power in Nigeria so soon, you would say it is a lie. So let us keep our fingers crossed and watch Nigeria.”

5) We learned about loyalty from the governor a virtue difficult to come by these days. Fayose, while agreeing that the PDP would have fared better if a Northerner had contested for the presidency under the PDP and that Jonathan’s candidature was “a political miscalculation”, however, stated that despite ex-President Jonathan’s loss at the poll, he (Fayose) “will remain with Jonathan even if I am the only man standing.”

“You see, time will take care of that. In the first place, we lost the election because we did not pick our candidate from the north, not because Jonathan as a person was bad. It was just a political miscalculation. The fact is that my former president, I chose my word, my former president, Goodluck Jonathan, tried his best. But if I were him, I would not have contested at all, you understand. Because it is two ways: if he did not contest and the PDP lost out, he will still be an honourable man, and if he had given that opportunity to the north, those who defected from the PDP would not have defected. But that is story. Jonathan did his best and I will still continue to support him. You know I was not there when they took the decision about him becoming the flag-bearer, but it doesn’t matter.

“We can’t all put our mouth inside the soil. Somebody must remain with somebody. I will remain with Jonathan even if I am the only man standing. A man is not measured by the amount of food you have and the amount of properties you own. Sometimes sickness is good, it reshapes your life. Sometimes poverty is good, it helps your life. Sometimes failure makes you to reorder your life. It is not the end of your life.”

6) We peeped into Governor Fayose’s plans for the future and it is gratifying to know that he doesn’t have a presidential ambition. Fayose stated this when he was asked if he had a presidential ambition at the end of his tenure as Ekiti state governor.

“For which country? Nigeria. Well, I don’t have such an ambition but I know I am going higher. Mark my words, I have said 20 things that will happen in Nigeria and more than seven have come to pass. Check the records.”

7) While defining the concept of “stomach infrastructure” as “welfare,” Fayose gives reasons why his government will continue stomach infrastructure.

“So all those things that governors are enjoying, what is it, is it not “doled”? All those things wives of governors are enjoying what do you call them? All those things political office holders are enjoying…when the president travels out and spends $1million a day, what is he doling? Paper? When doling out money to the people, mint is for the benefit of the people. Let me tell you something, one thing you must appreciate – no matter what number of promises you make, the stomach has to be filled.

“For me, stomach infrastructure is welfare. If somebody comes to me and says my father had an accident, he is in the hospital and he had fracture and he doesn’t have enough money that is what we are talking about. Somebody wants blood and they need to buy blood that is what we are calling stomach infrastructure, body infrastructure, health infrastructure etc.

“You see, when your enemies want to talk about your good works, they will go and take the negative end of it and start fanning the ember. My own concept about stomach infrastructure goes beyond food and water. We are talking about paying school fees. Somebody comes to say sir, my fee is N50, 000 but I have N20, 000, can you help me with N30, 000? That is infrastructure. The father of that person who cannot raise that money, who is under pressure or whatever, would now find a relief. It might be temporary.

“You may tar all the roads but people are dying. What is the essence? A man has been ill and somebody drew my attention to it. I went to pick him and took him to the hospital. When we got to the hospital, the man had all sorts of problems but he needed four pints of blood urgently. We later realized he had ulcer, diabetes, and all that. I spent about N600, 000. I am telling you now the man is recovering. The doctor says if not for my intervention, the man would have become history 48 hours after. But you have tarred the road in front of the house of that man now.

“My opponents should wait for their time. If they have the best answer, why were they rejected by the people? See Buhari now, they say they are going to be paying N5000 each to the people. Why would they not channel that money to another thing? Most of the people talking now have no answer to governance issues. They ran their states aground.”

8) Fayose enjoys cold Gulder beer and pepper soup. Fayose stated this when he was asked about the recent allegation against him by the APC that he own properties in Dubai. Fayose, who denied the allegation in no certain terms, stated that:

“I will not comment. I cannot be talking to fools. When you say Fayose took N720million you must be able to say to which account. If it is by Ghana must go bag, you must show the picture of how that Ghana must go bag is being carried. If you say I am building a house in Dubai, you must show papers of ownership. Ekiti earns about the least in Nigeria, there is no money to steal here. If you tell me that I am enjoying, yes I enjoy o, I eat correct pepper soup, sometimes, once in a while, I need to drink cold Gulder, I drink Gulder. I cannot tell you lies, all those small, small enjoyment, you cannot take it from me. Because when you are feeding others, you have to feed yourself.

“Whatever little, little benefit that is supposed to come to me, my brother it is my own. But for me to take N10 or N20million from what cannot pay salaries …you see they run their mouth, they just want to say something because I am an issue for them. What is N720million? They said I took N220million to Dubai. Is it by the boot of the plane or we carried it in our luggage? What was their security doing, that they did not see us? They should be able to align …because when you launder money there must be a source and there must be a head. They have alleged I took money from the country. They should tell me where the money was taken to…”

9) Fayose says that he will not cut the workforce of the Ekiti state government despite the economic downturn. He further said that economy ought to have been diversified a long term ago. Fayose stated this when he was asked to give suggestion on a way out for states in the present economy:

“Let us be realistic, over time this economy ought to have been diversified over 20-30 years ago. The economy was not diversified. There is no miracle but we need prayers, even in 2016. Even the president says it’s going to be tough. In my state for instance, if you don’t pay salaries as you ought to pay, where will you get taxes that you want to raise? And when people don’t make money, you cannot squeeze water out of a dry cloth. You can only try your best while it lasts. It is a time of recession. I am not going to sit here and paint the picture that everything will be fine, but everything will be fine in the long run.

“I can’t cut anybody’s job. Me, Ayo Fayose, I can’t sack any worker. Immediately they started the story of retrenchment, I told them count me out. You see, when you are owing me as a worker, it is different from taking my means of livelihood. When you are owing the worker at the bad times, he will have the hope that when money comes he would be paid. But if you had sacked him, you have killed him, you have taken away his life.”