ABUJA, Nigeria — Former Ekiti State governor and ex-minister of mines and steel development, Kayode Fayemi, has said Nigeria is still far from achieving full democratic governance, 25 years after the return to civilian rule.
Speaking on a special Democracy Day broadcast on Channels Television on Thursday, June 12, 2025, Fayemi argued that the country remains in a transitional state between civil rule and genuine democracy.
He stressed that the conduct of elections alone does not equate to democratic consolidation.
“What we mustn’t do is to conflate elections with democracy,” Fayemi said.
“What we got was to re-establish the right to vote our leaders into office in 1999. What we are yet to get is real democracy in my view. We got civilian rule, we are proudly on the journey — we now have a semi-democracy, but we don’t have full democracy.”
He added, “The effort that the previous president and now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has put into it, we all must build on that.”
Reflecting on his role in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle during the Sani Abacha regime, Fayemi recounted his leadership of Radio Kudirat — a secret broadcast network established to challenge military rule and advocate for democratic reform.
“It’s not that we were not afraid or we were aimlessly bold,” he said.
“We just didn’t fully think of the enormity of the threat it constituted beyond wanting to do the right thing.
“I mean, I carried the transmitters of Radio Kudirat on an Air France flight that was destined for Cotonou in the Benin Republic and made a detour to Lagos in the heat of the crisis. I could have been picked up on that flight, I would have been history by now as many found themselves to be.”
He recalled that some of the operatives assigned to eliminate pro-democracy leaders later testified before the Oputa Panel Commission of Inquiry, revealing details of those dark chapters in Nigeria’s history.
Fayemi paid tribute to those who lost their lives during the struggle, saying they were not “reckless” but courageous in pursuit of their convictions.
“So, we shouldn’t make light of what happened,” he said.
“I don’t by any stretch of imagination want to create the impression that we were invincible in what we did. I think some of us are just fortunate that we are still alive. Those who lost their lives were not stupid in what they did, they were following their convictions.”
While commending President Tinubu for recognising key figures in Nigeria’s democratic movement during a Democracy Day address at the National Assembly, Fayemi expressed disappointment that members of the Radio Kudirat team were overlooked.
“I wasn’t particularly happy and I must say this upfront. Those who were the drivers of that project… yes, I led that project, but none of them was recognised today by the president,” he said.
“Yes, I was the face of Radio Kudirat, I was responsible for its management but there were so many people who risked their lives.”
On Thursday, June 12, 2025, President Tinubu conferred national honours on 66 individuals for their contributions to Nigeria’s democracy, including Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Humphrey Nwosu, and Kudirat Abiola, who were posthumously recognised for their roles in the June 12 struggle.
