By: Ajíbádé Abdullah Adéwálé
Good day, Ladies and gentlemen. On today’s occasion, I present to you the Man of the Year: a man who has been consistent with his actions, a man of integrity, a man of choices and words. Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Chief Femi Fani Kayode.
It’s a pity this man hasn’t gotten a standing ovation yet, even after his sacrifice for this country. Is this how Nigerians reciprocate good deeds?
Moving forward, it’s pertinent to read the citation of today’s awardee and I shall begin from the current to the past. Fellow Nigerians, please pick your pens and notepads for this man has got a lot that you all must learn from.
Chief Femi Fani Kayode, being a man of choices, made the headlines again as he has always done. He announced his defection to the respected political party and was humbly received by Nigeria’s president, whose tenure has successfully sailed the economic ship of the country to the Promised Land.
Our Man of the Year had once described this political party as darkness and said he would rather die than join. Well, since the country can now boast of a 24-hour power supply, the political party is no longer darkness and it won’t be a crime to join. I commend the chief for this open-minded decision.
Meanwhile, instead of Nigerians to celebrate the action of Mr Integrity, all they do is criticize him. Why would anyone castigate Chief Femi for his decisions? Just why? It is a known fact that he is a man of diverse faces and choices and he makes use of them at will.
The worst of it is a statement attributed to a former president pointing that as long as you provide our Man of the Year food, he will eat and then sing for you. I can confirm that this is a fat lie. Chief Femi neither eats much nor does he have a degree in Music, let alone knowing how to sing. Besides, there is a difference between singing for and merely praising or thanking your benefactor. They go so low by calling him a political prostitute and political panhandler. This is unacceptable! I think it’s high time the chief sued whoever defames him. What nonsense!
Let me quickly point out that our awardee, at a press conference a few months ago, celebrated a journalist for asking him who was bankrolling him. Oh! Chief Femi did so well in that regard. While everyone was expecting him to get angry because they believed the question was not appropriate, Chief Femi remained calm and even appreciated the journalist with unhealthy attributes. Now tell me why he shouldn’t be our man of the year. Indeed, he is a man who is not hot-tempered at all.
Here is a great opportunity for IPOB and Sunday Igboho, as the chief, their major spokesperson, has met with the president and stated their agitations and what solutions to proffer. Don’t be surprised that the issues will be addressed in no time. Our Man of the Year deserves more credit that he is getting from Nigerians.
To succinctly put forward all that I have iterated and going by the tenets of the Yoruba culture that places utmost importance on respect for elders, of which I belong, I would not like to neglect this beautiful part of my culture: Thus, I respectfully pronounce Chief Femi Fani Kayode as the Man of the Year for his consistently inconsistent loyalty and display of good deeds.
Don’t you want to be like our Man of the Year?
Ajíbádé Abdullah Adéwálé with the pseudonym Ogbeni Pentalk is a freelance writer from Nigeria. He believes in the quote: “The truth must be told and it must be told at all time.”
