Fayemi begins 60th birthday celebration Monday

Activities marking the 60th birthday of former Ekiti State Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi will commence with a roundtable discussion on “Beyond Administrative Boundaries: Reimagining Nigeria’s Development Through Regional Integration” on Monday, February 3, 2025.

The roundtable discussion is organised by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN Commission) at its offices in Cocoa House, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Also, a commemorative colloquium with the theme, “Renewing the Pan-African Ideal for the Changing Times: The Policy and Leadership Challenges and Opportunities”, will feature a keynote address by elder statesman and former President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, followed by a seminar in which leading scholars and political thinkers will discuss the place of Africa in the changing global context on Thursday, February 6, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

The event will also feature the presentation of the celebrant’s new book, “If This Giant Must Rise”.

According to a statement by the secretary of the planning committee for Fayemi’s 60th birthday celebration, Egghead Odewale, the formal launch of the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement, founded by Fayemi, will also hold during the colloquium.

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) will also hold an event in honour of the former governor, who served as its founding director on Friday, February 7, at its headquarters in Abuja.

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A youth festival in honour of the former governor, put together by Ekiti youths, will take place at Adetiloye Hall, Trade Fair Complex in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, on Saturday, February 8, while the commissioning of a block of classrooms built and donated to the Command Secondary School, Isan-Ekiti, by the celebrant, will hold in the community same day.

The week-long activities, according to the statement, will be rounded off with a thanksgiving service at St Martins’ Catholic Church in Isan-Ekiti on Sunday, February 9, to be followed by a reception at his residence in the town.

Fayemi, who is currently a Professor in the School of Global Affairs at King’s College, London, served two terms as governor of Ekiti State (2010-2014 and 2018-2022) and was the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

He also served as Minister of Mines and Steel Development between 2015 and 2018.

Fayemi was the pioneer Director of CDD, a think tank dedicated to policy-oriented scholarship on democracy, development and human security in Africa.

An advocate of regional integration, Fayemi played a significant role in the formation of the DAWN Commission in 2013.

He was born in Ibadan on February 9, 1965.

The Star