“When You’re Stupid, Your Children Will Be Stupid” – Fayose Compares Lere Olayinka to Wike
Isaac Fayose, younger brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, has criticised Lere Olayinka, spokesperson to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over his recent appearance on Arise Television.
Fayose accused Olayinka of displaying arrogance during the programme and compared his conduct to that of Wike, whom he described as his “master”.
“When you are arrogant, your children will be arrogant. When you are stupid, your children will be stupid. You see how Lere Olayinka behaved. He behaved arrogantly,” Fayose said in a video.
The comments followed a heated exchange between Olayinka and Arise Television anchor Rufai Oseni during a live edition of The Morning Show on Friday.
Olayinka had appeared on the programme to discuss political issues but declined to respond to questions from Oseni, saying he preferred to have the conversation with what he described as “reasonable human beings.”
According to reports from the programme, the disagreement appeared to have been triggered by Olayinka’s objection to an alleged description by Oseni of some people as “emudani.”
Oseni had also asked Olayinka to explain why former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, was included in President Bola Tinubu’s presidential campaign council despite allegations of corruption against her.
Olayinka, however, refused to answer the question from Oseni.
“Well, I’m very sorry to say this, Oseni Rufai, I don’t want to answer any question from you. I want to concentrate,” Olayinka said.
“I want this conversation to be among reasonable human beings, people who will not come and tell, who will not come and describe other people as ‘emudani’.”
The disagreement eventually led to the interview being cut short.
Reacting to the incident, Fayose said Olayinka’s behaviour reminded him of Wike, suggesting that the spokesperson was acting in the manner of his political principal.
“Look at the way he disgraced himself at Arise TV. He behaved like his masters, Wike them,” Fayose said.
He also quoted a biblical expression to support his criticism of Olayinka, saying, “The Bible says, by their fruits you shall know them.”
Fayose further accused Olayinka of behaving like an oppressor and criticised what he described as the spokesperson’s manner of speaking during the television appearance.
“To him, he is now an oppressor. Look at the way he was talking arrogantly. ‘I don’t talk to you. You, I want to talk to you.’ Ah, they don pieces Nigeria,” he said.
The businessman also made personal remarks about Olayinka’s background. He said, “And that boy is a shoe-shiner’s son. But because he has taste power, they talk anyhow.”
“What was the Wike’s work before now? It’s government.”
His criticism of Wike comes against the backdrop of previous comments he made about the FCT minister’s handling of issues in Abuja, particularly the continued presence of roaming cattle on major roads.
In August, Fayose accused Wike of showing greater concern for cattle than for residents of the capital city after the minister declined to discuss the issue during a media chat, describing it as a national security matter.
“Yesterday, I watched Wike’s media chat. He answered all the questions, but when it comes to cows, he said ‘why do we have cows?’ Government wey dey fear cow, but are quick to disrespect human beings. That is where you know that the government are on selective development,” Fayose had said.
Fayose had also questioned why the children of Nigerian political leaders often study abroad if the country was performing well, linking the issue to comments by Cardinal John Onaiyekan that Nigeria was “bleeding.”
“I can see many of them attacking Cardinal Onaiyekan stating the obvious that the country is bleeding. If the country is not bleeding, why are all your children graduating from the UK and US universities? If the country is doing well, why did Wike’s daughter not graduate from Nsukka or OAU?” he asked.
Wike, during the media chat, had refused to provide details on the government’s handling of cattle roaming on major Abuja roads, including the route leading to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
“I won’t talk about cows. It’s a matter of national security. I have said it severally,” Wike said.
The minister also spoke about insecurity in Abuja, arguing that security challenges were not peculiar to the FCT or Nigeria.
“When you say pockets of insecurity, where in this world is everywhere safe? Even America is facing insecurity, France, and Spain,” he said.
Wike further identified abandoned and uncompleted buildings as contributing to insecurity in the capital, saying such structures had become hideouts for criminal elements.
“The uncompleted buildings are also part of insecurity,” he added.
The issue of roaming cattle has previously drawn an apology from Wike. During his monthly media briefing in June, the minister acknowledged that cattle were still moving through parts of Abuja despite government efforts to address the situation.
“I apologise that up till now there are cows still roaming the streets of Abuja; I take responsibility,” Wike said at the time.
He explained that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Livestock Development, had been engaging Miyetti Allah and other stakeholders as part of efforts to promote ranching and reduce the movement of cattle through the city.
Wike also described the continued presence of cattle on Abuja roads as an “eyesore” and said a lasting solution would require cooperation among the relevant authorities.
