He said that if he had been picked up on that flight, he might not be alive today, just like many others who met similar fates.”
Former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has reflected on the perilous efforts that birthed Nigeria’s return to civilian rule, recalling how he and others operated Radio Kudirat during the Abacha dictatorship — a move he now says could have cost them their lives.Nigerian cultural tours
Speaking on Thursday during a special Channels Television event titled ‘Nigeria’s Democratic Journey: An Inter-Generational Conversation On Building A Better Nation’, Fayemi recounted, “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.
“It’s not that we were not afraid or we were aimlessly bold, we just didn’t fully think of the enormity of the threat it constituted beyond wanting to do the right thing.”
He said that if he had been picked up on that flight, he might not be alive today, just like many others who met similar fates.”
“I could have been picked up on that flight, I would have been history by now as many found themselves to be,” said.
During the Oputa Panel Commission, Fayemi noted, some of those tasked with eliminating leaders of the pro-democracy struggle came forward to share their accounts.
“So, we shouldn’t make light of what happened and 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,” he said.
While praising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for honouring some figures in the struggle with national awards, Fayemi called for broader recognition, particularly for the unsung operators of Radio Kudirat.
He used the occasion to reflect on Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999, arguing that while civilian rule has been restored, the country still falls short of full democratic ideals.Nigerian cultural tours
“What we mustn’t do is to conflate elections with democracy. What we got was to reestablish the right to vote for 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 now we don’t have full democracy. The effort that the previous president and now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has put into it, we all must build on that,” he stated.
Fayemi noted that the right to vote alone does not constitute a democracy, stressing the importance of institutional reforms, accountability, and citizen engagement.