Okay News reports that former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, age 89, has publicly disclosed a sharply worded text message he received from Ayodele Fayose, the former governor of Ekiti State, after attending Fayose’s 65th birthday in Lagos.
According to Obasanjo’s media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, the so-called “Thank You” SMS was made available to journalists in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State in Nigeria. In it, Fayose initially thanked Obasanjo for coming to the party but pivoted to harsh criticism of his remarks during the celebration.
Fayose wrote:
“Dear Baba Obasanjo, I trust this meets you well. Your coming to my birthday party, I appreciate it, except for your very irresponsible comments at your age. You went so low, but I am not surprised because someone once said you are supposed to be kept away in the zoo. Sincerely, that’s where you belong.”
He continued:
“I kept quiet or did not reply to you at the function so that the world would know the difference between a sane and a mad man. It is also obvious that you have lost your sanity — or should I say, this is the heightened stage of dementia.”
Fayose did not stop there. He pledged to “set the records straight in due course,” and demanded:
“Lastly, I shall appreciate it if you return my money since you publicly admitted you received it, but Dangote brought it back. Your leopard will never change its skin.”
He seemed to be referring to funds Obasanjo allegedly sent to cover his trip to the party, claiming that Obasanjo had publicly acknowledged receiving the money, although Fayose said Aliko Dangote, Nigeria’s famous billionaire businessman, returned the funds.
In response, Obasanjo issued a curt reply, stated by his side:
“Ayo, thanks for your ‘Thank You’ message, which undisguisedly revealed who and what you are, unchanged and unchangeable. Your money has been sent back through Foluso Adeagbo, who brought it, in the same bag as he delivered it, unopened by me.”
Obasanjo also used his time as the special guest of honour at the birthday to reflect on their contentious history. He recounted how Fayose had repeatedly insulted him over the years, despite Obasanjo’s attempts to reconcile. He said that even to secure his attendance at the birthday party, Fayose avoided a direct invitation: first sending Osita Chidoka, a former Nigerian Aviation Minister, as an intermediary, and later Foluso Adeagbo to “gauge his feelings.”
Obasanjo added:
“Some people called me and said, ‘We heard that you are going to attend Fayose’s 65th birthday. Have you forgotten how he abused you?’ But I said they should not worry. Irrespective of his character, he remains one of my children.”
He lamented that Fayose had not approached him directly, saying:
“Even to get me to attend this occasion, you could not approach me directly. You sent Osita Chidoka to sound me out. … You sent Foluso ahead to gauge my feelings, and you arrived about an hour later. When you came, you called your wife, and while on the phone, I said that both of you have not conducted yourselves well — Mo ni eyin mejeji kii somoluwabi [both of you are not Omoluwabi]. Your wife asked for forgiveness, and I said both of you are forgiven.”
Here, Obasanjo used a Yoruba moral concept — Omoluwabi — meaning someone of integrity or respect. He urged that Fayose should learn from their past:
“However, I do not want the lesson of what happened between you and me in the past to be lost. You must learn from this.”
Obasanjo also recalled warning Fayose, during his time as governor, against a government-led poultry investment, calling it fraudulent and saying it eventually failed. Drawing from a widely shared video of the event, Obasanjo called on Fayose to sincerely repent, asking him to prioritise humility and integrity going forward.
