‘REA Chairmanship too small for you’, Isaac Fayose tells brother

Isaac Fayose has advised his elder brother, former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, to hand over his newly announced appointment as Chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to his son, arguing that the position does not reflect his political stature.

Isaac made the remark in a video shared on his Instagram page on Monday while reacting to the Federal Government’s announcement of Ayo Fayose’s appointment.

President Bola Tinubu had approved the appointment of Ayo Fayose as Chairman of the REA board as part of a broader exercise that saw 26 individuals appointed to the leadership of 10 federal agencies and commissions.

The appointments were announced in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to the statement, Ayo Fayose will serve as chairman of the REA board alongside Ahmadu Abubakar and Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta as non-executive directors.

The agency’s Director-General, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and three executive directors will continue in their current positions.

Reacting to the development, Isaac Fayose maintained that his brother deserves a more influential national assignment and suggested he should instead allow his son to take up the REA chairmanship if possible. He argued that the former governor’s political experience and relevance should earn him a more prominent role in government.

Isaac opened his post by contrasting the chairmanship with more senior positions he believed his brother deserved, saying, “They said they gave my brother a DG, DG, not a minister, not ambassador.”

He argued that the appointment fell short of his brother’s stature, adding, “They said they gave him DG, head of parastatal, chairman of a committee. They no see give him minister, they no give him ambassador.”

Drawing a comparison with a government critic-turned-appointee, he said, “Even Reno Omokri sef, they gave him ambassador. They couldn’t give my brother ambassador,” and later pressed the point further, asking, “So why just chairman of a parastatal?”

Isaac linked the timing of the appointment to a weekend visit by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

He said, “They gave my brother DG because Obi came on Saturday to visit me. So they said, no, we must enter that family.”

Very Nigerian had reported that Isaac hailed Obi as Nigeria’s “incoming president” when the NDC candidate visited his home on Saturday, days after threatening to withdraw his backing, with Obi responding that many of those criticising Isaac online were not genuine supporters of the movement.

He said his brother had long maintained that he had no interest in government positions after leaving office, quoting him as having vowed that whenever he left government house, he would not become a minister, a director-general or a senator, and would return instead to face his private business.

He said, “But my brother told me, Ayodele Peter Fayose, told me, ‘Isaac, when I’m leaving this government house, whenever I leave this government house, I will not be a minister, I will not be DG, I will not be senator, I will not be anything. I will face my business.’”

Isaac noted that his brother had been financially independent long before holding public office, stating that he had been a billionaire from “when I was a baby, and had continued to do well in private business.”

He described the appointment as a “Greek gift” and questioned the timing directly, asking, “Why didn’t they give you appointment since? Why did they wait till Obi come?”

Addressing his brother, he said, “I know you will not take this. But if you take it, who am I? Who am I? Omo Oba.”

He then offered congratulations while telling him to pass the position on instead.

He said, “Congrats on your appointment. You better give your son. Please, don’t use that kind of appointment. You are too big for that. Afobaje ni e,” loosely translated as “you are a kingmaker.”

Beyond the appointment, Isaac used the post to restate his confidence in the opposition’s chances in the 2027 general election.

He said, “I am ready to see it through. And I know what we have on ground in Nigeria today. Election, we have 62 per cent, total vote cast, free and fair, credible.”

He dismissed suggestions that the vote would be manipulated, adding, “I’m not scared… They are scared of what they don’t know

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