Ayo Fayose Refuses to Apologize for Controversial Remarks on Nigerians having more children are contributing to the government’s challenges

Ayo Fayose, the former governor of Ekiti State, has firmly stated that he will not apologize for his recent remarks about Nigerians contributing to the government’s challenges by having more children than they can support.

During an interview with Channels TV on July 29, Fayose was asked to address the economic hardships affecting Nigeria. He responded by attributing part of the nation’s economic problems to the phenomenon of individuals having multiple spouses and large families, which he believes exacerbates the country's issues.

Fayose recounted a personal experience from a visit to a Northern state, where he interacted with a security guard employed by the government. He described the guard's situation: “I went to one state in the North. I was there for three days. In the course of my stay, I got familiar with people in that part of the government house that I stayed. The gateman told me he has been in government work for 26 years. When I asked what is your salary, he said the money is small and that it is N34,000. I said how many children do you have and he said he has sixteen and four wives.”

Fayose continued, “My brother! The problem is inside us for God's sake. If someone is earning N34,000, what can government do with 17 children? We don't want to be realistic. Another person said he has eight children and three wives and one of the wives is still expecting. A lot has to be done by our people too.”

Fayose’s remarks prompted a backlash from some Northerners, including Senator Shehu Sani, who found the comments offensive and called for an apology.

Addressing the criticism, Fayose asserted that he would not issue an apology. He explained, “No Apologies, My Comment Not Targeted At Anyone or Any Region. I have no reasons to say derogatory things about anyone, not even the North, not the South. What I said was very clear. I said I visited a State in the North, I didn’t mention the State. And I gave an illustration that I got talking to a Gateman who said to me that he had four wives and 16 children. And I said what can the government do about such a person? What can government do about a Gateman with four wives and 16 children?”

Fayose emphasized that his illustration was not meant to single out the North but to make a broader point. “That illustration is not about the North, it could be anyone in the Southwest, Southeast, or South-South. Some people are saying I should apologize, and I want to state that I have no apology because I have not offended anyone. My point is, the nation needs to address the issue of its population, either North, South or anywhere.”

He also lamented that many critics had not viewed the interview in its entirety or understood the context, stating, “It is regrettable that people like to pervert the truth and quote others out of context. Majority of those who have reacted to that interview did not even watch it, they didn’t also bother to see the video.”

Concluding his response, Fayose said, “Therefore, I can’t be bothered about the anger of anyone. I have no reasons to be derogatory about anyone, any region or group.”