Fayemi: I didn’t attend WEF in South Africa

Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti state, has denied the report that he attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Cape Town, South Africa.

Pictures of the governor with Nasir el-Rufai, his Kaduna counterpart, and Muhammadu Sanusi, emir of Kano, in South Africa had surfaced online in the heat of the dispute over xenophobia.

The pictures had drawn criticism from some Nigerians who accused them of insensitivity.

The critics said they ought to have stayed away from South Africa just like the federal government boycotted WEF over the recent attacks on Nigerians in the country.

But in a statement on Thursday, Fayemi said he was in the country to attend a different event on the invitation of his friend.

“Contrary to some misleading online reports, Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi was not at the World Economic Forum in South Africa,” he said in the statement which his media team issued on his behalf.

“Rather, the Governor is in South Africa to honour an invitation by a long time friend and one of Nigeria’s most celebrated journalist, Mr Dele Olojode at the “Africa in the World Festival of Ideas” which held in Stellensbosch far away from Cape Town.

“More importantly, the event already held before the decision of the Federal Government to boycott the WEF programme.”