According to the detailed account provided, the incident stems from an October 2020 exhibition, "Steady Strides," organised by the State Ministry of Arts and Culture, to which Fayemi was invited as a special guest.
Bisi Fayemi, the former First Lady of Ekiti State and renowned gender rights advocate, has denied the report alleging she acquired multi-million-naira artworks from an elderly artist without payment.
In a statement obtained by SaharaReporters on Wednesday and signed by her Special Assistant on Media, Olusegun Lawal, Fayemi described the report as "misleading, unfair, and a gross misrepresentation of the facts," while shifting blame squarely to the Ekiti State Ministry of Arts and Culture.Culture
The statement was unequivocal: "Erelu Bisi Fayemi did not at any time collect, withhold, or personally take possession of any artwork without payment, nor did she authorise anyone to do so on her behalf."
She has now called on the Ekiti State Ministry of Arts and Culture to urgently investigate the matter, clarify any administrative lapses, and publicly correct the misleading narrative.
According to the detailed account provided, the incident stems from an October 2020 exhibition, "Steady Strides," organised by the State Ministry of Arts and Culture, to which Fayemi was invited as a special guest.
Following a juried selection process by independent academics, Fayemi expressed interest in rewarding outstanding works. She stated that officials of the Ministry explicitly told her they would handle all subsequent processes—documentation, valuation, and payment.
“I was ready to pay immediately for any artwork selected. However, the officials of the Ministry clearly indicated that they would handle the entire process, including pricing and payment. I left the artworks behind in the care of the organisers and exited the venue at the end of the programme,” Fayemi explained, stressing that no artwork was ever delivered to her office or residence.
Fayemi highlighted a critical timeline, noting she remained in office for two full years after the 2020 exhibition. “At no time during that period did the artist or anyone acting on his behalf raise this issue with her directly or indirectly,” the statement read.
She expressed frustration, stating, “If Baba had been brought to my office or if this matter had been drawn to my attention at any time, I would have personally ensured that he was paid without delay.” She dismissed claims of inaccessibility as “entirely false.”
The former First Lady expressed “deep concern” and “genuine empathy” for the elderly artist, Elder Emmanuel Oladunjoye Abejide, but was “deeply pained” that the issue was never brought to her before being publicized in a manner she says damages her reputation.
She further clarified that claims suggesting she was inaccessible are entirely false.
“I am, and have always been, accessible. Even after leaving office, I remain reachable through multiple channels. This issue could have been resolved quietly, honourably, and compassionately years ago if it had been brought to me or anyone close to me,” she added.
SaharaReporters had reported how an 86-year-old veteran Nigerian artist, Elder Emmanuel Oladunjoye Abejide, accused the wife of former Ekiti State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, and officials of the Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture of withholding four of his artworks collected during a state-sponsored exhibition, with no payment, agreement, or clear account of their whereabouts more than four years later.
Abejide, a renowned multi-dimensional visual artist, retired Assistant Director of Ethnography, and pioneer curator of the Owo and Akure National Museums, said the artworks were taken from him during the October 2020 Society of Ekiti Contemporary Artists (SOECA) exhibition titled “Steady Strides”, sponsored by Erelu Fayemi to mark two years of her husband’s second term in office.
The exhibition, held between October 14 and 17, 2020, was officially declared open by Erelu Fayemi at the Adetiloye Hall in Ado-Ekiti.
Two external jurors from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the University of Benin, were invited to select the best 10 works.
According to Abejide, his light-weight sculpture “Seven Yams on Stake” emerged second overall, winning a cash prize of N100,000, while another of his works, “Isan Pottery Market,” placed seventh, earning N50,000.
He said the total prize money paid to him at the event was N150,000, presented publicly by Erelu Fayemi.
However, Abejide alleged that after the prize presentation, Erelu Fayemi went round the exhibition a second time and personally selected additional artworks she indicated interest in purchasing.
He noted that two of his works, “Jakan Embroidery” and “Boko Haram”, were among those selected.
He said members of the then–first lady’s entourage subsequently collected the 10 prize-winning works, along with the additional selected pieces, assuring the artists that a meeting would be held later to negotiate prices and finalise payments.
The artists were reportedly instructed to label their proposed prices on each artwork.
Abejide said he complied, pricing his four collected works as follows: “Seven Yams on Stake” – N600,000; “Isan Pottery Market” – N750,000; “Jakan Embroidery” – N750,000; and “Boko Haram” – N1.1 million.
He said all the collected artworks were left behind in the exhibition hall when the event ended on October 17, 2020, as the venue was immediately being prepared for a command performance marking the governor’s second anniversary in office. According to him, no negotiation meeting ever held.
On November 9, 2020, Abejide said he received a call from Mr. Adesina, the artist whose work won first prize, informing him that a panel would soon meet to fix agreed prices for the artworks to be acquired by Erelu Fayemi. Abejide said the promised invitation never came.
He noted that the assurance came barely weeks after the nationwide #EndSARS protests, during which public buildings and facilities in Ekiti were affected.
Abejide said repeated attempts to trace the artworks through official channels proved futile.
He quoted Mr. Ganiyu T.I., then Permanent Secretary of the Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture, as admitting knowledge of the collection but disclaiming responsibility on the grounds that he was no longer in the ministry.
Prince Osasona Caleb, then Chairman of SOECA, reportedly said he had no information on the whereabouts of the artworks, while Prof. Mike Adeoye, SOECA Secretary, allegedly told Abejide that one of his own works also went missing and that rumours linked the disappearance to looting during the #EndSARS unrest.
Abejide said when he contacted Prof. Rasaki Ojo Bakare, then Commissioner for Arts and Culture, the commissioner denied knowledge of the collected artworks and said the ministry could not be held responsible as no formal agreement was signed.
The artist said all efforts to directly reach Erelu Bisi Fayemi via phone calls, WhatsApp messages, and visits to her office, failed.
“I remain the most affected of all the artists,” Abejide said. “Where others lost one or two works, I lost four.”
Abejide reportedly supported Dr. Kayode Fayemi’s second-term campaign between 2012 and 2014, creating campaign-themed sculptures and presenting several symbolic artworks to the Ekiti State Government over the years.