I woke up to news that Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka was, for the first time in recent times, on the same side with former President Olusegun Obasanjo over the latter’s comments on the Islamization agenda of herdsmen and Boko Haram.
You don’t have to be a history-head to know that the Abeokuta born Professor has never been on good terms with the Baba Obasanjo despite the fact that they hail from the same state – Ogun.
I discussed this coincidence at work and some people think he is doing it to seek favours from Obasanjo. Highly unbelievable considering that Baba is no longer in power. But it is valid. Someone else said Soyinka is trying to get at Buhari. This is also valid but I am also not willing to believe it because Soyinka has never shied from publiclycriticizing anyone. It doesn’t matter if it is in a book or in a speech or in poems like when he was imprisoned during the Biafra War.
So before we go any further in what I think, let’s take a look at the relationship between Professor Soyinka and both former Military Heads of State turned Civilian Presidents of Nigeria.
Let’s start with Obasanjo. We have established that they both grew up in and around Abeokuta so instead we will focus more on how their paths have crossed.
The first instance of their paths crossing was in August 1967 when they met in Ibadan, at Soyinka’s request. There have been different accounts of their actual discussions but one thing is sure: their discussion played a huge role in Soyinka’s 22-month long solitary confinement by then Head of State General Yakubu Gowon during the Civil War for illegally visiting the secessionist territory Biafra.
That is almost two years alone in a cell and I doubt anyone can forgive that.
Then 1986 came along and Kongi became the first African to get honoured with a Nobel Prize in Literature. He received widespread congratulatory messages from across the country and the world but Obasanjo’s silence was loud.
It was therefore no surprise to anyone when Soyinka’s voice was one of the loudest in opposition of Obasanjo getting seriouslyconsidered for the United Nations Secretary Generalship. And in fact, he admitted in an interview that they both came close to exchanging blows at the VIP lounge of the airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
That set the stage for deep-seated animosity between the duo.
Not long after though, both of them were on the same side in unity against General Sani Abacha’s regime. Abacha’s went after both of them. Soyinka fled abroad and continued to wage battle against him, while Obasanjo stayed behind and got sentenced to thirty (30) years imprisonment over a phantom coup. He survived the prison for three years and went on to become Nigeria’s first democratically elected president since Shehu Shagari in 1979.
In Obasanjo’s second term, Soyinka opposed him again and in July 2003, accused his government of covering up for the Bola Ige’s murderers. Of course Baba replied. And so the back and forth public statements went on.
It reached the peak in 2006 when in response to another public tongue-lashing of the President by Soyinka, Femi Fani-Kayode, Obasanjo’s Special Assistant (Public Affairs), famously replied him by mocking his decision to leave Christianity and serving orisha (traditional god) by saying that it is very difficult to logically have a discussion with anyone who does not believe in God.
The animosity did not end with Obasanjo’s reign. In 2014, Obasanjo described Soyinka as someone he would meet to gladly hunt aparo (guinea fowl) alongside then discuss wine with than discuss politics. In retaliation, Soyinka penned “the nastiest” book he ever penned With Between Defective Memory and Public Lie, a Personal Odyssey in the Republic of Liars which in his words he intended to use to “draw blood” from the former President.
I am sure the obsession between both men has been stated so far so you understand my surprise when Soyinka, despite subtlycriticizing the language used in Obasanjo’s statement, agreed with the statement.
On Buhari’s first term regime, Soyinka has not been too critical except on two occasions when he spoke on the regime’s failure on insecurity and their flouting of court orders.
None of the interaction between both men have sparked fireworks. And both men have reportedly met in numerous closed-door sessions unlike Obasanjo, who I personallywould not leave alone in the same room with Soyinka.
So we are back to the question in the headline: Is Soyinka trying to curry favour from Obasanjo or just trying to get at Buhari? The answer to both questions, in my opinion, is no.
Kongi is a well respected man who has not shied against speaking against opposition governments even when his life was at stake, so what would he desire now in his twilight years that would make him throw away all his principles. I can not think of anything.
Also, in all of documentary history about Soyinka, he hardly gets personal in his attacks. If he does have anything against President Muhammadu Buhari, he would be direct with him.
So I think it just is what it is. Even in the speech he made at the the Africa Day 2019 organised by United Bank for Africa (UBA), he mentioned the well documented history between Obasanjo.
But that’s just me. It’s now over to you. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section even as you share this article on social media.
247newsupdates.video.blog 