Wole Soyinka and Obasanjo’s letters

I have heard gist that the highly respected Nobel Laurette and social critic, Professor Wole Soyinka, would be speaking at a colloquium arranged by outstanding online news platform – Ripples Nigeria. This has continued to excite me simply because when it comes to the issue of our former Head of State – Obasanjo, Professor Soyinka leaves nothing to the imagination.

The cold relationship between this two great Egba sons predates some of us. This wahala, i hear, started long before some of us were born. I remember reading a book which narrated a meeting between the two in Ibadan in the height of the fratricidal civil war, where Soyinka was said to be conveying a message to OBJ from the rebel warlord, Ojukwu. I guess the distrust and animosity may have started at that point for Soyinka was said not to be too happy at how OBJ handled the information he was given.

Anyways, that is in the past. Today, OBJ has issued a letter that has landed at the epicentre of our nation’s politics as we move towards the elections. He has not only done that but has gone ahead to supposedly front a new movement headed by Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a retired general and OBJ boy. How this movement relates to the Agbakoba own I cannot say just yet. But as we speak the movement is beginning to gain relevance and it was the subject of intense debate on the Duke’s platform which is an online whats app political platform where politically charged issues are debated on a daily basis by top notch analysts. (call me if you want to join). The group apart from sharing a name with Donald Duke has nothing to do with the respected politician.

Let me digress a bit. On the platform it was hotly debated the chances of this middle group come 2019. The fact that the group had populated itself with political lightweights with no real electoral capital in the voting blocs was seen as a major hindrance by some punters. Others see a Donald Duke candidacy as the much needed elixir to galvanise fresh and youth-driven policies. The discussions continue.

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For me, my excitement remains palpable as to the prospect of listening to a Soyinka talk about the current issues on the land and most especially his response to OBJ. The downside of it all is that when it comes to OBJ, the Professor may never be objective. The chances that he would not look at the issues raised but go for the person remains high. Even at that, his credentials as a principled fighter for justice and equity will most likely pull him out of the hole he would have dug himself in with the OBJ issue to deliver a powerful homily to the powers that be.

I await with bated breath. Sam, send my invite and also an invite to all members of the Duke’s platform as this would give us enough meat to chew on for a bit.

 

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