The Soyinka Take on Buhari (1) I have been following the circulation of a piece written by the revered Prof. Wole Soyinka on the presidential aspiration of Gen. Buhari and I must confess that the erudite professor allowed his personal belief and political orientation to becloud his sense of judgment at the time he penned down the inglorious article. I have consistently maintained that I adore the man Soyinka, his literally skills and humanitarian disposition but his politics to me is zero. It was a political orientation concreted on the ideology, sectarianism and inward disposition of the Awolowo enclave that divested itself of nationalism and tolerance. It was a political inclination with questionable perception index and fuelled by revenge and self-centeredness. This assertion is evident irrespective of the developmental strides the legacy left in the South West. On the issues he raised in the piece, I am amazed that his refusal to attend the Oputa Panel at the time is now a weapon against his political ambition. Soyinka should have questioned then President Obasanjo on why the enabling law did not force individuals to appear before the panel. The law court granted the former leaders the right of refusal to participate in that process. What is the fuss about? What was the outcome of the panel anyway? Was it not another case of a political machinery to divert the attentions of Nigerians from the real issues? Yes the Supreme Military Council (SMC) headed by Buhari executed three convicted drug pushers (one of them, Ogedengbe was tried and convicted under a retroactive decree), but was the approval a one man business? The erudite Chike Ofodile was the Attorney General and Minister of Justice at the time. What was the advice a very senior SAN like Ofodile gave to the SMC? Have we seen the minutes of the SMC deliberation that approved the death sentence on the trio? The SMC erred in approving the execution of Ogedengbe. Buhari as the head shared responsibility just as Soyinka is expected to share the rot at Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) during his stewardship and Tal Solarin when he headed the People’s Bank. We must ensure consistency in apportioning blames. On his criticism of Buhari for not providing a time table for the return to democratic rule, I can only laugh in Gworza. My reason: how many years did Prof. Soyinka serve under former military President, Ibrahim Babangida? How many times did he call for a “genuine” time table for return to democratic rule? This is a simple case of fallacy fueled by continuous pandering to double standards. On the allegation of preferential treatment meted out to non-Hausa/Fulani members of the second republic: the greatest attestation for the punishment of the politicians of that era was the kidnap, crating and attempted deportation of late Umaru Dikko. To the best of my knowledge, Dikko was and died a pure Hausa/Fulani man. To be continued……..
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 09:11:39 +0000
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