Full text of the statement: PRESS STATEMENT
In Public Interest, in order to eliminate all further distraction and enable the nation to concentrate on issues that affect the democratic pursuit, it is necessary to make the following information available:
Before the press conference held by Femi Falana and myself – that is, even before the Rivers Assembly fracas - I had been canvassed by opposing sides of the face-off, both via telephone and physically. One such visit, perhaps the most significant, was made by a Special Adviser in the presidency who outlined what can be regarded as the official rationale for the Governors’ Forum election debacle. In the process of this exchange, he did make certain complaints against Governor Rotimi Amaechi, including charges of a conflict of interests over certain resources. This was implied as the root of division between the Governors’ Forum and the Presidency.
I wrote down the details, informed the emissary that I would pass on these accusations to Governor Amaechi – which I did. That Amaechi hotly denied them and offered contradicting facts, which he urged me to verify, remained, and remains utterly irrelevant to the democratic core of the conflict – and this has been made clear to all interventionists: Keyed into this core are:
(i) the arithmetics of democracy involved in figures 16 and 19 at the time, and now, with increased confidence in impunity, the figures 27 and 5.
(ii) whether or not it is democratic , even cultured proceeding that a state governor is barred from public access anywhere within his own zone of constitutional authority, with the massive security apparatus of the centre, on behalf of an unelected individual.
Even after the Rivers crisis has been resolved, this notorious proceeding will not be permitted to fester unchallenged.
For the rest, since beneath the surface of most Nigerian conflicts will be found inordinate greed for public resources, it is perhaps pertinent to remind ourselves that Oil is not the only marvel to emerge from the Delta swamps. There are also exotic creatures – mermaids, manatees, even mammy watas and hippopotami. However, unlike crude oil, which can be refined, you can extract a hippopotamus from the swamps, but you cannot take the swamp out of the hippopotamus.
eerrrrm... We wont deduce anything.
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In times like this, must we insult our leaders? I think we must always be very careful in what we say especially whn something happens cos we may not knw what 'moro bears. As an elder stateman, I think he should wade in and try 2 settle this issue instead of using his priviledge to insult those in authority. Rem, power is given by God!
ReplyDeleteLet us called a spade a spade..is first lady office an elected office?? Let her go and sit somewhere..let are face charity services...and stop constituting unnecessarily.
DeleteThen,what is the argument.
ReplyDeletePlease Wole, let us try to refrain from using abusive words against each other at this time. Resolving issues in anger is always not solving it. Display that sense of maturity and wisdom that the whole world has known you with. I greet your courage.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with prof on this matter,who are our leaders being referred to here as i am aware that patience Jonathan is not an elected nor appointed member of any known Govt. in NIGERIA!!! so she should stay out of governance for GOD'S sake!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDoes anything in Wole's statement sound like him calling the First lady a hippo? Please let the press spare us peace and stop inciting ppl against themselves. Why didn't they as well said he called the First Lady a Mermaid?
ReplyDeleteAm a yoruba man i think this old man should be the one to be settle matters in nigeria i dont know he shld be the one to be creating problm again....cant this old man copy Gowon well thats youruba man for you
ReplyDeleteefizyprincipal
ReplyDeleteJust like he did gave adolf hitler!!!
how do you then address one who now becomes so confident to the extent of ordering for the holy vessels to be brought out for banquets to impressed friends!!!
offcourse!! "THE HAND" will write on the wall AGAIN!!
U dont have to claim to b a yoruba man before u can put your view across. If you don't like prof Wole's view it is because u are bias.
ReplyDelete...this is the reason why we couldn't move forward. Who will challenge the people in govt about their excesses and transgressing. I think if people like prof. Wole Soyinka could not speak out, then who else will? Our president's wife should check herself.
ReplyDeleteSome of u don't understand the soceital class Wole belongs to. How can u compare Wole with Gowon? If there are only the Gowons and no Soyinkas the Govt will rule with impunity and there will be autocracy cum dictatorship. Has Gowon's prayers ever done anything for us? By the way don't u think that the unelected Soyinka referred to could have been Wike?
ReplyDeleteFor the information of all you anonymous responders , been educated is one thing, and being Exposed is another. When one is opportuned to be both, then mediocrity will be far from him or her. Prof Wole is simply stating the obvious. Whether or not the press understand dat, then it beholds on our journalism body to call dem to order. Democracy is Democracy. It doesn't change just because we are in Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what you are talking about ? Some of you are educated -illetrate ,may be it has been long you left school,you need to go back and update your knowledge...Wole Soyinka was giving a vivid analysis of situation in Niger Delta,not referring to Dame.
ReplyDeleteIam a Yoruba man,if I say not only 'pepper ripe on the farm',other things ripe like garden egg,palm kernel,what do I mean..it means the situation that applies to one also applies to others.
Never compared wole to Gowon, please! Wole is never a mate of First lady, not even Nigerian president mate.Is Goodluck and Gowon not a products of corruption? Let the two move outside the country, then you will see their differences, Mark this!
ReplyDeleteIf Wole soyinka didnt comments in situation like this, then who will do that? Is it students? or farmers? or who?
Please, WOLE, continue to tell then the burning truth.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at 10.56 am,
ReplyDeleteIt is most unfortunate and unthinkable that you could make such utterances. Who is Wole Soyinka that has become god to you, what a pity.
To Wole, don't be deceive you know it all, you have abused the regards most of us have for you to your utterances. The proverb is too daring. Always remember knowledge is not same as wisdom, hence we are admonished that in all our getting, we should have wisdom.
I think that the problem here is NigerianEye. What Prof Soyinka said is so clear you don't need all these half-baked analysts to confuse you. Patience is not being protected in Rivers, Wike is. Patience is just being her raw self and that is insignificant. So Prof could not have been wasting his energy on her. There is no singular name calling in this statement. Prof was just describing the reality of the situation and pointing out a monster developed by GEJ and Wike that would not die even after Amaechi is gone as governor. What GEJ does not realise is that Wike is the worst killer Nigeria has ever produced. Investigate and see how many witch doctors are in his pay roll.
ReplyDeleteVery simply, if you want to wrestle with a pig, dont ever expect not to get dirty. Dame insulted the Prof first, and the Prof just made a simple anology of what is found in the swamps of the delta, you can fill in the blanks and still cannot hold the prof for anything, I'm sure we all know what the prof meant when he said you cannot take away the swamp from the Hippo.Hmmmm. Moral of the story: never start a grammer fight with a professor of literature.
ReplyDeleteAmaechi avoid PRIDE! PRIDE!!PRIDE and ARROGANCY. GOD hates a PROUD PERSON.Those insulting our first lady BEATS THEIR MOTHER AT HOME .
ReplyDelete