Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole
Soyinka has broken his silence on the recent aircraft seat controversy which went viral on social media.
Oil Mogul, Tonye Patrick Cole had
narrated a story how a young man ordered Professor Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s only
Nobel laureate, literary giant, gadfly, octogenarian, globally and nationally
respected figure out of his seat, on a flight. (read here)
Tonye Cole did not indicate
whether it was a local or international flight, but the story posted on Sunday elicited outrage and condemnation of the young man, for committing
sacrilege. Some others have sided the young man for insisting on his right.
Soyinka, in a statement on
Saturday described what transpired as a non-issue and wondered the massive
publicity it generated.
The Nobel laureate suggested that
airlines could impose a fine on passengers who took the wrong seat on boarding,
even for a second to raise money in pursuit of health issues across the world.
“I don’t know how much airlines
succeed in raising for their charity drives through those envelopes they
distribute to passengers into which their captive donors are exhorted to
deposit their loose change before disembarking. Such monies are then distributed
to worthy causes all over the world, especially in the pursuit of health.
“What I am convinced of is that
they would generate a hundred times more if they were more creative. For
instance, they could impose a fine on passengers who take the wrong seat on
boarding, even for a second. One can only rejoice in the thought of such
benefits to humanity in its efforts to eradicate all kinds of diseases,
especially malnutrition, and ensure the supply of nutrients that prevent the
premature onset of brain impairment,” he said.
Soyinka added that “those who
permit themselves to be persuaded, even for one second that I, Wole Soyinka,
having wrongly identified a seat number like millions of travellers all the
time, and all over the the world, would then attempt to consolidate the error
in any form, through act, word, or gesture, qualify to be the first
beneficiaries of this vastly improved humanitarian policy.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com