Soyinka and Oyinlola
Former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola
of Osun State has said that the recent criticism of him by the Nobel
laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, over the chairmanship of the Board of
Trustees of the Centre for Black Culture and International
Understanding, Osogbo, was borne out of an alleged friction between him (
Soyinka) and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
There has been heated argument as both
Soyinka and Oyinlola have laid claim to the chairmanship of separate
boards for the UNESCO-approved centre.
While
documents of the agreement that established the centre make Oyinlola
the permanent chairman of the board, the Rauf Aregbesola administration
had established another board and chose Soyinka its chairman, upon
succeeding Oyinlola.
But apart from the fact that the matter
has been a subject of litigation, Soyinka, last week, accused Oyinlola
of illegally carrying on as the board chairman.
At a press conference held in Oyinlola’s home
town, Okuku, the former governor said, “Why all these attacks on my
person? I have asked myself repeatedly. Could it be a case of
transferred aggression? If he has any problem with his brother,
elder statesman, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, why transfering the aggression
to me? I have never done anything in the past to warrant what I have
been getting from Soyinka.
“Does Soyinka know that an elder in
Yorubaland operates within certain ethical boundaries? Does he know that
elders must never be seen playing the hen otherwise foul smell will be
their companion?”
Oyinlola, who is one of the political
associates of the former President, said the CBCIU was a joint property
of the UNESCO, the Federal Government, Osun State and the late Ullie
Beier, whose works form the bulk of the items kept at the centre.
He presented the documents and said they were available for Soyinka to view.
Oyinlola noted that Aregbesola, who
appointed Soyinka as the board chairman, had eventually discovered the
true status of the centre, and had even initiated a process to reconcile
him and Soyinka.
But he added that the former governor said the Nobel laureate had rebuffed all efforts he made to have a meeting with him.
He said, “Because I believe, to the best
of my knowledge, that there is no personal animosity between me and
Professor Soyinka, I have, in consultation with my governor, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola, made some moves
to meet the professor to give him the
correct information on the centre for him to be properly guided. All the
moves have, sadly, been rebuffed.
“I paid a visit to his house in Lagos on the advice of the governor. He was not at home
and never acknowledged the visit. I made several phone calls to him
which were never answered. I tried reaching him unsuccessfully through
his daughter, Mrs. Moremi Onijala. The last was an intervention
organised between us by Aregbesola for Senator Sola Adeyeye to broker
peace.
“The senator met with me and promised to
meet Soyinka and get back to me. I was waiting for the feedback when I
read Soyinka, an elder statesman and a supposed culture icon attacking
me once again.”
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