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Toast to Soyinka by Wole Olaoye

Published

1 year ago

July 14, 2024

Eric

Soyinka is 90! Our very own teacher, playwright, poet, novelist, hunter, philosopher, rebel, musician, essayist, literary stylist, cultural beacon, social engineer and public intellectual has defied all odds to breast the tape of his 90th year.

If you ask, what’s in a number, you may attract the riposte, what’s NOT in a number. In their own esoteric way, numerologists break 90 into 9 and 0 and postulate that Number 9 brings us the energies of completion, universal love, inner-wisdom, and compassion while 0 adds its own vibrations of eternity and infinity – a reminder that we have access to infinite resources within ourselves when we remain connected to our spiritual essence.

A little over 50 years ago, many people who analysed his trajectory as an activist of the ‘talk-and-do’ hue, swore that the young Soyinka was destined to die young without even the remote possibility of having a nice-looking corpse. But whoever is monitoring when the crab goes to bed should prepare for a long vigil because the crab does not go to bed early (and the crab is Soyinka’s zodiac sign)!

Ninety years is special, culturally, spiritually and commemoratively. It is called the nonagintennial or granite anniversary. There are only about 22 million nonagenarians in existence, constituting 0.28 percent of the global population of 8.1 billion people. It is the privileged club of the anointed, those fated to be among the last set to tell the story of their generation — and Soyinka’s generation of intellectual elites was our golden generation.

It is not given to many people to be of abiding relevance to their country as Soyinka has been for six decades. By the time my path crossed that of Soyinka at the University of Ife in the 70s, he had already achieved fame (his foes will say, notoriety) and was a highly sought academic. I wasn’t a spring chicken myself having cut my teeth in journalism at DRUM Publications before returning to school.

As president of the students’ union, I knew that I needed the collaboration of those who had seen it all before and who would be there as trusted allies if things turned awry. In that sense, Soyinka was an uncommon counsellor and backbone. It was from him that I learnt that what matters in life is not the ‘ariwo ojà’, but the nobility of your convictions and the courage with which you pursue your ideals using all your talents, no matter the odds. He shares that honour in my life with his cousin, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Dr. Tai Solarin and Chief Gani Fawehinmi.

I pity those who, because of a disagreement over political perspectives, think that they can diminish Soyinka’s stature as a global intellectual. Great as the invention of social media is, it has, sadly been turned into a lynching machine by those that Nelson Ottah, (one of those who taught me how to chew the journalistic cud) would have described as “intellectual piccaninnies”.

Former presidential aspirant, Kingsley Moghalu has this to say on the matter: “Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka is a principled fighter for justice in our country and around the world. He is a phenomenon that unlettered and uncultured people may not fully understand in an age of lazy social media in which many don’t read or think deep.”

In 2014 when he turned 80, I invoked Providence to spare our elderly friend and pathfinder for many more years, especially as he still looked so comely and strong. In many ways, he is “a tree that makes a forest”, as I titled my column in Daily Trust at the time (https://dailytrust.com/kongi-a-tree-that-makes-a-forest/) In just one more decade, if the Heavens permit, we’ll be gathered to usher him into the club of centenarians. Happy birthday, Prof!

Featured

Peter Obi, Only Life in ADC, Says Fayose

Published

20 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Eric

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, says the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, is the only life in the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Fayose made this statement on Friday while fielding questions in an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television.

He also said that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is technically no more, adding that it is dead.

The former governor equally said that Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, should not be dragged into the woes of the PDP.

He said: “Obi is the only life in ADC; all other people in ADC are semi-existent. If Obi had remained in Labour Party or has gone to Accord Party, he is the only life there. All the other people there, they are not existing. They are old-forces.

“Openly, I supported Tinubu in 2023. I didn’t hide it. Till now I’m still there. I don’t jump. I have said it to you I’m not a member of APC and I will never be.”

DailyPost

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More Troubles for Ahmed Farouk: Dangote Drags Ex-NMDPRA Boss to EFCC over Corruption Claims

Published

2 days ago

January 9, 2026

Eric

The Chairman of Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote, through his legal representative, has filed a formal corruption petition against the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

This was disclosed in a statement made available to our correspondent by the Dangote Group media team on Friday.

Recall that Dangote had earlier petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate Ahmed for allegedly spending $5 million on his children’s secondary education in Switzerland. He withdrew the petition a few days ago, even as the ICPC vowed to continue with its investigation.

The statement on Friday said Dangote’s petition to the EFCC followed “The withdrawal of the same petition from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, a strategic decision aimed at accelerating the prosecution process.”

In the petition, signed by Lead Counsel Dr O.J. Onoja, Dangote urged the EFCC to investigate allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment against Ahmed, and to prosecute him if found culpable.

The petition further stated that Dangote would provide evidence to substantiate claims of financial misconduct and impunity.

“We make bold to state that the commission is strategically positioned, along with sister agencies, to prosecute financial crimes and corruption-related offences, and upon establishing a prima facie case, the courts do not hesitate to punish offenders. See Lawan v. F.R.N (2024) 12 NWLR (Pt. 1953) 501 and Shema v. F.R.N. (2018) 9 NWLR (Pt.1624) 337,” the petition read.

Onoja further urged the commission, under the leadership of Mr Olanipekun Olukoyede, “To investigate the complaint of abuse of office and corruption against Engr. Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting.”

Featured

How Fubara’s Impeachment Moves Will Collapse – Sam Amadi

Published

2 days ago

January 9, 2026

Eric

Former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Sam Amadi, has identified due judicial process as Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s strongest safeguard against impeachment in Rivers State.

He specifically stated that the judicial phase of the process remains Fubara’s “saving grace,” as it is likely to shield him from impeachment.

Amadi said the impeachment process hinges largely on the appointment of an investigative panel by the state’s Chief Judge, describing it as the “anchor point” of the entire procedure.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Friday, Amadi noted that Governor Fubara’s influence over the judicial process gives him significant leverage, especially given what he described as the weak legal basis of the impeachment allegations.

He argued that the grounds being advanced against the governor do not amount to gross misconduct, stressing that an independent panel made up of individuals of integrity would likely reach the conclusion that Fubara has committed no impeachable offence since the end of emergency rule in the state.

He said: “Now the main anchor for the impeachment procedure is the appointment by the Chief Judge of the state of those investigators. That is really, really the anchor point. If you don’t get there, you are gone.

“So what leverage does he have? Of course, he removed the chief judge, everything has been politics, and I don’t blame him. He knows the game against himself. He appointed a chief judge that we think would be more amenable to him, and again, because also the grounds for his impeachment are not legally overwhelming, to say the least, some would say it’s really trash. But the judge will be the saving point here, because he will appoint people who may not, at least by definition, constitutionally, people of integrity, who are not politically partisan.

“So they will look at the lens and say, has this governor, since the end of emergency rule, done anything that amounts to gross misconduct, even though the Supreme Court has said gross misconduct is in the eye of the beholder. But here this men of integrity would look at the lens and say, what really is the big deal here? What has this governor done that’s suffering six months’ incarceration, if you like, politically, and then coming back hasn’t done anything.

“So this will be the saving… They will say, we don’t think this guy has done anything to warrant impeachment. I think the least saving grace will be the judicial side, where he has more leverage, and whose definitive proclamation by via the investigators who say no guilt. And the law says, as Nikki Tobi rightly put it, he says “they don’t have two options, just one of two proven: not proven. If they say not proven that is dead. If they say proven, then straight to the process of impeachment.” So that, I think, is really where we are here, and that’s a saving grace for him.”