In years past, you could feel the roar, thunder and lightening of Prof Wole Soyinka from a television interview. Kongi as he was fondly known was a lion. When he sat before Christianne Amanpour of CNN, the themes were about corruption and the tyranny of power. In the process his latitude to rain curses on any leader was lengendry. He Christianed former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as Nebuchadnezzar and the first lady Patience Jonathan as hyppopotamus, plus other equally wonderful names befitting a first lady. Down the line current president Buhari too didn’t escape his tongue lashing. He called Buhari and his supporters a lot of choice names. In the “million sins” of Buhari, they say Muhammadu Buhari actually saw hell! Then, it was course 101 of literature in Queen’s English. Remember, he is a Nobel Laureate as a gifted wordsmith. Give it to him for inventing many words for the Oxford dictionary.
However, this piece is about the making of a budding friendship which started with former governor Rotimi Amaechi whose literary festival in Port Harcourt drew many writers from across the world. Of course, the Nobel Laureate was one of the first icons that graced the occasion. Prof Soyinka was feted, honored and was greatly appreciated by governor Amaechi. From there, their relationship blosomed. Subsequently, we hear Amaechi was even toasting one of Soyinka’s prized possessions. Let’s just say, Amaechi fell head over heels in love. Gradually, Prof Soyinka was always a guest at government house, Port Harcourt, the garden city. In fact, Soyinka and Amaechi became so close that he was now seen as the spiritual mentor of the Rivers state governor. All is well in love and friendship. No wahala as Nigerians love to say.
During the last presidential elections Amaechi and Prof. Soyinka were closer than siamese cojoined twins. Everywhere governor Amaechi went, there was Prof Wole Soyinka. How did the Professor manage his ton of world teaching and speaking engagements people wondered. And as their friendship became more solidified than iron and zinc so was the Professor’s vitriolic and acerbic language against president Jonathan. Reading Soyinka’s comments then one would think Jonathan was a sworn enemy of Wole Soyinka. Soyinka even became an honorary citizen of Rivers State , courtesy of Amaechi’s generosity.
However, discerning Nigerians began to suspect something wasn’t right about the uncommon friendship between the Nobel Laureate and a man who was about that time the object of a tragicomedy. Governor Amaechi Rotimi was seen as a likely presumptive Vice President and the feeling went right into his head. Amaechi couldn’t help himself and became more obnoxious than court jester. But Prof Wole Soyinka didn’t care. He saw his bosom governor-friend as the model of leadership, moral probity. Soyinka was feeling the dizzying effects of the corridors of power. Now, he was hardly calling on Christianne Amanpour to rail on the tyranny and corruption of power. He was enjoying million-dollar evening dinners, fine wine, exotic dishes and mingling with beautiful women. It was therefore no wonder Prof Soyinka even authored a biography for Rotimi Amaechi in glowing and flowing tribute. The event was for invited guests only at a posh five star hotel in Lagos, overseeing the picturesque Atlantic Ocean. At the same time these events were unfolding Rivers State was slowly going down the drain, the tubes. Her state treasury was running virtually dry as in empty.
Prof Wole Soyinka must have an inkling of what was happening then to the people of Rivers State. The learned wordsmith could have noticed that the Port Harcourt monorail was a farce, that governor Amaechi was killing his state literally and figuratively, that he was selling off the state’s assets for billions to himself and his cronies. How could one of the world’s smartest Nobel Laureates not know what was happening to his beloved Rivers State? Soyinka at a time practically lived in government house, Port Harcourt. He was more or less the de facto deputy governor! How could he not know that Amaechi was siphoning billions of dollars, Euros, Yuan, Canadian dollars, Naira and French Francs into the Association of Progresives Congress and other sundry private accounts overseas? What did he not know that the Panama Papers knew?
Today, besides the trending Panama Papers, British mainstream news media and tabloids are filled with the Amaechi fantastically corrupt story. The papers claim Amaechi wired about N500b billion into the presidential campaign war chest of Buhari. However, what is surprising is the total silence from the likes of the presidency, Lai Mohammed and the world’s most expensive Nobel Laureate. Whatever happened to the fight against the excesses and tyranny of power? Whatever happened to Buhari’s fight against corruption in which certain sacred cows are left to fly in Gullivers Travels? Isn’t this the perfect storm, perfect time to light up CNN and the world at large? When did hypocrisy become a part and parcel of our collective moral compass? When did the respect for stomach infrastructure surpass the roar, thunder, lightening, fire and brimstone against executive thievery in high places? So even the champions of vabal brigandish cow before the lords of hobbs and the cabals.
We know all about the African tradition. We know about not turning your back on a friend. At the same time we know that it takes uncommon courage to call a spade a spade. Isn’t it high time some high fuletin intellectuals called Amaechi for what he is? That he is fantastically corrupt and has no business been associated with the fight against corruption? As intellectuals do you think David Cameron honestly believed Amaechi when he said he does not love money? You honsetly think the British Prime Minister is more fantastically gullible than a severely hypnotized lizzard?
Please, dear Nobel Laureates, overhyped intellectuals, emergency philosophers, internet bloggers, gullible and fellow countrymen, the only entity that doesn’t love money is the human cadava lying postrate for the benefit of advance medical science! You can only worship hypocrisy at the risk of your pricincipled stance on the issues that matter.
_____________ Ebi B Asain
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