Posted by By MOSHOOL ADEBAYO, Abeokuta on
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, yesterday described the demotion of the former Chairman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a great national disservice which could send wrong signals to many Nigerians.
•Describes Obasanjo's attempt to draw UNESCO fund for private library as dubious
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, yesterday described the demotion of the former Chairman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a great national disservice which could send wrong signals to many Nigerians.
Soyinka, who addressed newsmen in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, also said that it was dubious for the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the chief promoter in the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta to attempt to draw fund from the United National Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), saying that OOPL had nothing to do with culture.
His words: 'Ribadu has not committed a crime. He has not done anything against his fatherland to have warranted such a national disgrace. It is injustice under moral justice. You reward individual for what he has done in the past only for us to demote him, this is very bad. It's obscene from natural justice.'
The Nobel laureate asked rhetorically: 'Have you heard of some policemen and women who have been demoted for demonstrating same bravery and have been given accelerated promotion? Have you ever heard of any of such demotion?
'Have you ever heard of a policeman or woman given accelerated promotion over and above the demand of duty being demoted later on? Then why Ribadu? This is somebody who has been subduing pen-robbers and bringing them to justice. He has in the past established a new sensibility to moral code, moral principles, and moral responsibility.'
The renowned playwright further said: 'It is too bad. The action was provoking. It can affect our national psyche. It is a new bad trend in our nation. By trying to reduce Ribadu's achievement and service to this nation to a state nullity.'
Continuing he said: 'What this people are saying to us is that we are all fools and time wasted. That what should be the norm in this country is loot to your heart. It is a bad precedent which should not be encouraged. It is a latest assault on our national sensibility. The summary of it all is that it's a persecution and great injustice.'
Soyinka also condemned the attempt by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the chief promoter of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, to draw fund from the UNESCO as fraudulent, contending that the OOPL had nothing to do with culture.
According to the Nobel laureate, what Obasanjo was doing with his presidential library was to curry fund from the UNESCO and other international agencies which the OOPL did not deserve.
His words: 'What they are doing is to get international recognition for the OOPL in UNESCO category 2 and hope to receive fund from Nigerian government and draw subsidy as well as draw funds from international cultural affairs from the private sector and international organizations.
'OOPL has nothing to do with culture and for me it is like saying that the papers relating to ECOWAS should be housed in Wole Soyinka's library. Does it make sense to anybody? What is connections? All the wars in the archives relating to the West African wars, Sierra Leone civil wars, Liberia civil wars, those belong properly belong to the ECOWAS.'
'In other words from the very beginning, the motive were not straight forward about the acquisition of Ulli Bier and Georgina Foundation Archives. The motives were distorted and deceptive from the very beginning on the transfer of the archive.'
Soyinka said the OOPL's name was not mentioned in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was dated 10th may, 2007, but which was signed hurriedly on 27th May, 2007, two days before the presidency of Obasanjo ended.
He showed journalists the MoU which was signed between Dr Babalola Borisade, then the Minister of Culture and Tourism representing the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Ulli and Georgina Bier.
'In the process of that MoU, however, one or two interesting paragraphs which are inserted and which gives us the origin of the whole and shows that everything else had from the very beginning been programmed towards this end.'
He alleged that Obasanjo instructed Dr Michael Omolewa, Nigerian representative at the UNESCO and one other person to negotiate with Ulli Biers for the transfer of their archives and incorporate into OOPL. 'That to me is an abuse of office. It is a clear case f abuse of office.'
To order the transfer of materials to be paid for from public funds for transfer to someone's personal library, I don't care whether it is called presidential library or not.
This is an abuse of office. Until the eve of his departure, he ordered public servants which Omolewa was one, to start the process of transferring archives to be paid for from public funds to h is personal library.
Now everything else that you read, you have heard are all rigmarole, it's all manipulations, distortions to ensure that these archives bought with public funds end with OOPL. It is either the statement is a lie and the originals are no longer in Osogbo whereas the understanding with Georgina and Ulli Bier was that their archives should be housed in a special centre to be created in Osogbo and called Ulli and Georgina Foundation for International Understanding. It is all in these documents (he showed to journalists),' he stated.