Awolowo: Babatope tackles Achebe
on OCTOBER 5, 2012 · in NEWS
2:16 pm
 0
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
Literary giant Chinua Achebe’s depiction of Chief Obafemi Awolowo as a man driven by an overriding ambition for power at the expense of Ibos was yesterday described as nonsensical and a twist of facts.

In a rebuttal of Achebe’s representation of Awolowo in a new book, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, a close aide and follower of the late Yoruba sage, noted what he said was Achebe’s penchant to soil the image of Awolowo.

Vowing that the battle to check Achebe had just started, Babatope told Vanguard yesterday that while Achebe had the liberty to write he could not murder history with his attack on Awolowo.

Achebe in the new book just released had accused Awolowo of being driven by an ambition for power which “drove him into a frenzy to go to every length to achieve his dreams.

In the Biafran case it meant hatching up a diabolical policy to reduce the numbers of his enemies significantly through starvation — eliminating over two million people, mainly members of future generations.”

Responding yesterday, Babatope said:

“While Achebe is free to write on any topic that suits his fancy, he has no right whatsoever to irresponsibly murder history by recklessly attacking a great leader like Papa Awolowo. Nigerians should expect detailed, honest, factual and objective replies to the Achebe nonsense after we have copies of the book in our hands.”

“This is not the first time that Achebe will publish scathing attacks on Papa Awo. He did it in his book written about 30yrs ago titled ‘The trouble with Nigeria’. The battle against falsehood has started.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/10/awolowo-babatope-tackles-achebe/

Another room for tribal debate....


oya, who would be the first to throw the punch!

yeye dey smell

Do Southerners need this bickering?

This dude had time reply that moffo. For this nigga called Achebe to vomi.t trash upon all his merits, then I'v got to conclude that no hope for the Igbo generation.

Achebe have caused an earthquake. i'm loving it.
Yorubas Vs Achebe.
Wole Soyinka, we want to hear from

Achebe is a bitter old tribalist and his only acclaim to fame was a fictional story. What a useless and bigoted writer, who has been a failure when it comes to the art of narrating real life events.

This is probably one of his useless fictional tales; I can't really take him seriously, anyway.

I'm calling Obafemi Awolowo,
Awo, Awo, Awo, Awolowo de devil

What is the point in replying Achebe who lies and twists facts like most iboz? Achebe is falling apart now and trying to stay relevant by attacking a man well above his pay grade. One of the major reasons ibox lost the war was because they were WRONG! Achebe can fall apart but he can't rewrite history.

This is a rubber stamp clear indictment of Awolowo as a War criminal.
I really pity Awo.
No matter how some try to defend Awolowo, he will be remembered by future generation as mass murderer

Whatever Achebe has said is his opinion and he's entitled to it. Whatever Babatope says will also be his own opinion and not necessarily the fact. I expect more Yoruba thinkers to attack Achebe and more Igboists to reply. I just hope it doesn't reach an unfortunate stage...let's learn to respect people's opinions.

What Achebe said is beyond Nairaland, this is a clear direct indictment of Awolowo as a War criminal.

ilugunboy:

You are fast to see what CyberG writes...but conveniently ignores when people like Wily+Wily writes. Do you call that a fair sense of judgment or hypocrisy?

I used to attack Wilywily in the past but it's of no use cos he's not gonna change. Besides he's always been like that. But CyberG used to be a semi-neutral person and he wanted everyone to know that he was a peace-maker. Except he was just pretending...

What the h.ell is going on here?

Awoalowa was blood thirsty for power.. what a man.

Achebe has forever nailed Awolowoa as a mass murderer and genocidal. The Igbo future generation will never forget. The stigma of mass murdering by Awolowo will forever live and haunt Yoruba tribe.

But the north so much dealt with Awolowo that they used him to achieve their aim and dumped him to commit suicide because of evil he committed against Biafran the land of rising sun.

Damn! That last picture is quiet pathetic

This is all so asinine!

Whatever Chinua Achebe says about Obafemi Awolowo is his opinion and I doubt Chief Awolowo is bothered about it wherever he currently is!

Strangely, the vitriol upon Achebe for stating his opinion is ALSO not likely to impact on him!

What amazes me is that many people here abuse Boko Haram for "defending" "God" and believe them satanic!!! Yet here we are, supposedly elites, educated and hopefully refined people YET doing the same - defending our "gods" (Races) and undermining the "gods" of others!

Pitiful

Personally, I pity Awo, future generation is going to discuss his mental state, what drove him to commit such a crime against humanity.
Achebe don finish Awo.

Truth is truly bitter. Achebe thanks for reminding us what we all know.

MAYOWAAK: After the conflict ended, the same hardliners in the Nigerian government cast Igbos in the role of treasonable felons and wreckers of the nation – and got the regime to adopt a banking policy that nullified any bank account operated during the war by the Biafrans. A flat sum of 20 Nigerian pounds was approved for each Igbo depositor, regardless of the amount of deposit. If there was ever a measure put in place to stunt, or even obliterate, the economy of a people, this was it.

Economic genocide by an evil finance minister.

No right-thinking democrat, Yoruba or Igbo could condone such genocidal policy.