The last will and testament of the Swedish
philanthropist, chemist, engineer and inventor,
Alfred Nobel, established the Nobel prizes in
1895. These annual prizes are conferred on
carefully selected individuals annually.
Those who win the Nobel Prize are recognized for
their outstanding and exceptional achievements
in a particular field of human endeavour. They
must have contributed something extraordinary
to advance humanity. The recognition not only
confers immense honour and pride on the
recipient, but also on the country the Nobel
Laureate comes from.
In 1986, the Nobel Prize in Literature was
awarded to Professor Wole Soyinka. Africa and
indeed Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora
radiated in the euphoria that their very own son
was thus honoured internationally. He stood tall
like the iroko tree and became a barometer of our
public conscious. Every syllable of his didactic
statements, delivered in compelling oratory, has
been embraced by his admiring listeners as the
gospel truth. It is therefore most unbecoming and
highly disappointing when a public figure of the
stature of Professor Soyinka chooses to comment
on the pages of the newspaper or via a “state of
the nation” address on the First Lady, Dame
Patience Jonathan or indeed the President. He has
done this without ever meeting the First Lady or
any of her aids, to find out the veracity of his
statements about Dame Patience.
In a state of the nation address Professor Soyinka
gave on Thursday 11 July, 2013 in Lagos, the
Nobel Laureate called on the President, Dr.
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to call the First Lady to
order for what Soyinka imagines to be “her over
bearing tendencies.” What a disrespectful and
impertinent statement from an intellectual figure
who should conduct himself in a much more
dignified manner befitting of his intellectual and
social standing.
An old Idoma proverb states, “He who has heard
one side of an argument has heard nothing.”
Soyinka has not met or spoken to Dame Patience
about any public issue to listen to her own side.
Neither has he met to discuss with the President
on the political developments in the House of
Assembly in Rivers State, yet he sits on his high
and majestic throne to pontificate to us and
deceive us with statements embellished with
innuendoes and insinuations guaranteed to fan
disaffection. This is not the correct thing to do.
If Prof. Soyinka was really altruistic and had the
interest of the nation at heart, he would seek for
audience with the President to offer advice about
the First Lady, or any matter worrying him in the
manner a dignified intellectual of impeccable
repute would do. He would not make public
utterances is a publicity-seeking, self-serving
manner he did in Lagos today (Thursday).
If he did not want to meet the President or the
First Lady to offer personal advice, he at least
should have had the moral grace to listen to the
side of Dame Patience before his unbecoming
attack on her. It is truly unfortunate when
individuals like Prof. Soyinka, who we look to for
ethical rectitude to guide us, lead us astray.
To say that I am disappointed with Prof Soyinka
would be an understatement. He embarrasses our
sense of national pride and decorum. How many
Nobel Laureates have you seen casting aspersion
or damaging remarks on the wife of the President
of their country?
Free speech, Prof Soyinka, is your inalienable
constitutional right. However, with that right
comes responsibilities. To accuse the First Lady
of excesses based on what you have read on the
pages of the newspaper makes you an arm chair
critic of the worst kind. You have a moral
obligation to seek your information
dispassionately and also verify them to be true,
accurate and unbiased. You have a moral duty to
offer advice to Dame Patience in an inoffensive
manner, with dignity. What do you want the
youths to learn from your tirades and outbursts?
That it is okay to be disrespectful to the First
Lady? Prof Soyinka, you really got it wrong. The
decent thing to do would be to apologize to Dame
Patience for your unwarranted and ill advised
attacks on her. If you do have genuine advice for
her, please do it in a sensible way that will not
denigrate from the high esteem many hold you in
as a scholar and as a gentleman.

www.dailytimes.com.ng/opinion/prof-soyinka-got-it-wrong-about-first-lady

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Another foolish E-soldier.
Ask AZAZI what happened?
But now we still have AMAECHI,
thats why the prof is shouting.

Pls is there is no "freedom of speech" in Nigeria again.prof is free to voice anything anything naa. Nd if its sure 4 d duo,they sud organize a public debate :-)GEJ $ PEJ:-D vs PROF. Its gona baaaad meeeen

To attend to the main issue of that write up ,the writer all is concerned about the outburst of soyinka without further clarification or information from the first lady or president, lemme ask the writer just a simple question ,before he sat down (i assume he did) to write this poo , did he contact soyinka for information or clarification if he actually asked dame about it or if he tried reaching her without success? Even in a case where soyinka did not contact dame or GEJ, is it the case that a story can only be confirmed from them ? Cant it be the case that he contacted a aide or he has a source close to both of them probably a cabinet member or someone of high calibre ,to me this poo is just to seek cheap attension and like you said this is a man of high esteem he got no time for your crap. Must i call the IGP before i can confirm a story about a LASU student been shot? Cant i just call a copral or someone at the station and give him something to bite on? Does this mean i have an ill information ? Although the information might not be deep buh atleast its authentic.

@op u got it on point. wole soyinya lost my respect the very day he insulted the first lady openly. what has is one for nigeria, what has he done in nigeria. he has suddenly become a big shame

The first lady a big shame to herself and her family. She's nothing but a shameless Ogogoro selling Okrika woman.

osaroodion: @op u got it on point. wole soyinya lost my respect the very day he insulted the first lady openly. what has is one for nigeria, what has he done in nigeria. he has suddenly become a big shame

Please i think the insultive part of prof eluded my vision ,please can you cite or quote it for me ? All sounded candid to me

Another pawn of the GEJ administration, paid peanuts to talk nonsense and embellish the despicable image of the presidency.

GEJ's wife is a stuttering mor*on, and soyinka is a noble laureate. End of story!!

OP we understand, you have to earn your meal ticket

@OP. Ask yourself...."Is Wole Soyinka lying or not"? And don't give me that "She's someone's wife" B.S. If someone's wife acts a Fhoool in public, she deserves to be put in place.