Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka yesterday set the first test for the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.

The new law, he said, should be used to unravel the concealment from Nigerians for almost one year of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Soyinka urged President Goodluck Jonathan to unmask those behind the hiding of an ailing President and who signed the Appropriation Bill purportedly signed by the late Yar’Adua.

Soyinka spoke on the topic: “Making FoI Law work for Nigeria” at a Townhall Meeting organised by the Newspaper Proprietors of Nigeria (NPAN) in Lagos.

He said Nigerians deserved to know the circumstances under which the late Yar’Adua was hidden.

His words: “Many people think it’s all over. I beg to disagree. In this country, we had an instance where a whole human being was concealed for several months. This phantom actually travelled to Saudi Arabia, came back, still in concealment, in the dead of the night.

“Lights were doused at the airport and the phantom moved back to the seat of government. This phantom was not just an ordinary phantom. This phantom was a representative of the entire public will of Nigerians. He vanished out of sight for nearly a year.

“For many people the incident is over, but it’s not. We want to know how it was possible. Who were the people involved? What document was signed that passed for the Appropriation Bill? Who authorised it? Whose signature appeared on the document?

“Who was the major security involved in this act of concealment? Were any members of the family involved? Were members of Senate involved? Were foreign powers involved? Physically, that episode is over, but knowledge is unending – it is not yet over.

“And so, I’m challenging the government of Jonathan and the public to put this Freedom of Information Act to the test, with one of the most melodramatic incidents that this country has ever witnessed.

“You can say that it is the dramatist in me, which is looking for material to write a play – it does not matter. If you call it vulgar curiosity, it does not matter. As a citizen, I have a right to know.

“I challenge the public and President to put teeth into this law by setting up and making public the proceedings and the findings of that panel set to find out what happened to the President of this nation for nearly an entire year. This is where it begins.”

Soyinka said the public, as the jury, and what he called the structure of justice exist to ensure that the spirit of the FoI Act is carried out to the letter. The government, he added, must be ready to answer to public pressure. “Nigeria, if it believes in absolute truth, cannot deny it to its citizens,” he said.

The playwright went on: “It is not enough for a government to rely on the Official Secret Act, and it is not enough for the public to constantly accept that as an excuse for concealing issues in which the public’s interest is involved, and the very essence of governance is in the public interest.

“It is important, not just for the government, but for all of us here, to put the Information Act to the test as soon as possible with that undeniable agenda, which is to learn a little bit about the truth about ourselves.

Soyinka hailed the role played by Wikileak in exposing lies and deception by governments around the world, saying: “In some societies, silence is a liar – an arrogant, disdainful liar, contemptuous of the public clamour that power be openly accountable.

“The psychological impact not only on the exposed, but on the yet protected is considerable – the swagger of indifference gives way to nervous glances over the shoulder. Am I next? What else do they know?

“The web of silence is gradually shredded as the lies as camouflaged for years, decades, even generations are exposed. Like a soap opera addiction, the public cannot wait for the next installment.”

He defended Wikileaks, saying: “If the collateral damage caused by the detonation of the nugget of truth far exceeds its ethical benefits and even threatens collapse of society, it is necessary for us to argue for the devil as we could see. Maybe the axis on which the world spins after all is not merely virtual, but is actually secrecy and concealment.”

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola said the people reserve the right to know how government affairs are conducted.

“We’ll ensure that judges are familiar with not only the law, but all societal incidents. Everybody must recognise that the rights conferred under that law are essentially to be exercised for the purpose of enabling Nigeria to prosper.

“We must also recognise that rights are never absolute. They bring with them certain corresponding duties,” Fashola said.

Activist-lawyer Femi Falana said only the courts can determine what is not in the public’s interest, and not any officer of government.

“It is not within the purview of a public officer to determine what is in the public interest; you must send the information to the courts for the judge to determine whether the information is privileged in the interest of the public or in the interest of a particular officer.”

Other speakers at the event were Canadian Commissioner for Informaton, Ms. Suzanne Legault; Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu; representative of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Prof Peter Ape; representative of Ekiti State governor, Mr Funmiyi Afuye; former Civil Liberties Organisation President, Ayo Obe and Prof Chidi Odinkalu.

Others are: NPAN President Nduka Obaigbena; frontline journalist, Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor, publisher of BusinessDay, Frank Aigbogun; The News CEO Bayo Onanuga; Media Review’s Lanre Idowu; House of Representatives member Abike Dabiri-Erewa; and Newswatch CEO Ray Ekpu.

Others are Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Alhaji Ismaila Isa, who chaired the event; activist-journalist Richard Akinnola; Professor of Mass Communication Ralph Akinfeleye, former Finance Minister Dr Kalu Idika Kalu and Chief Executive Officer of Channels Television, John Momoh.

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