What Soyinka is saying about Obasanjo, Jonathan and Ribadu

Soyinka wants to draw blood with the nastiest book he's ever written | YNaija.com

In an interview with the current edition of Zero Tolerance magazine, a publication of the EFCC, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, spoke on a number of issues.

While he alleged that the pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, was being used by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo.

He also lamented the fact that immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan, made some alarming errors while in office, adding that he was on the path to becoming authoritarian.

Soyinka said:

“We marched (to ensure Jonathan was sworn-in as the acting President in 2010) in order to protect the constitution, not the person of Jonathan. We retained a cordial relationship during his tenure. However despite some attacks I felt compelled to launch on him – and his wife. Jonathan committed some truly alarming errors of governance. He was propelling himself towards outright fascism.

“Asked by the interviewers if Jonathan was caged, he answered, “Correct. There are forces around Jonathan, you put your fingers around it, which he himself does not understand and that is why I stressed that, you’ve got to choose your circle of advisers very carefully, when you are in charge. He’s been caged; things are going on in his ministry that he did not know about.”

“When it comes to the issue of corruption, Jonathan surrounds himself with certain unsavoury characters and that is something you don’t have to do if you are in charge.

“Why should a President involve himself in what is already structurally established and dedicated to that purpose?

“I warned your former boss, Ribadu, I told him that, your task will be done when in the course of your investigation; you discover that the source of the problem is the very person who appointed you.

“He looked shocked a bit, and eventually he and I met in London, after he was removed and (the current Governor of Kaduna State Mallam Nasir) el-Rufai was also in exile after they tried to kill him. We met and Ribadu refused to sit down. I asked him to sit but he said no, that until I accepted his apology, he won’t sit down. I asked what apology? And he said ‘I should have listened to you. I failed to listen to you.

“Something you have said to me and I failed to listen’ Ribadu admitted that he realised very late that Obasanjo was using him.

“So we have to destroy that link between power and corruption. Audu Ogbeh confirmed what I am telling you. Then, it was ‘go after this one, go after that one, ahh you did not arrest him? Arrest his mother! I am challenging Obasanjo to deny it.

“So, when you are looking for corruption, you should look at the entire stratum of the society, while some forms of corruption are direct, others are indirect.

“Do you need somebody like that? What about somebody like Gbenga Daniel who closed down a legislature for almost a year? When I heard this, I called Jonathan, I asked him, ‘is this your understanding of democracy.”

“A governor closes down an assembly with the aid of the police and the place is under lock with ‘Mopol’ guarding it. When Jonathan selected this person as his campaign manager in Abuja, I telephoned him; I said does this support democracy that you choose this person. It is not a question of this person is a governor therefore come to my party, I can work with him. No, when a president picks somebody for a particular duty it means you are pointing that person out as an aspect of government so you see, it is impossible for me to pick Jonathan as a candidate.”

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