Prof. Wole Soyinka
By SaharaReporters, New York
Soyinka, who has held distinguished chairs at numerous universities, including Harvard, Duke, Nevada and Emory, issued the challenge at Crowne Plaza Hotel in New York City where he received the first Lifetime Achievement Award by the Nigerian Lawyers Association (NLA).
The NLA established the award to “recognize a Nigerian of any professional discipline who has, at least for 30 years, consistently attained distinguished achievements in his/her field of endeavor and during the same period has demonstrated an unyielding commitment to the development of Nigeria, and has made significant and outstanding contributions that have positively impacted Nigeria and Nigerians.”
“The struggle has never stopped,” Soyinka charged the lawyers. “You have a lot of work to do.”
Soyinka described the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as some of the most lawless years in Nigeria’s history. “Law was bastardized. The judiciary was handled with contempt,” the playwright lamented. Soyinka, author of numerous novels, plays, poetry collections and memoirs, noted that even Nigeria’s military regimes “pretended to obey the law. Even Abacha pretended.” Then in a clear reference to Mr. Obasanjo’s term, Soyinka said, “But not the administration that came after the military.”
The writer, whose speech was peppered with humor and even self-deprecatory jokes, stressed the need to reform the Nigerian judiciary in order to stamp out corruption. “You must accept responsibility for this,” Soyinka told the ballroom full of lawyers. “If you fail, you must not complain when people resort to other means… like holding up a radio station.” In the mid-1960s, Soyinka was tried on charges that he hijacked a radio station in Ibadan. Though discharged and acquitted, Soyinka has since written accounts of that daring act in several memoirs, including his latest, You Must Set Forth At Dawn.
In his speech, Soyinka regretted the fact that the Nigerian judiciary had cleared former Governor James Onanefe Ibori of more than 150 counts of corruption and money laundering. Mr. Ibori is now being held in Dubai and faces an uphill legal battle to fend off his extradition to the UK to face money-laundering charges. Meanwhile, Mr. Ibori’s mistress, Udoamaka Okoronkwo (nee Onuigbo), his sister, Christine Ibori-Ebie, and wife, Theresa Nkoyo Ibori, have been convicted by courts in England and sentenced to five-year jail terms each.
The president of the Nigerian Lawyers Association, Ms. Folake Ayoola, exalted Professor Soyinka’s role in Nigeria’s history, describing the laureate as a voice of unity. “We are proud of Professor Soyinka’s achievements and his longstanding dedication to the pursuit of a better and greater Nigeria. He is the epitome of the greatness that Nigeria can achieve and his outstanding achievements are a source of inspiration to many Nigerians, young and old,” she said.
In his remark to introduce Soyinka, Shamsey Oloko described the writer as more than a poet and a playwright. “He is the conscience of our nation,” he stated
Other award recipients of the evening included Justice Kayode Eso, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He received the Law and Justice Award for his contribution to the advancement of legal education and jurisprudence in Nigeria.
Justice Eso, who could not attend the ceremony due to a schedule conflict, spoke to the gathering via a recorded video. “Let justice be done even if heaven falls,” Justice Eso said. “But I’ve realized that the heaven never falls.”
Three students received a total of $5000 as part of the NLA’s 2010 Scholarship program. Chikaelo Ibeabuchi received a scholarship in the category of Juris Doctorate, Olakunle Komolafe for Master of Law and Uchenna Ibekwe for Bar Examination preparation.
As part of the event, the Fusha Dance Company, directed by Funmilayo Edos Chesney, entertained the guests. There was also a fashion show by the designer Tori Famuyiwa of the Toriola Inc fame. Rounding up the night’s entertainment was a special performance by opera singer, Abidun Koya.
At the opening of his acceptance speech, Professor Soyinka spent some time to correct errors in his profile as published in the event’s program.
“It gives me a great discomfort to have to begin on criticizing,” Soyinka said as he restated that he did not earn a doctorate in literature from the University of Leeds. He recalled that this issue had been a perennial one for him, as numerous writers seem bent on presenting myths about his academic qualifications. He dispelled the widespread speculation that he made 3rd class at the University College Ibadan and then went to the University of Leeds where he made 1st class. He joked, "I thought I was safe among lawyers. Because they know they can be sued."
Soyinka told the gathering that making these corrections over the years had been exhausting. He said he had designed various strategies for making corrections about his academic career. “One of them got me into serious trouble,” he revealed in a lighthearted manner. He told of how he once complicated the matter by telling an inquiring colleague who was attributing an unearned doctorate degree in classics to him that the only degree he had was a D. D. The man, said Soyinka, “looked at me strangely,” adding, “He knew there is nothing divine about me.”
Even so, the inquisitive academic jumped into quick conclusion. A few days later, another colleague told Soyinka, “I didn’t know you took a degree in divinity,” promising to “update your profile.”
“Who told you that?” Soyinka asked. On finding out the source of the falsehood, Soyinka then explained to his colleagues that D.D. meant “Doctoral Dropout.”
To wide laughter in the hall, Soyinka explained, “I was ‘dashed’ a doctorate by my former university.” He then admonished, “So let all these stories end. Because Sowore [the administrator of Saharareporters] is here and tomorrow somebody will send me an article from Saharareporters saying that Wole Soyinka did not open his mouth to correct all these.”
Soyinka also blasted the trend of some faceless Internet writers who write anything to impugn people’s reputations and put it out in public space.
The laureate said a lot of the Internet articles “are written by 419-ners, blogging on subjects about which they know absolutely nothing. But I believe in democracy. And this is the democratization of communication.”
Soyinka remarked on the coincidence that Justice Eso and he were being honored together. Their paths first crossed close to 50 years ago when Justice Eso presided over Soyinka’s trial for taking over a radio station to denounce falsified election results.
“I came here to honor Justice Eso,” Soyinka said. He recalled how Justice Eso was pressured by the Premier of the Western Region to send him to jail for life but the judge resisted. “For me, the real honoree tonight is Justice Eso,” Soyinka said.
Source: saharareporters.com
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