People should get suspicious when OBJ, IBB speak – Soyinka    

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka says people should get suspicious when ex-Presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida speak because there is the possibility that “what they have in mind is different from what we have in mind.”

Recall that both former leaders had written controversial letters to President Muhammadu Buhari advising him not to seek re-election comes 2019.

Obasanjo had recommended a coalition—Coalition for Nigeria Movement. The elder statement asked Nigerians to rally round the movement, saying the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) nor could the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) give Nigeria the leadership it deserves.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Yoruba, the scholar said nonetheless, the content of the message should be examined even though the messengers are not trustworthy.

“When these soldiers begin to speak, we are supposed to get suspicious and ask what exactly do they have in mind. It is possible that what they have in mind is different from what we have in mind,” he said.

“You can look at it from two perspectives, the messenger and the message. The message should be examined closely. We should not look at the misdeeds of the messenger alone. Let’s start by asking, is he saying the truth or telling lies, or is he being tricky?

“If he is saying the truth and talking about things that are beneficial to the masses, we would allow that be. After that, we would now look at the person speaking, what is in his mind? … Even if it’s a little child who is speaking, as far as that child is saying the truth, we won’t ask the child to keep quiet. We won’t ask the child what you know. We would listen. It is the same situation with those who have presided over the affairs of this nation without making significant progress.

“We have seen their weaknesses, we have seen their nakedness in public, if they now want to be covered by saying that they have turned a new leaf, we would examine that, too. What I am saying in essence is that what they have said should also be examined.”

He urged the youth to come together and present a candidate to represent them, adding that the older generation would support them.

Also speaking on the coalition being champion by Obasanjo, Soyinka said the coalition is not meant for someone like him.

“Me? Obasanjo would establish a group and I will become a member of such group? That means they should get a psychiatrist to examine me,” Soyinka said.