Blame Jonathan if Rivers governor is killed, says Soyinka

Posted by: Joseph Jibueze in Featured, News 12 hours ago 80 Comments

President Goodluck Jonathan will be vicariously liable if Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi is killed, Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka warned yesterday.

He said despite the Presidency’s denial that Jonathan is not behind the protracted trouble in the state, the President’s handwriting is on the wall.

“The perception out there in the world is that he (Jonathan) bears a vicarious liability with what is happening in Rivers State,” Soyinka said.

Soyinka and activist-lawyer Mr Femi Falana (SAN) jointly addressed a news conference in Lagos on the state of the nation, particularly the political crisis in Rivers.

Soyinka said he had first hand information from his colleague who was in Rivers State Governor’s Lodge when a tear gas was thrown into the premises.

“My colleague was with the governor during what amounted to a siege. Anyone who said teargas was not thrown into the premises is either ignorant or is lying,” he said.

The dramatist accused First Lady Patience Jonathan, whose office he called an “unconstitutional appendage”, of contributing to the crisis.

He said Mrs Jonathan “cannot be a First Lady without first learning to be a lady.”

“She is getting away with murder because she has the backing of her husband,” Soyinka said.

He urged President Jonathan to call his wife to order, saying: “Please curb the excesses of your wife. Too much is too much. The vulgarity has become intolerable. We have now reached the bottom of obscenity and it’s got to stop.”

Describing the five lawmakers who claimed to have “impeached” the Speaker as “the five fingers of the controlling hand”, Soyinka said democracy in the state had been threatened.

“We’re sitting down here, pretending nothing is happening. The democratic ground on which we are supposed to stand is being eroded,” the playwright said.

He added that if not the President, then there must be those around him who want Amaechi out by all means.

The poet chided Rivers Commissioner of Police Mbu Joseph Mbu, describing him as “a political policeman in Rivers State”.

He said the governor had rejected the police chief, yet the powers that be have refused to remove him.

“Are we waiting for a smoke bomb to be thrown into the Governor’s Lodge before we take action?” Soyinka asked.

Either that, or there could be an “accidental discharge” similar to the case of the “Unknown Soldier” only that in Amaechi’s case, it will be “the Unknown Policeman”, said Soyinka.

He compared Amaechi’s situation to that of the 12th Century Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, whose life was extinguished by a sword’s crushing blow on a cold December evening at the King’s instance as he struggled on the steps of his altar.

Becket’s troubles with King Henry II, Soyinka recalled, reached its peak when the Archbishop excommunicated the Bishops of London and Salisbury for their support of the king.

Becket, he said, remained steadfast in his refusal to absolve the bishops.

According to Soyinka, the news threw King Henry into a rage in which he was purported to have shouted: “What sluggards, what cowards have I brought up in my court, who care nothing for their allegiance to their lord. Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest!”

The consequence was that the king’s outrage inspired four knights to sail to England to rid the realm of the annoying prelate.

Becket fled to the Cathedral where a service was in progress. The knights found him at the altar, drew their swords and began hacking at their victim, finally splitting his skull to pieces.

“Are we not moving towards absolute monarchism?” Soyinka said.

He said the signals emanating from the Presidency bother on impunity, conveying to “followers” that they too can act with equal impunity.

First, he said the Federal Government took away Amaechi’s aircraft in dubious circumstances, making it imposing for a “duke” of the kingdom to be with a “carriage.”

According to Soyinka, Nigerians are being treated to the same kind of experiences under the President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration where governors were illegally removed from office.

“It’s insulting; it’s condescending. I feel, as a citizen, personally insulted. So I wonder what we have done to deserve this level of governmental banality. What is happening in Rivers is only a variation of our old familiar theme,” Soyinka said.

According to him, the Presidency ought to be more concerned about the worsening situation of insecurity, the latest of which manifested in the “butchering of our children in school”.

“We should be bothered about the wastage of our future, and the closure of schools. It is a defeat for schools to be closed,” Soyinka said.

He explained that his condemnation of the brigandage in Rivers State does not mean he is calling for a mass protest akin to those of the Arab world.

“We haven’t reached that moment where anyone is calling the citizens to action,” he said, adding: “We all have a duty, including the media.”

For instance, Soyinka said it was wrong to refer the so-called new “Speaker” in media reports as if he is legitimate.

“Stop treating this clown as an equal of the elected Speaker, though you can quote him. You can describe him as ‘self-declared’ speaker.

“Help the public to put everything in the right perspective. Preparation of the mind of the public is critical. Don’t call them by a title which they have not earned properly.”

Falana said it was shameful that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has congratulated a man unconstitutionally elected by five lawmakers as their new leader.

“Those who set the engine of illegality in Rivers State are currently outside the country. It follows the same pattern,” Falana said.

According to him, he will not be surprised if the Presidency soon hosts “the new speaker” just as President “received a man who scored 16 votes and grounded the plane of a man who scored 19 votes”.

“Just this morning (yesterday) the Minister of Finance issued a statement from abroad that she was not responsible for the darkness in the country.

“Why hasn’t the President issued a directive as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for the security forces to restore order in Rivers State?

“We are calling on the Inspector-General of Police to begin enforcing the Police Code of Conduct fully and by removing the Rivers Commissioner of Police Joseph Mbu without further delay.

“He has treated the court of law and the Code of Conduct of the Police with contempt. He should be sanctioned by the Police Service Commission,” Falana said.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/news/blame-jonathan-if-rivers-governor-is-killed-says-soyinka/

New Maths 2013:

Teacher: Which is greater between 16 and 19?
Jang: 16
Teacher: Jonathan, is Jang correct?
Jonathan: Yes ma
Teacher: Clap for Jonathan and Jang
Teacher: What is the two-third (2/3) of 32?
Wike: 5
Teacher: Patience, what are you discussing with Wikey? What is the correct answer?
Patience: Ma, the answer are 5.
Teacher: Clap for Patience and Wike.

Am sorry to say this, soyinka is becoming partisan and its now annoying me. Now, a video was being circulated and lyod chidi, amaechi's cso and adc were battering a lawmaker who is critically ill and at the point of death now with the videos of the man in hospital shown by channels this morning. It will only take God for that man to survive. Now my question to soyinka is, if this man dies(God forbid), who will soyinka blame? A man amaechi supervised and ordered his security aides and boys to kill. Soyinka, we have seen the video of everything, and if anything happens to that man amaechi is definitely a goner. Rubbish! Soyinka should just go and pick APC's card, by the way his son is a commissioner under ACN government. Imagine with all this man's ranting he never condemned amaechi that wanted to kill a man. Amaechi should just pray that guy survives because even soyinka will not come to his help.

IF THE MAN DIES(God forbid), he has paid for his stupidity by trying to impeach in such an undemocratic manner, moreso where have you been? aren't u aware that this same man was among those who assaulted Hon Lloyd first, or is it because he got more than he gave that's why you have this pity for him. lest I forget, its clear to everyone if GEJ wanted to act responsibly this matter wouldn't have degenerated into what we have today but because he is such an irresponsible leader who leads using divide and rule which of cos this is what you always get from such.....so that man shd enjoy the pain of what he brought upon himself!

donchris999: Am sorry to say this, soyinka is becoming partisan and its now annoying me. Now, a video was being circulated and lyod chidi, amaechi's cso and adc were battering a lawmaker who is critically ill and at the point of death now with the videos of the man in hospital shown by channels this morning. It will only take God for that man to survive. Now my question to soyinka is, if this man dies(God forbid), who will soyinka blame? A man amaechi supervised and ordered his security aides and boys to kill. Soyinka, we have seen the video of everything, and if anything happens to that man amaechi is definitely a goner. Rubbish! Soyinka should just go and pick APC's card, by the way his son is a commissioner under ACN government. Imagine with all this man's ranting he never condemned amaechi that wanted to kill a man. Amaechi should just pray that guy survives because even soyinka will not come to his help.

Bro! No need to argue with you. Just pray the man doesnt die, because, that will definitely be the end of amaechi, thats for sure. Even amaechi is praying hard now were ever he is the man doesnt die, because, there are hard facts and evidences to nail amaechi throuh the law and even physically(militant things). If he dies, trust me, you will change the tune and start condemning amaechi, no matter the sequence of events that took place that day. Even soyinka will start singing another song. That guy might just be amaechi's greatest undoing and end of the journey.

kulikuli26: IF THE MAN DIES(God forbid), he has paid for his stupidity by trying to impeach in such an undemocratic manner, moreso where have you been? aren't u aware that this same man was among those who assaulted Hon Lloyd first, or is it because he got more than he gave that's why you have this pity for him. lest I forget, its clear to everyone if GEJ wanted to act responsibly this matter wouldn't have degenerated into what we have today but because he is such an irresponsible leader who leads using divide and rule which of cos this is what you always get from such.....so that man shd enjoy the pain of what he brought upon himself!

Soyinka is senile and also suffering from elderly rascality. The aged pal is well known not to see anything good in any government. D only difference now is he has gone partisan all becos his son is a commissioner under APC.

frankyychiji: Soyinka is senile and also suffering from elderly rascality. The aged pal is well known not to see anything good in any government. D only difference now is he has gone partisan all becos his son is a commissioner under APC.

It's an insult to my person - an educational pundit, hearing people talk carelessly about Soyinka. Are we now saying that what Soyinka said about PEJ and GEJ aren't true? Please let's give fairness a chance and absorb the salient points he made rather than his personal entity.
In as much as both the Governor and the President are not out of blame as regards the present crises, the president should know that the largest fraction of the blame will definitely be apportioned to him if THE MAN DIES. To us the River State indigenes, THE MAN was a PRO- GEJ and among 'the five fingers of a controlling hand' now the question is, who controlled the hand? JONATHAN. So logically, one can easily deduce that he should be blamed if anything happens to Amaechi.

ashmanpolo:

It's an insult to my person - an educational pundit, hearing people talk carelessly about Soyinka. Are we now saying that what Soyinka said about PEJ and GEJ aren't true. Please let's give fairness a chance and absorb the salient points he made rather than his personal entity.
In as much as both the Governor and the President are not out of blame as regards the present crises, the president should know that the largest fraction of the blame will definitely be apportioned to him if THE MAN DIES. To us the River State indigenes, THE MAN was a PRO- GEJ and among 'the five fingers of a controlling hand' now the question is, who controlled the hand? JONATHAN. So logically, one can easily deduce that he should be blamed if anything happens to Amaechi.

I think their just trying to pressurize my Mr President to intervene in the on going drama........Its good they said that.....at least he'll feel a sense of responsibility abt d issue now.............My Opinion tho................................................................................................buh why everybody dey write long long Essay 4here na...Op sef join

I think everyone just gets emotional when this Rivers vs GEJ's saga is mentioned; hence the long essays.

ashmanpolo:

It's an insult to my person - an educational pundit, hearing people talk carelessly about Soyinka. Are we now saying that what Soyinka said about PEJ and GEJ aren't true? Please let's give fairness a chance and absorb the salient points he made rather than his personal entity.
In as much as both the Governor and the President are not out of blame as regards the present crises, the president should know that the largest fraction of the blame will definitely be apportioned to him if THE MAN DIES. To us the River State indigenes, THE MAN was a PRO- GEJ and among 'the five fingers of a controlling hand' now the question is, who controlled the hand? JONATHAN. So logically, one can easily deduce that he should be blamed if anything happens to Amaechi.

who in the hell is Soyinka? Orisha? If an old pal like him does not know how to handle issues of state, then he shd face his litrature and allow d politicians to sort themselves out, rather than engage in gossip!