The rift between the two public figures is about who the legal chairman of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) in Oshogbo, the Osun state capital is.
Soyinka has however called on President Muhammadu Buhari to caution the former governor in the spirit of the President’s anti-corruption slogan. Soyinka accused former governor of parading himself as the chairman of the centre’s board of trustees.
Soyinka said, “My immediate contribution to that debate shall be phrased along the same terms as I addressed Madame Bokova in Kazakhstan (of UNESCO). Only that, this time, it is addressed to this nation’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, who has unusually elevated the anti-corruption struggle to the very top of his governance agenda. I must warn President Buhari – in the absence of a foreign minister – that the nation is being dragged into a sleazy situation through the attempted co-option of its foreign missions into logistical support for their global enterprises.
When The Punch contacted one of the former aides of Oyinlola, he spoke on condition of anonymity, saying the ‘attacks ‘ against the former governor were unwarranted. The source said, “We view this as a continuation of Prof. Soyinka’s failed 2008 campaign to frustrate the approval of the centre by UNESCO. But on this renewed attack, we will react appropriately at the appropriate time.”
Efforts to also speak with Aregbesola or the commissioner for culture in the state proved abortive. But an official who also spoke on condition of anonymity noted that although the matter appeared complicated, it would be resolved in a way that it would not affect the significance and smooth operation of the centre. The source said, “Both Prof. Soyinka and Prince Oyinlola are dear to us. So, the matter will be resolved in the best interest of the people and cultural development of the state, Nigeria and Africa in general.”
The Nobel laureate and playwright, Prof. Wole Soyinka, recently lambasted former president Olusegun Obasanjo, saying he has no respect for him.
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