Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka known for being outspoken on April 21, Wednesday said that while he may have publicly chastised First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan he has reacted to the report making rounds that he called the First Lady of Nigeria, Patience Jonathan an ‘illiterate’.
Soyinka while clearing the air on the report in a statement released said he never made such reference to the first lady let alone link President Goodluck Jonathan’s governance with his wife’s educational attributes or lack thereof.
He described the report as “disgusting career” of a fabrication on the subject and has plans to take legal steps against the source of the objectionable material once it has been identified.
Soyinka who took a swipe at the First lady in July 2013said: “It commenced over a year ago, I seem to recollect, as a telephone text, ‘tweet’ or whatever it is called, died away after strong rebuttals, and is now being provided renewed life by some faceless cowards with their own private agenda,” Professor Soyinka said in a statement. “Let me state quite clearly that literacy is no indicator of intelligence, even though we all believe (I hope) in universal literacy. From childhood I have interacted with so-called “illiterate” men and women, sipped from their innate intelligence, and learnt much from them outside formal schooling.”
“Your readers may wish to know that when I first encountered the statement, I was sufficiently appalled to send a personal message to Patience Jonathan dissociating myself from such a base sentiment. The associated commentary on the president’s decisions – I have no idea which decision, if any – is equally outrageous and disgusting. To attribute to me the slightest interest in the choice of a spouse by man or woman is a complete travesty of my near obsessive belief in the sanctity of private relationships.”
“Let me take this opportunity to announce yet again that I do not tweet, blog or whatever goes on in this increasingly promiscuous medium,” he stressed. “I do not run a Facebook, even though I am aware that one or two serious-minded individuals/groups have instituted some such forum on their own, for the purpose of disseminating factual information on my activities. I neither contribute to, nor comment on the contents of their “calendar”.
Speaking on the current trend of internet usage to disrepect people he said: “Such a trend is fraught with outright danger, and should not be underestimated,” he warned.
Prof Soyinka also said professional actions should be taken to protect the integrity of the medium, and save it from becoming “a mere vomitorium” for unprincipled scallywags who may or may not have a particular axe to grind.