Tuesday, 19th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

The man dies in him who keeps silent when it matters most 

By Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo
11 April 2023   |   3:25 am
Sir: I have painstakingly listened to Prof. Wole Soyinka’s interviews on the Nigerian 2023 elections and I make bold to say that: “The man dies in him who keeps silent when it matters most.”

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka

Sir: I have painstakingly listened to Prof. Wole Soyinka’s interviews on the Nigerian 2023 elections and I make bold to say that: “The man dies in him who keeps silent when it matters most.” I dare say fuarther that it is most unfair and unholy of Prof Soyinka to come out of the blue to apportion blames. 

Soyinka kept silent when INEC deliberately refused to upload the Presidential election results electronically. He kept silent when INEC breached the Electoral Act and it’s own rules and regulations in the conduct of elections. He kept silent when Igbo and those suspected to be Igbo were being threatened by their Yoruba host. He was silent when the Oro rite was performed during elections in parts of Lagos to disenfranchise non-natives and women. He was silent when Igbo and their lookalikes were being attacked by on election day. He kept silent when inflammatory statements were made on Igbo by Bayo Onanuga, Festus Keyamo, Femi Fani-Kayode and many others. He kept silent when APC was using the Nigerian police and other state apparatus to suppress Nigerians during elections. In all these, if Prof Soyinka had spoken a word or two it would have made a world of difference because his voice mattered then not his silence. 

Soyinka’s out burst on Television and assessment of the state of things and frontal attack on Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed is most unfair and unbalanced. His position tends to give imprimatur to the stolen mandate of the Nigerian people. His silence at this point in time would have been golden than his voice whereas he failed to speak when it mattered most. 

Chief Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo.

0 Comments