Soyinka: The Icon for whom apologies are unnecessary

By Laolu Akande

Among those who insist that truth-telling is an indispensable form of nation building, Prof. Wole Soyinka is the greatest.

And I don’t mean this merely when he is often telling those in government the truth or only when it is done in public. I mean for all times, seasons and for all purposes.

Here is the story of what Soyinka, [who is not only to be referred to as Alagba, but also as Baba, not just by his biological children but so many of us,] means to me.

In 1992 as a Correspondent of The Guardian Newspapers in Ibadan, I had gone to the BCOS to cover a live radio interview with Wole Soyinka on the then widely famous and reputable Radio O-Y-O. I still remember the music 🎶 that sounds out of the freshness of a new day: every morning on that darling radio station-Radio O Y O….top of the morning….top of the morning 🎶 🎵 ⏹️ 🪕 🎼 💿 🎶.

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It was a Radio O Y O exclusive interview with the Nobel Laureate that afternoon. Governor Kolapo Ishola was in the saddle then in Oyo State while Chief Lamidi Adedibu was the godfather. The Radio station was owned by the State Government but the operators of the station were professional, top notch and knew how to do their jobs- Soyinka was a guest.

As the interview was going on, WS started waxing in his flamboyant expressions doling out the truth unbothered that this was a Radio owned by government. And then suddenly, I noticed right inside the hall where the live interview was going on that Soyinka had actually been unceremoniously cut off air for some comments he made about Adedibu which someone felt was uncomplimentary!

But this was unknown to the Kongi himself. And he kept speaking. I couldn’t take it, so I got up from my seat among the audience and wrote a note addressed to him that alas he has been cut off from air and no one knew how to tell him or perhaps just didn’t care to.

I got close enough as many of the organisers knew me as a journalist in the State, so I wasn’t blocked from reaching to him. I passed the note to Soyinka. He read it and within minutes got up abruptly and walked out of the make-do studio after confirming that indeed he had been cut off air!

That was my very first meeting with him and we had remained so close since that day.

At my latest meeting with him in Lagos, after serving 8 straight years as a Presidential Spokesperson for the Buhari/Osinbajo administration, we both recalled the incident. So he told me the balance which I hadn’t fully figured out before. It was Adedibu who ordered the station to cut him off the air, then later send him word about it.

Soyinka regaled me, how the strong man of Ibadan politics-Adedibu himself passed a message to Soyinka later, that when he -Adedibu- ordered the station to cut him off the air, he Adedibu was following the footsteps of Soyinka who in his younger days stood up the entire western radio station in the same Ibadan city in protest to the shenanigans of the politicians of the day!

According to Soyinka who narrated this part of the story, he then sent word back to Adedibu in humorous mien-” that is fair enough!

But we even got closer in exile-in the United States.

So anytime he was in New York, where I lived up till 2015, he would alert me and we would have a drink and chat. We also interacted much more regularly via phones and emails. On occasions I had received him at the airport and once couldn’t quickly figure him out because of his decoy appearance!

I still remember a good friend of mine, New York based Nigerian lawyer-we both became RCCG pastors later – Remi Oshinkanlu who eagerly requested that I must bring him along one of these days to meet WS. Prof. Soyinka agreed. Such was his generosity of spirit. But there was one condition- that there won’t be pictures because he would be arriving somewhat incognito! It was a deal for Remi and he got his wishes to meet the only black African to win the Nobel prize for Literature.

When Abacha died and then Abiola too, like several developments we would have long discussions on the phone and atimes some of it would end up as a news story with his permission of course. Other times he would send me statements that would become exclusive stories.

Once Abdusalami Abubakar took over power and immediately started releasing all political prisoners, Soyinka did a statement announcing the relocation of Radio Kudirat back to Nigeria. As we all know, Soyinka was the major force behind the radio-once at one and later in exile.

We then had an interview where he told me that he hoped RADIO KUDIRAT would be a public trust in Nigeria like the National Public Radio in the US, which is maintained by public subscriptions.

According to him “I have always admired that particular kind of system in which a voice accessible to all the people and emphasizing the more refined aspect of cultural life, not publishing junk and filling space simply for the sake of filling broadcasting hours which is what you are getting now in many stations in the country, which for me does not deserve to be called radio stations.”

In that chat, Soyinka documented how the station started first as RADIO FREEDOM right there in Lagos.

Let me reproduce a portion of that Q & A:

[Now Soyinka had just told me that Radio Freedom started in Lagos right under the nose of the military dictators of the day. The operators even used local transmitters at some point.]

“Me: this was certainly in Lagos
Soyinka: In Lagos, o yes! And it moved outside of Lagos to broadcast in Abuja a couple times…
Me: In Abuja too?
Soyinka: Oh yes!
Me: How did you manage to beat all the security network in Abuja?
Soyinka: You have to talk about this band of committed operators, they were the ones who were in charge. By that time, you remember that I had left Nigeria. And I was then convinced that we needed a short wave Radio which will cover the whole country and that was what I devoted my energies to.
Me: Would there be a time that you will let us into some of the people who worked with you on this thing?
Soyinka: No doubt at all. I think we are getting very close to disclosing the names including the names of the country if they agree…..it would be a great pleasure for me personally to thank them openly.”

Such was Soyinka’s commitment, public spirit and personal sacrifice!

I must acknowledge that Soyinka, as a news source was partly responsible for the successes, which by the grace of God dot my career as a journalist.

My editors & superiors in the news room then-such as Mr. Jahman Anikulapo, Ambassador Debo Adesina and our overall boss, Mr. Emeka Izeze, who then often thought of me as an asset to the newspaper, [which is very humbling,] will tell me that my closeness to Soyinka is a confirmation of what they had always known. So you see why I am grateful to WS.

I remember when I landed what was a dream job in New York Newsday in 2000 as a Copy Editor. It was such a dream world as the company sent a limousine to receive me at the airport and put me up at the best hotel in Long Island.

So they needed a letter of recommendation as part of the employment process. I decided to bring out the big guns and show those oyinbos! I asked Soyinka to please do the honours and he did it so lavishly that I became the envy of many in the newsroom-with a Nobel laureate-penned letter of recommendation!

There is still a lot more to tell about this our Baba and time is approaching when we shall do that by God’s grace. He remains a compelling conscience of the nation, a pride of black people and a global icon whose humanity continues to shape the perspectives and inspire millions of people everywhere!

When he was doing his memoir, You Must Set Forth At Dawn, WS gave me the rare opportunity to be one of his research assistants and I was honoured that he actually put my name in the Acknowledgement page of the book, in appreciation of the assignment delivered. Such is the generosity of spirit of WS.

And by the way, Baba Soyinka is not infallible and he has no need to apologise for that, for all of us are like that after all. I mean that we are all infallible, being human beings.

If many of Soyinka’s critics today can come close to just a marginal measure of what he has sacrificed especially for this nation at several stages of Nigeria’s history, then they can begin to understand that Khaki no be leather!

Happy birthday to Baba, Alagba Oluwole Akinwande Soyinka who turns 90 today July 13 2024! As your days so shall your strength, wisdom and favour be with God and people! Many happy returns of the day!