Former governor of Osun state, Olagunsoye Oyinlola has said the reason Professor Wole Soyinka has been attacking and criticising him is possibly due to the strained relationship the professor has with former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.
Professor Soyinka and Oyinlola have been at rift over who the legitimate chairman of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) is.
Soyinka had earlier called on President Buhari to call the former governor to order saying he was parading himself as the chairman of CBCIU and using the platform to solicit for funds. Oyinlola in turn, accused the Nobel laureate of having no understanding of the operation of the centre, adding that Soyinka was initially against the establishment of the centre.
According to The Punch, Oyinlola gave a press conference in Okuku, Osun state where he claimed that Soyinka was transferring aggression unto him because of the strained relationship the professor had with Olusegun Obasanjo.
“Why all these attacks on my person? I have asked myself repeatedly. Could it be a case of transferred aggression? If he has any problem with his brother, elder statesman, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, why transfering the aggression to me? I have never done anything in the past to warrant what I have been getting from Soyinka.
“Does Soyinka know that an elder in Yorubaland operates within certain ethical boundaries? Does he know that elders must never be seen playing the hen otherwise foul smell will be their companion?”
Oyinlola presented a document that purportedly showed that CBCIU was a joint property of the UNESCO, the federal government, Osun state and the late Ullie Beier, adding that the documents were available for Soyinka to peruse.
He claimed there wasn’t any animosity between he and Soyinka and said he even made effort through Governor Rauf Aregbesola to meet the professor.
“I paid a visit to his house in Lagos on the advice of the governor. He was not at home and never acknowledged the visit. I made several phone calls to him which were never answered. I tried reaching him unsuccessfully through his daughter, Mrs. Moremi Onijala. The last was an intervention organised between us by Aregbesola for Senator Sola Adeyeye to broker peace.
“The senator met with me and promised to meet Soyinka and get back to me. I was waiting for the feedback when I read Soyinka, an elder statesman and a supposed culture icon attacking me once again.”
Oyinlola is not the only former governor who is having a strained relationship with Soyinka. Former governor of Ogun state, Gbenga Daniel recently fired back at the Nobel laureate for accusing him of ruining Goodluck Jonathan’s chances of being re-elected president.
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