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The
controversy that surrounded the birth of the Centre for Black Culture and
International Understanding, Osogbo, Osun State, in 2008 erupted again on
Tuesday when the Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, accused former Governor
Olagunsoye Oyinlola of perpetuating himself as the chairman of the centre’s
board of trustees.
He, thus,
urged President Muhammadu Buhari to caution him in the spirit of the
President’s anti-corruption stance.
The process
of establishing the centre in 2008 was marked by accusation and
counter-accusation between Soyinka and Oyinlola, as the renowned dramatist had
vehemently opposed an alleged plot to locate the centre at the Olusegun
Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta. He claimed that the former President
was using federal might to achieve this.
But while the
main centre was eventually located in Osogbo, with a unit in the latter,
trouble erupted again when the Rauf Aregbesola government came to power in
2011, as Oyinlola wanted to continue as the board chairman, based on a clause
in the original law that established the CBIU.
The argument
simmered in 2012 when the state House of Assembly amended the law to stop the
permanent chairmanship.
Aregbesola
had subsequently appointed Soyinka as the centre’s chairman.
But apart
from legal issues that later arose, trouble reared its head again with a
planned international conference set to hold at the centre.
At a press
conference themed, ‘CBCIU: for Culture or Penkelemeesi?’, held at the Freedom
Park on Tuesday, Soyinka warned Oyinlola against presenting himself as the
chairman.
Noting that
he had reported the development to UNESCO authorities, he said it was unethical
for any office holder to claim perpetual ownership or leadership of any
institution built with public funds.
According to
him, the amendment made to the law establishing the centre, as carried out by
the Osun lawmakers, remains valid as no court of law has nullified it.
He suggested
that even if there were still some legal intricacies surrounding the
development, ethics demanded that it be subjected to public debate.
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.
But while our
correspondent’s efforts to reach Oyinlola proved abortive on Tuesday, one of
his former aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said 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 also
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.”
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