Oyinlola’s desperation becoming international embarrassment – Soyinka 

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, on Tuesday took a swipe at former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, for taking his desperation over the chairmanship of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, CBCIU, to the point of injuring the integrity of Nigeria in the international community.

Soyinka also appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to call Oyinlola to order and stop him from continuing with the alleged culture of impunity by claiming the position of Chairman of the board of the centre, is located in Oshogbo, the Osun State capital, even when the law establishing the centre had eased him out.

According to Soyinka, who spoke at a press conference in Lagos, Oyinlola had not only continued to lay claim to the position of chairman of the board, he has been travelling across the globe, aided by Nigeria’s former representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Dr. Michael Omolewa, soliciting for and receiving donations and funds on behalf of the centre.

Soyinka, who is the chairman of the centre, wondered why Oyinlola could become so desperate to the extent of shunning the amended law setting up the centre.

“One way to summarise the situation of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) at this moment requires no deep elaboration. It goes thus: there is a law, and there are ethics. Wherever these two arbiters of public conducts appear to clash, even ethics must bow to law.

“On the other hand, it is useful to remember also that the sinews that bind civilised society together are strengthened when both -law and ethics -converge, and are harmonised in a public cause.

“To come down to the specifics of CBCIU, I require no convincing that this ideal harmonisation was manifested when the lawmakers of Osun State enacted, in 2012, an amendment to the original CBCIU law that had been signed into law by Governor Oyinlola on 29th December, 2008. The original law, in my view, was profoundly unethical.

“The amendment by the succeeding House of Assembly, signed into law on the 31st day of July, 2012, was clearly designed to inject an ethical corrective into the law,” Soyinka said adding that even lawyers have said the amendment supersedes the original law.

“No court judgement exists that voids a single provision of this law – including the setting up of a new board – or its entirety. It is important that this nation, and the entire world of culture and ethical pursuit understand this.