An angry Wole Soyinka, Wednesday, lashed out at news outlets which
credited to him with a disparaging statement against the Igbo ethnic group in
Nigeria.
In a terse statement, Mr. Soyinka
attributed the report to the handiwork of “cowards” who fasten their “imbecilic
pronouncements” on others.
“I have just read a statement
attributed to me on something called TheCable, a news outlet, evidently one of
the Internet infestations,” said Mr. Soyinka, a professor of Comparative
Literature.
“My lecture at the Hutchins Centre,
Harvard University, was video recorded. Anyone who believes what I am alleged
to have said must be a moron – repeat, a moron.
PREMIUM TIMES report continues:
“It is demeaning, sickening and
boring to have to deal with these cowards who cannot fight their own battles
but must fasten their imbecilic pronouncements on others.
Several online news media (See here) had reported Tuesday that Mr. Soyinka had described the Igbos as
a “greedy” group.
“The Igbos are probably the only
group of Nigerians that you can predict with great accuracy whom they will vote
for in an election, because they tend to put their votes where their stomachs
take them; suffering as it were, from incurable money-mindedness, as they would
stop at nothing in their quest for personal financial gain,” Mr. Soyinka was
quoted as saying.
The Nobel Laureate had delivered a
lecture on April 29th titled, ‘Predicting Nigeria? Electoral Ironies’ at the
Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs in the U.S.
The alleged comment ignited a
scathing backlash against Mr. Soyinka on social media as critics likened the
statement to the anti-Igbo speech of Rilwanu Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos.
But Mr. Soyinka denied making such a
statement.
“Only the mentally retarded will
credit this comment attributed to me regarding the Ndigbo voting pattern in the
last elections,” he said.
“I strongly suspect the author of this
despicable concoction, and may make a further statement, once the source is
verified.”
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