Nigerians Attack Abacha's Children For Insulting Prof. Wole Soyinka

Two children of the late maximum
dictator, General Sani Abacha, on
Wednesday singled out Nobel Laureate,
Prof. Wole Soyinka, for a venomous
attack. While Gumsu, the late dictator’s
daughters, took to her Twitter page to
pass disparaging remarks on him, her
brother Sadiq chose blogs and online
forums to snarl abuses at the widely
respected Professor.
Abacha's son said Soyinka is a “common
writer” who has grown old and fast
“losing his grasp of reality.”
But Nigerians have been responding to
the spoilt brats adequately. Below are
some reactions:
“When Abacha’s children begin to run
commentary on Wole Soyinka, you
wonder if they were too young to know
their father. There is no need to remind
the Abachas of the sorrow their father
brought upon Nigeria.
“I blame President Jonathan for his short
memory. Today it is Wole Soyinka,
tomorrow it may be Gani Fawehinmi. The
Abachas are enjoying the freedom of
expression their father repressed.”
Those are the words of Babatunde
Rosanwo.
Hours after Sadiq’s article was circulated
online, Ayo Sogunro, who described
himself as a young Nigerian who sees
Soyinka as his “socio-political” father,
took to his blog to defend the literary
icon.
In his post, he said the Abacha reign
“have been the worst years of my material
life as a Nigerian citizen”, noting that the
attacks on Soyinka amounted to a
“misguided filial bravery.”
“You (Sadiq Abacha) can never eradicate
the infamy of your father’s legacy by
trying to point out the failings of another
Nigerian. No length of finger pointing will
wash away the odious feeling the name
Abacha strikes up in the mind of the
average Nigerian.
“Wole Soyinka did not antagonise your
father just because he was a military man
—Wole Soyinka was against your father’s
inhumanity. Your father was intolerant of
criticism beyond belief,” Sogunro
stressed.
Lending a voice to the outrage, a public
relations practitioner, Isioma Osaje, wrote
on Twitter that no matter the amount of
mudslinging from the late dictator’s
family, they cannot distort history.
She said, “You (Sadiq and Gumsu) should
know that it is unfortunate that he is your
father. But Abacha was everything he is
accused of and more. A thief is a thief,
father or not. His sins are not your sins
unless you were cohorts and while it is
admirable that you defend your father, it
does not change history.”
Also, Tobi Amoo, who claimed to have
once attended the same school with
Sadiq, cautioned the duo against further
spewing rubbish in an attempt to get back
at Soyinka.
“Sadiq Abacha was actually a year my
senior in Maitama during his father’s
terrible reign,” he said. “If my father were
a thief and murderer, I’d keep quiet when
people talked about it, not spew crap as if
na only me sabi speak oyinbo. If your
father is a thief and you speak to support
him, you are a thief also.
"It’s the same freedom that Wole Soyinka
and others like the late Gani Fawehinmi
fought for that allows these badly-
brought up children to open their gob
and spout rubbish.”
As the drama goes on, don't forget that
we have a President who pardons thieves,
he may soon do so again.