| AMIDST rumours yesterday of the death of | | | | occupation, Soyinka who said he was nature friendly |
| President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua in Saudi Arabia, the | | | | observed that the agricultural initiative trailed the |
| Presidency has urged Nigerians to ignore the story, | | | | farm settlements of the Obafemi Awolowo era in |
| saying that it is "not only false, but also a figment of | | | | the old Western Region. |
| the writers' imagination." | | | | He recalled that his sad moment when he was a |
| Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), | | | | student at Government College, Ibadan, was when |
| Olusegun Adeniyi, said the public should | | | | the colonial school authority slated farming as |
| discountenance the story, insisting that President | | | | extra-curricular activity. |
| Yar'Adua was not only alive, but very much | | | | Soyinka also said one of the errors committed after |
| conscious and getting better. | | | | independence was the neglect of agriculture in the |
| Meanwhile, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka | | | | school curricular. |
| and some other prominent Nigerians and groups | | | | ' One of the saddest days was when the colonial |
| yesterday called for an urgent solution to the | | | | school authorities cancelled agriculture. Football, |
| quagmire | | | | athletics remained. It was one of the most disastrous |
| According to Adeniyi, who sent his response from | | | | experiences. If you cannot grow what you eat, you |
| Angola where he said he was attending the opening | | | | must encourage people who can do it... We have oil, |
| ceremony of the African Cup of Nations as a | | | | but we cannot drink oil. Wrong sense of education |
| member of the Presidential Task Force on Nigeria's | | | | made people to abandon agriculture due to oil', he |
| participation in 2010 World Cup: "The speculations are | | | | said. |
| false. The President is alive and actually getting | | | | The eminent scholar said, although the call for violent |
| better. He is very much conscious, can talk and has | | | | revolution has filled the air, it is not the best option, |
| been talking , including making phone calls to some | | | | warning that history has shown that it usually |
| people back home." | | | | consumes its architects. |
| The presidential spokesman added that he travelled | | | | He feared that a violent revolution may herald the |
| to Angola with the permission of President Yar'Adua. | | | | emergence of another Stalin, reminiscent of the |
| "I am here officially. But I am coming back home, | | | | brutality the Soviet revolution unleashed on the |
| hopefully tomorrow, because he has so directed," | | | | people of Russia and other nations. |
| Adeniyi said. | | | | But, the retired university don frowned at the docile |
| Indeed "last night, former governor of Abia State, Oji | | | | attitude of people to burning national issues which, he |
| Uzor Kalu told The Guardian what he called "the most | | | | said, contrasted with the perception of foreigners |
| authentic proof that the rumour is worse than a lie." | | | | about an average Nigerian. |
| "How could a man I spoke to on December 31, 2009 | | | | Soyinka said that complacency often made Nigerians |
| could have died on December 10?" | | | | to attribute the problems of the country which |
| According to him, "Mutawallen Katsina spoke to me. I | | | | affect their daily wellbeing to an act of God. |
| know his voice. Hamza, his Special Assistant who was | | | | ' What I will like to change is what appears to be the |
| his ADC when he was Katsina State governor, | | | | national character of docility. People absorb so much. |
| facilitated the call. " I was in Lebanon. I called Hamza | | | | This is what Yoruba call Iwosi in this country. The |
| to ask after the President's health and he told me he | | | | contempt for the people is amazing. |
| wouldn't see him until about four hours later." | | | | ' People endure two hours of electricity per day. I |
| After that, said Kalu, "he indeed called me back and | | | | know how much I pay for diesel. It is enough to |
| handed the phone to President Yar'Adua. His voice | | | | award scholarship to people for their entire career. |
| was low but we exchanged banters the way he and | | | | Many people outside think Nigerians are aggressive, |
| I would normally do." | | | | noisy and loud. They are taking out on other people |
| According to the former Abia governor, the President | | | | the way they cannot express at home. |
| may have been moved to one of the residential | | | | ' The president is away for 40 days without handing |
| houses of the Saudi King from hospital to stave off | | | | over and all of you are here saying that you are |
| pressures. | | | | planting cassava', he said. |
| "But to say keeping him in-communicado means he is | | | | Soyinka welcomed all legitimate solutions to the |
| dead is stretching the imagination too far." | | | | current impasse, except violence, adding that the call |
| Inside the Presidential Villa Abuja, the atmosphere | | | | for an Interim National Government by his |
| was normal all through the day. There were no public | | | | compatriot, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, was also in order. |
| engagements by Vice President Goodluck Jonathan | | | | He said the participants at today's rally in Abuja |
| who was still in his office at about 6pm. | | | | would make some resolutions that would aide the |
| But he received some visitors. The first was the | | | | government to halt the tension and anxiety in the |
| Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu | | | | country. |
| and, later, chairman of the National Ports Authority | | | | ' For me, the most important thing is to wake the |
| (NPA) and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party | | | | nation up, to make people understand that they don't |
| (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih. Also, the Director General | | | | have to accept the act of contempt from their rulers |
| of the State Security Services (SSS), Mr Afakriya | | | | and regard it as the norm. The nation must be made |
| Gadzama, was with the Vice President. All officials | | | | one way or the other to understand that the line has |
| were also on the ground in the Presidential Villa. | | | | been crossed by leaving this nation without a head |
| When The Guardian contacted the Minister of | | | | for so long, in not sticking to the provisions of the |
| Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, | | | | constitution. |
| she said: "I am not aware. What I do know is that | | | | He said the lying spirit that has seized those at the |
| Mr. President is responding to treatment, and he | | | | helm of affairs in the country to make them liable to |
| recently spoke with the Vice President." | | | | treason. |
| Minister of Health, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, also | | | | 'If the president of a nation is not in a situation |
| told The Guardian that he was not aware of anything | | | | where he can manage the affairs of the nation, and |
| on the President "Chukwuma! You should take it | | | | you keep lying and covering up to the nation, you |
| easy. I have not heard of any such thing," he said in | | | | are committing treason against the people', he |
| response to the rumour of the President's death. | | | | stressed. |
| Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois at | | | | ' The constitution we have is not the people's |
| Chicago, United States and Joint Pioneer of Test | | | | constitution. For me, that constitution must be |
| Tube baby technology in Nigeria, Prof. Oladapo A. | | | | completely overturned. We must have a genuine |
| Ashiru OFR, in his reaction remarked: | | | | people's constitution. However, that is what we have |
| "Medically by the time any patient with Churg-Strauss | | | | at the moment and that is why we have operated it |
| Syndrome develops renal complications followed by | | | | for so many years. People should not keep the |
| ureamic pericarditis --- uniquely associated with kidney | | | | constitution as something we should follow when it is |
| renal failure --- the treatment becomes extremely | | | | convenient. That is not healthy. It is what holds the |
| challenging even to the best of medical teams. At | | | | nation together. If you don't follow the constitution, |
| this trying time when our international image is being | | | | you are laying the ground for dangerous friction in |
| dented, especially with the December 25 bomb | | | | the country', he added. |
| attempt, the most important thing we must sell is | | | | Soyinka also berated the National Assembly for failing |
| credibility. It is very clear that if our leaders are found | | | | to rise to the occasion, lamenting that their |
| to be non-credible it will tell on us. This is why those | | | | reluctance has made the conspiracy of lies to triumph |
| in government must quickly do their best to be | | | | in the country. |
| truthful to the nation." | | | | He reiterated his call for a Sovereign National |
| There were also reports yesterday that governors | | | | Conference to discuss the contentious national issues, |
| of the 36 states of the federation may extend their | | | | recalling that he has discussed the option with |
| emergency meeting which started late yesterday | | | | President Yar'Adua when he met him. |
| night in Abuja. | | | | He also said he had pointed out to the president the |
| Expectedly the meeting, chaired by the Kwara state | | | | embarrassing activities of the electoral commission |
| Governor Bukola Saraki may make the issue of the | | | | under Prof Maurice Iwu and the danger of delaying |
| President's health the kernel of meeting. | | | | the proposed electoral reforms. |
| The position of the governors on the issue may be | | | | However, 58 senators from the Northern part of the |
| made public at the end of the meeting "if the | | | | country met in Abuja yesterday evening to review |
| majority of them would favour it" said a source. | | | | the implications of the prolonged ill health of the |
| Sources told The Guardian that the meeting became | | | | President. |
| imperative in order to prevent further speculations | | | | The lawmakers met under the platform of the |
| about the state of health of the President. | | | | Northern Senators' Forum. |
| Soyinka also yesterday spoke on the prolonged | | | | Although no official statement was issued at the end |
| absence of Yar'Adua, saying that the nation is at a | | | | of the meeting, it was gathered that the lawmakers |
| standstill. | | | | agreed to support a motion being put together by |
| He called for mass action by the citizenry against | | | | the entire Senate to debate the health condition of |
| what he described as a 'ridiculous regime' holding the | | | | President Yarçdua. |
| country to ransom to avoid the elongation of the | | | | According to sources, a key prayer of that motion is |
| current emergency. | | | | that a delegate of Senators be sent to Saudi Arabia |
| Soyinka explained that the rally holding today in Abuja | | | | to visit the President to acquire first-hand information |
| , the Federal Capital Territory, was organized to | | | | on the true state of his health. |
| protest the apparent violation of the constitution by | | | | Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, had said |
| the administration and its penchant for reeling out lies | | | | in Minna, Niger State at the weekend that the Senate |
| to the public. | | | | would discuss the state of the nation, including the |
| He said similar protests would be held across the | | | | continued absence of the president when it resumes. |
| country to press for the application of the | | | | But the House of Representatives may shift debate |
| constitutional provisions as panacea to what he called | | | | on the president's health, earlier scheduled for today |
| "this national emergency." | | | | to tomorrow, Wednesday. The shift, according to |
| The literary giant said those lying to the nation about | | | | sources, is to mourn the death of Hajia Aisha Nafada, |
| the health of the president have committed treason, | | | | the mother of the Deputy Speaker, Alhaji Usman |
| adding that they should not go unpunished. | | | | Bayero Nafada. |
| Soyinka who was the' guest of the month' at the | | | | Speaking with The Guardian on the telephone |
| Agricultural Training School, Epe, Lagos State told the | | | | yesterday, the chairman of the House Committee on |
| participants Nigerians must be mobilized to legitimately | | | | Finance, John Enoh, said the time had come for the |
| confront the government over its inaction. | | | | House to take decisive action on the absence of the |
| Hailing the participants for choosing farming as an | | | | President from office for over one month. |