Wole Soyinka is a major Political voice in Nigeria. As a professor and one who has played and is still playing significant role in the History of Nigeria, so far as political activism is concerned, it is the average expectation that his voice gives some kind of direction to those who are confused or not certain about what political choice to make.
The General Elections are just by the corner, and all the
major candidates have done their best to convince the electorates to vote them
into office. Some new voices also emerged to contest with the already known and
popular voices which is a good one for our democracy.
Following the happenings in the country, and the fact that there
is a call for change of policies in the administrative system in Nigeria, to
usher the country into a better future, major actors have prayed for new hands
to step in and pilot the affairs of the nation.
Luckily for Nigeria, names like Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, Sowore
and Fela Dorutoye presented themselves to serve in the number one office.
Personally, I do not know much about Fela Dorutoye, even
though I have heard some details about him. But for Moghalu, I can say that he
is not new to me. When I watched one of his video clips, I was captivated by
his show of understanding in politics, economics, and governance. He spoke with
so much understanding that made me became interested in him. And after watching
one video or two, I was convinced the more that he is the right person or one
of the right persons to rule Nigeria.
The manifesto and profile of Professor Moghalu are there in
the cyber space for all to assess, so I was believing that for people like Wole
Soyinka who many youths believe in, he should be among the first persons to
declare support for Moghalu or his likes. But this was not the case as we didn’t
hear anything from him, not until some few hours ago when the news broke out
that Prof. Wole Soyinka has endorsed Prof. Moghalu, the presidential candidate
of the Young Progressive Candidate, as his own candidate. This show came barely
some hours after the erudite Professor and Noble Prize winner charged Nigerians
not to vote for Muhammadu Buhari or Atiku Abubarkar of the APC and PDP
extraction, respectively.
The endorsement has been widely hailed by many of the YPP
supporters, but as one who believe in the candidacy of Prof. Moghalu, I must
say that the endorsement is but too late to celebrate. It is quite unfortunate
that this endorsement is coming just few days to the election. One can imagine if
this had come long before now -- I believe that, the same may have created
better awareness in the mind of many Nigerians who are seeking for direction
for a choice of candidate, and of course, set the stage for better political
participation. But at it is, the mind of many are already settled for the Devil
and the Deep Blue Sea, and so, there is little or nothing this endorsement will
do, but instead create more traffic for online publishers.
For me, my support remains with Prof. Moghalu, but Greys like
Wole Soyinka must understand that the earlier they make clear their stand the
better for the youths.