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THE DAY I CONFRONTED PROFESSOR WOLE SOYINKA! (PART ONE)

By Kenneth Ikonne

One odd evening in July, 2001, my boss and learned Senior colleague in chambers, Amobi
Nzelu Esq, did to me what I considered the greatest injustice on earth. He suddenly
summoned me to his office on the intercom, and handed me a bulky file. To my utter
astonishment, he then thundered: "Ikonne, tomorrow morning, at 9 am, you will go to Oputa
Panel. You will cross examine Wole Soyinka, on a petition he filed at the Panel against
Doctor Walter Ofonagoro, former Information Minister. Study the file well and good luck."
"But The Republican
Sir, which Soyinka areNewsyou is on about?", I inquired in meek protest! "Are there two
talking
Soyinkas?",
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my boss fired back, and Thethe office for the day. I stood there in his office,
momentarily transfixed,
Republican News,and joinfrozen with utter dread. Professor Wole Soyinka was, and still
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is, the greatest
today. literary figure to have come out of Africa, a Nobel Laureate in Literature,
and a brilliant internationalist.
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Less than two years earlier, I had left Lagos at the behest of my father, to undergo legal
tutelage in Abuja, after
or a few years of trying my hands at private business. Chief Nzelu had
mercifully taken me in at his flourishing Abuja law firm, and I had earnestly and zealously
begun to learn theLog in drafting processes, moving motions and watching trials, but I had
ropes,
never conducted a cross - examination.

But now, not only was I to conduct a cross examination, but the witness to be cross
examined was a living legend, and one of the most colossal literary figures of the modern
world. To make matters worse, the cross examination was to be conducted on prime time
television - and before the legendary Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, Nigeria's most
:
 accomplished jurist, a sage whose knowledge of both the law and literature was
encyclopaedic.

I made up my mind at that instant to drop that file there, resign immediately and flee from
impending disgrace and disaster. Forlorn and sorely distressed, I walked back to my own
office and confided in my younger colleague, Nomnso Egwuagu, of both my grave
predicament and my plans to avert it. Nomnso surprisingly responded with a broad smile
and said, in what must rank as one of the greatest affirmations of faith in another man's
abilities: "Ken, this is an opportunity of a lifetime, and I know you can pull it off. I will go with
you to that Panel tomorrow and watch you seize the moment and show everyone what you
can do." He then looked into my eyes, smiled again and called me by that name which only
he calls me: "The Old World Guyman." Thus bolstered, I left for home, filled with a strange
determination and zest to confront the Literary Principality in less than 14 hours from then.

That very night, I didn't sleep. I had met the legendary Professor once at Ife when he came
to deliver a lecture on IDIOLECTS, and I had read several of his works, and had avidly
followed his life both as a fearless advocate for freedom, and an incomparable champion of
human rights. Infact, Soyinka was, in my eyes, a hero and a transcendental source of
inspiration.

I went through his petition. His major complaint was that during his years in exile under the
Abacha regime, most of which he spent as an Emeritus Professor of English Literature at
the Emory University in Atlanta, United States, the Abacha regime had launched an
injurious campaign against him. That campaign, according to him, was to discredit and
malign him before the President of Emory University, and the entire University community.
According to Professor Soyinka, the Abacha Government had sent several defamatory
letters about him to the President of the University, and had similarly circulated same in the
international press. But none of these letters was attached to the petition.

Despite my relative courtroom inexperience, i had spent the last one year and six months
since i joined the law firm reading and researching voraciously, dedicating at least four
hours daily to devouring a wide range of subjects, mostly on law. That effort was now about
to pay off! The object of cross examination in law is traditionally to discredit the witness
and demolish the case of the opposing party. But bearing in mind that the witness in this
instance was an incredible intellectual pyrotechnic and that the theatre of the exercise was
prime - time national television, I decided to divine a further objective: literary
entertainment!

By the morning of D - day, I was fully prepared, and Nomnso had also arrived my residence
very early, and dressed for court. Together, we drove to the National Women's Centre, the
venue of the Panel's sittings. We took our seats on the third row of the vast amphitheatre,
having arrived quite early. Thirty minutes later, Doctor Walter Offonagoro, our client, arrived
with his very delectable Indian - Canadian wife. We went out to meet him, and exchanged
greetings. "Where is your boss, Amobi Nzelu?", he inquired. "He is not coming, Sir," I
responded. "Who then will interrogate Professor Soyinka? You?", he exploded in utter
indignation.

Doctor Offonagoro then reached for his mobile phone, the one in use at the time known
colloquially as Nokia 090, and began to dial Amobi Nzelu frantically. But my boss, probably
anticipating Offonagoro's reaction, had switched off his own phone.
:
 Then once again, Doctor Offonagoro, now totally consumed with rage, turned his fiery
attention to me. He sized me up from head to toe, and thundered: "Do you know the man
they've sent you here to interrogate? And you agreed and came here? Otolo gbagbu kwegi
there. C'mon give me the bloody file. I will conduct my case myself."

Thoroughly shaken, I was almost handing over the case file to him when his very affable
wife intervened, calmed Doctor Offonagoro down, and warmly apologised to both me and
Nomnso. "Darling, give the young men a chance. Their boss must have seen something in
them before giving them this all important task." A strange calm suddenly came upon
Doctor Offonagoro. He smiled at me, held my hand, and apologised profusely. "Do your
best, young man," he said, and followed both Nomnso and I into the vast auditorium.

Walking behind us in dainty steps, accompanied by several aides and devotees, and
flocked by a galaxy of press photographers and papparazi, was the legendary figure of the
white - haired god of literature, Professor Wole Soyinka.

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Ikenna Desmond
Wow!!.. Interesting piece and equally motivating.
2 yrs Report

Note Newman Glory

Where is part 2?
2 yrs Report

The Republican News

Note Newman Glory go up the page to see part two
2 yrs Report

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