Soyinka Says He Has Never Referred To Patience Jonathan As “Illiterate”                           

Thursday May 22nd, 2014

by naijazine.com

Wole Soyinka a Nobel Laureate says that while he has occasionally been   compelled to publicly chastise Mrs. Patience Jonathan over unacceptable   conduct, he has never referred to her as "illiterate."

He has also never linked President Goodluck Jonathan's governance   with his wife's educational attributes or lack thereof, he said in a   clarification sent to SaharaReporters and other online media on   Wednesday concerning what he called the “disgusting career” of a   fabrication on the subject.

He also said he intended to take whatever legal steps are available   once the source of the objectionable material has been traced.

“It commenced over a year ago, I seem to recollect, as a telephone   text, 'tweet' or whatever it is called, died away after strong   rebuttals, and is now being provided renewed life by some faceless   cowards with their own private agenda,” Professor Soyinka said in a   statement.  “Let me state quite clearly that literacy is no indicator of   intelligence, even though we all believe (I hope) in universal   literacy. From childhood I have interacted with so-called "illiterate"   men and women, sipped from their innate intelligence, and learnt much   from them outside formal schooling.”

The literary icon said he was therefore repudiating the statement   that could only have stemmed from “an ignorant clod” he dismissed as   being additionally devoid of the moral courage of his or her own   untenable convictions.

“Your readers may wish to know that when I first encountered the   statement, I was sufficiently appalled to send a personal message to   Patience Jonathan dissociating myself from such a base sentiment. The   associated commentary on the president's decisions - I have no idea   which decision, if any - is equally outrageous and disgusting. To   attribute to me the slightest interest in the choice of a spouse by man   or woman is a complete travesty of my near obsessive belief in the   sanctity of private relationships.”

According to Professor Soyinka, a similar shameless telephone posting   was inaugurated some weeks ago, with his name attached to it, urging   the public to rise and do something or the other.  

“Let me take this opportunity to announce yet again that I do not   tweet, blog or whatever goes on in this increasingly promiscuous   medium,” he stressed. 

“I do not run a Facebook, even though I am   aware that one or two serious-minded individuals/groups have instituted   some such forum on their own, for the purpose of disseminating factual   information on my activities. I neither contribute to, nor comment on   the contents of their "calendar".

It spoke about how the Internet has been used to abuse and disrespect people and want action to be taken to  protect the integrity of the medium, and save it from becoming   “a mere vomitorium” for unprincipled scallywags who may or may not have   a particular axe to grind.