Adedibu’s death’ll usher peace in Oyo – Soyinka
By OLADEJI PAUL SUNDAY
Published: Friday, 13 Jun 2008
Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka on Thursday said Oyo State might find lasting peace with the demise of the Ibadan-based chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu.
According to Soyinka, “I hope the people of Oyo State will succeed in re-establishing democracy and decent public conduct now that the godfather of godfathers has taken his leave of us. May he rest in peace and the may the state of Oyo also find peace at last!”
Soyinka said among those who would miss Adedibu were dictators “including those who call themselves democratically elected.”
The world-class playwright said Nigerian dictators parading as politicians and those who now call themselves democratically elected presidents “used him to completely undermine democracy in various states, to destabilise all democratic efforts in the nation.”
He said, “It is not a coincidence that he passed away after the police‘s decision raiding his hideout of his private army.”
Soyinka stated that “the police must be held responsible for Adedibu’s death because in my view, it‘s obvious that his very existence depended on the use of his army of criminals, extortionists, outlaws and all forms of renegades, which he used to defy law, decency and order and to rubbish democracy in Oyo State.”
He observed that ”the only consolation that we can take from his exit is that he will meet on the other side with democratic stalwarts like Comrade Ola Oni, who disciplined him right here, even under brutal dictatorial monsters like Abacha, and showed him, that is, Adedibu his place.”
Soyinka said he sympathises with all of Adedibu‘s “political sons including an ex-president who actually publicly acknowledged him as his political father.”