Encounter with Professor Wole Soyinka (Kongi) in his Great Ife Days!

By Niyi Egbe 

I came face to face with Professor Wole Soyinka at the then University of Ife, aka Great Ife for the wrong reason. Being a student of Agricultural Science, nothing in the study curricula could have had my path crossing that of the sage playwright Professor popularly called Kongi after his play – Kongi’s Harvest which was published in 1965. 

However, I was a member of the editorial crew of a University Students’ campus news organization called Pointer News Agency at the then University of Ife now called Obafemi Awolowo University. Back then, we had breached a rule of the Oduduwa Hall Management Committee against overcrowding, and the management committee responded punitively, slamming a heavy fine on us. The revered Professor and later, Nobel Laurette was the Chairman of that Committee. 

Amidst challenges of funding Pointer, the independent monthly organ of the news agency, which was published on cyclostyled papers, we strategized, sourced and aired two films – “Quo Vadis” and “ODESSA FILE” at Oduduwa Hall. 

Quo Vadis were Latin words meaning “where are you going?. It was a 1951 epic American religious film based on a 1896 novel bearing the same Quo Vadis authored by a the Polish Nobel Laurette, Henryk Sienkiewicz. The film brought to fore, the conflict between the Roman empire, adherents of the nascent Christian faith and the concomitant persecution suffered by Christians. This all played out under Emperor Nero,  a megalomaniac and hapless character when compared with his illustrious predecessor, Emperor Claudius.

 According to Christian tradition, the phrase “Quo Vadis” were the words Apostle Peter asked our Lord Jesus Christ post resurrection as fled from persecution in Rome. He asked Jesus, “Quo Vadis?” and He replied “Romam eo iterum crucifigī” meaning “I am going to Rome to be crucified again”. This gave Peter the fillip to return to his ministry of leading the church and continuing to Roman where he was eventually martyred, crucified upside-down.

The other film, ODESSA FILE, was based on a thriller by English author, Sir Frederick Forsyth which was first published in 1972. It is the story of a German journalist who tried to uncover the whereabouts of a former Nazi Camp Commander.

ODESSA, an acronym for the German words “Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen”, meaning “Organization of Former Members of the SS”. Schutzstaffel (SS) literally meaning Protection Squad was a paramilitary organization that operated under Adolf Hitler, securing the interest of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany and European territories occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II. 

The SS was a most cruel state funded terror organization in Nazi Germany. It was responsible for the genocidal extermination of an estimate 6 million Jews and other victims. The author, Sir Frederick Forsyth alleged that ODESSA was set up for the protection of fugitive former members of the SS before the defeat of Nazi Germany. 

Our professional and creative advertisement of both films yielded high attendance. We at Pointer celebrated the success of the fund-raising initiative and envisioned the prospect of sustaining our independent non sponsored magazine for long. Our joy was short lived as Oduduwa Hall Management accused us of failing to check overcrowding which attracted a fine. Much as we had planned, we could not withstand the crowd of student film enthusiasts for whom both films were a must watch. We simply couldn’t contain the students. 

Despite my frame, I was among those who manned one of the gates. We put up much resistance till students who bought tickets and gatecrashers overwhelmed us. Till date, I recall someone hitting my head with a sharp object. We had to yield way. I learnt a life long lesson that you cannot really resist a motley crowd. 

To our chagrin all explanations did not impress the Oduduwa Hall Management. We suggested a mitigation and were disappointed that the management held its grounds. We were stiff worried and kept exploring options to get off hooks. Amidst our thoughts and deliberation, we realized that Professor Wole Soyinka was the Chairman of the Hall Management and agreed to take our case to him. And yours sincerely, a mere 20-year-old was mandated to reach him personally.

I had thought that with his dexterity in the penning the English Language, I would meet him among his literary contemporaries like Prof Biodun Jeyifo in one of the Humanities blocks. My friends in Dramatic and Fine Arts told me his office at African Studies. 

I met him alone in his office – greeted by his bushy hairs, his peculiar top wear but without the trademark mini jacket. He studiedly received me and listened to my explanations of the reason for bringing the case to him on behalf of Pointer’s editorial crew. 

I appealed to him to employ his good offices to cancel the N200 fine slammed on Pointer News Agency. The N200 fine was a big deal. At the time, N200 (Two hundred Naira) when converted to the US Dollar would yield USD 300. Some state governments gave their students bursary awards up to the amount for a whole session. A N45 meal ticket booklet would help a student with three square meals per day for a whole month. Thus, N200 could feed a student for almost an entire semester. Why would Oduduwa Hall Management expect us to gleefully lose all that? We risked inability to sustain production of more editions of the magazine.  

After listening to my argument and plea, Prof Soyinka told me he was disappointed that students were having a growing penchant for showing films instead of being more creative. He asked: Why not go into Drama or something more creative?

I explained to him that we were not run in the mill students when it comes to creative thoughts.  I explained the reasons behind choosing both films. I asked if he ever heard about Sus? Without betraying emotions, he nodded in affirmation. I told him we decided Quo Vadis because we were Born Again Christians and that we were  promoting our faith in Christ. Of ODESSA FILE, I explained that as Journalists, we drew inspiration from the investigative journalism in the film. 

He bought my explanations but insisted that we would have to bear some cost. He was also clear, that he would not usurp the authority of the Oduduwa Hall Management Committee. He proposed that we would have to bear part of the brunt. He proposed reducing the fine to N100.00. The remaining N100  was to be borne by us and him. He would give us N50, while we would raise the rest N50.00! That way, everyone would pay a thing. Oduduwa will lose half the fine, he would help us with N50, and Pointer would also feel the pinch by paying N50. He asked me to confer with my colleagues to see if they would be okay with the decision.

I was surprised about the rapturous joy that my successful encounter and negotiation with Professor Soyinka implied to my then colleagues at Pointer, among them, Prof Bankole Sodipo, SAN, former Dean of Law, Babcock University, Mrs Busola Oke nee Eboda and the Late Nollywood Producer, Amaka Igwe nee Ene. The same Pointer had as members Nnamdi Obasi, later  a member of the Editorial Board of the defunct Concord Newspaper, Rev Victor Ogunkami, General Overseer, Christ Gospel Mission, Dr yemi Akinbamijo a former Director of the African Union, Dr Victor Oladokun of the African development Bank, Dr Joe takon, Joe Ifah, Tokunboh Salami, the late Tokunboh Obayan, Mike Akinbo and Matthew Ekundayo.

 I was asked to immediately communicate our accent to his proposal. I returned to his office next day, and on explaining our consent, he reached to his chest pocket and handed me N50.00, his contribution and slashed the fine of N200.00 by half.

Great Ife in the early cum mid 1980s was a centre for deep thoughts. Prominent national leaders were invited to share thoughts. Usually, they were grilled by students, lecturers and members of the University community. A mammoth crowd received Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The then Nigerian President Shehu Shagari visited with several Senators and Ministers, the then Executive Governor of Lagos State Alhaji Lateef Jakande was grilled over his thought to set up the Lagos State University with 10,000 students, while a much older Great Ife and contemporaries had about the same number of students. His defence was that the students would source their own accomodation! Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola donated one Million Naira to the students Self Help Project behind Awolowo Hall,  and former Vice Chancellor Prof Hezekiah Oluwasanmi  were all guests. 

Oduduwa Hall was always active then. There were several plays staged. Of the lot, I remember, Ope ra Wonyonsi, Kurumi, Our Husband has gone Mad again, etc. I was not  film buff but I watched Champ, which had a number of emotional minds weeping. 

Great Ife was associated with restiveness and most students, some of them who have come to limelight nationally brooked no nonsense. This disposition was sarcastically attributed to the youthfulness of the students. Those in authority at the then University of Ife didn’t place much emphasis on students’ age upon admission. Till the age on admission was later fixed to 16 years, students barely fourteen and fifteen gained admission. This must have accounted for the reason why a reasonable size of brilliant young bloods had energy for adventure and protests. 

Ife Students’ Union was known nationally and the military authority learnt hard never to take us for granted. Ife students mostly couldn’t put up with social injustice. Words like, abject poverty, squalor and the Portuguese phrase “A luta continua, Victoria a certa” meaning  “the struggle continues, victory is certain”  and countless “isms” were readily used by students who had their political tutelage at Great Ife! Usually, we took our protests to the streets. Sometimes we went directly to the then seat of power at Dodan Barracks, Obalende-Lagos. Regrettably, occasionally, the restiveness and protests resulted in painful loss of precious lives.

Undoubtedly, the seed of the revolutionary fervor in Great Ife students was long sown from inspiration drawn from great thinkers, writers and philosophers like Professors Wole Soyinka, Biodun Jeyifo, Kole Omotosho, Itse Sagay, Dipo Fasina, etc. God ever bless them. 

I salute our sage Nobel Laurette and pride of the African continent 90 times and far beyond. Despite being a fighter per excellence, you are indeed amiable as I have documented. 

May you attain more years of your legendary life at peace with your creator, in sound health, enjoying the fruit of your labour. May you keep deriving  joy from seeing your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Ise, Amin Ashe! 

Niyi Egbe, a Priest, Agronutritionist and Marketing Media Practitioner can be reached via featideas@gmail.com