By Promise Adiele
One iconic quote that has shaped the psychology of opposition politics and the formulation of resistance creed is Wole Soyinka’s seminal submission, “the man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.” It is contained in his prison memoir, The Man Died, published in 1972. In all its fecund and piercing potential, the quote galvanizes people of good conscience to speak against tyranny in the corridors of power, anywhere it may exist. Although the quote catalyzes Marxist sensibilities, Soyinka has never pretended or postured to be a Marxist. As a dedicated activist whose documented opposition to reckless exercise of power earned him solitary confinement by the Gowon military junta, Soyinka is globally recognized as a voice for social justice.
When Soyinka coughed, the literary world stood still. He bestrode the global literary and creative firmament like a colossus. However, Bola Tinubu’s ascension to power inverted Soyinka’s uncompromising position against all forms of tyranny. Under Tinubu’s government, poverty, social decay, inflation, insecurity, and unchecked descent into the cesspool of corruption became rampant. Government officials frolic in mindless profligacy while the masses grapple with shades of socio-economic squalid conditions. At a time when everyone expected our Nobel Laureate to speak against these abuses of power and the enthronement of tyranny in the country, he kept quiet, which made many people wonder if, indeed, the man is metaphorically dead.
“The man does in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny” inevitably animated many of Soyinka’s kindred spirits, such as Fela, Gani Fawehimi, Festus Iyayi and others. These men spoke against tyranny in the corridors of power while many of their compatriots lapped up the excreta of tyrants in the pursuit of material gratification. I have many times personally engaged “the man does in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny” to understand its ideologically nuanced undercurrents. A man could die in different ways even while he lives. That is the kind of death Soyinka refers to in that quote – an ideological death that debases the mind through criminal silence while injustice saunters in and out of socio-political spaces. It is indeed the worst kind of death when people maintain a mute conspiracy of silence for fear of the unknown, while growing cases of tyranny and injustice stare them in the face, inhibiting their existence. With Bola Tinubu’s ascension to power, Wole Soyinka became a victim of “the man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny”. Soyinka did not maintain that kind of silence during successive civilian and military administrations. He was vociferous and acerbic in his criticism of the Jonathan administration. But alas, Bola Tinubu came to power, and the fire went off – the man died, or so we thought.
Soyinka’s continued silence in the face of threatening socio-economic developments at the beginning of this administration diminished his global following and fan base. His sudden romance with purveyors of social and economic putrefaction shook the foundations of his activist and radical legacies. It was unbelievable. Not one to shy away from topical discourses, I joined concerned people across the world to query if the man had died in Soyinka. In May 2024, I wrote the essay “Wole Soyinka: Has the man died?” I recounted Soyinka’s activist engagements, which challenged the status quo under military and civilian administrations. I also recounted the report that he invaded a radio station with a gun to challenge the announcement of what he thought was a rigged election during the first republic in the old Western Region. Then, I juxtaposed his documented radical spirit with his loud silence while the country is despoiled and plundered by political pirates. Everyone agreed that Soyinka’s transformation questioned his convictions about “the man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny”. While many people prayed that the distinguished man of letters would one day regain his voice, many gave up hope that the man in Soyinka had died and would never wake up.
Suddenly, the man resurrected in Lagos recently. As he spoke, his trademark baritone voice reverberated nationwide in an unmistakable critical tone on the abuse of power. Suddenly, the gods were once again united in a warm embrace to revive a moribund, lost voice. The occasion was the 20th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism Awards in Lagos. The Nobel Laureate took a swipe at Bola Tinubu and his son, Seyi Tinubu. He questioned why the son of the president, as a private citizen, must move around with a battalion of soldiers capable of taking over a small country. In his words, “I have just seen something I cannot believe, I don’t understand. Do you mean that a child of the head of state goes around with an army for his protection or whatever? I couldn’t believe it. Later on, I did some investigative journalism. I enquired and found out that apparently, this is how this young man goes around with his battalion, his heavily armed soldiers. Let us not overdo things. Children should know their place. Next time there is an insurrection, I think the president should just call the young man and say, go and put down those stupid people there. You have enough troops under your command, so don’t bother me with all the security issues any longer.”
Soyinka’s sudden voice against obvious tyranny and the abuse of power shocked Nigerians. This is because he initially refused to criticize Bola Tinubu in the face of consistent abuse of power, poverty, tyranny and political misdirection. As insecurity held Nigerians by the jugular, our revered man of letters kept quiet. As the government’s economic policies plunged Nigerians into the abyss of penury and suffering, our man of letters kept quiet. As Nigerians suffocated under the crushing weight of inflation and the high cost of living, our Nobel Laureate kept quiet. When he was prodded, he promised to assess the government after one year. Yet, after one year, Kongi maintained a disturbing silence which amplified the question “has the man really died for good?” Whatever hope the masses had that Soyinka would one day speak against evil evaporated when he started to fraternize with the president openly and visited him at Bourdillon. The Nobel Laureate’s embrace of power dynamics inexorably led him to connive at growing evil in the land. His attitude excavated the Orwellian sensibilities in Animal Farm, where Napoleon embraced all the vices he initially criticized at the beginning of the novel.
Many Nigerians are excited that Soyinka has found his voice and wish that the voice should never die again. His intervention at this critical period in the country proves that, indeed, the man has not died after all. His voice at this time is also symbolic because it exposes the double standard and hypocritical attitude of the Bola Tinubu administration. Recently, the president gave orders to withdraw police security personnel from private individuals. According to the president, the police and army cannot protect private citizens when the country is suffocating under the grip of insecurity. According to the president, the police officers are needed to fight the spread of kidnapping, banditry and terrorism in the country. However, one week after the presidential directive, Soyinka encountered Seyi Tinubu with a battalion of soldiers protecting him in his capacity as a private citizen. That the son of the president will flout the orders given by his father paints a bigger picture; it demonstrates the level of insincerity and perfidy in Nigeria’s seat of power.
Many people have adduced multiple reasons that may have forced Soyinka to speak up at this time. While some people think it is because he was a victim of harassment by Seyi’s battalion, other people think there are underlying reasons, perhaps a rift between him and the president. Some people have also conjectured unfulfilled promises from the president. Yet, many others believe that it is vintage Soyinka, and indeed, the man has not died in him. Whatever the case, Soyinka should lead from the front in upholding his ideological rod that “the man does in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.” As Nigerians grapple with various forms of anomalous conditions, critical voices of truth are needed to challenge the criminal entrenchment of treacherous power mechanism that undermines good governance. The voices of elders are needed. The voices of youths and students are needed. The voices of trade unions, associations, and different groups are all needed to challenge obnoxious signposts in the country that trammel the people. As the Nobel Laureate wakes up, let him remain awake. Let all the voices that died with him also resurrect as we seek to dismantle the edifice of poor governance.
Dr Promise Adiele is of the Mountain Top University. He can be reached via: promee01@yahoo.com; X: @drpee4
