Obasanjo: “Wole Soyinka is a Better Wine Connoisseur & Guinea Fowl Hunter than a Political Critic”

Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo is defending the controversial comments he made about Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, in his three-volume autobiography, My Watch.

Punch reports that in the book, Obasanjo wrote, “For Wole, no one can be good, nor can anything be spot-on politically except that which emanates from him or is ordained by him. His friends and loved ones will always be right and correct no matter what they do or fail to do. He is surely a better wine connoisseur and a more successful aparo (guinea fowl) hunter than a political critic.”

According to the report, Obasanjo reiterated his stance on Channels TV during a programme tagged Book Club. He reportedly stated:

“Wole Soyinka is a gifted man. I have always acknowledged that but he is a bad politician and I have also always said that; and that is my own point of view. He may agree with it, he may not agree with it.

But having said that, I also, in my book, bring out Wole Soyinka as I see him and that’s my own judgment; that’s my own perspective of him. He may agree, he may not agree but anybody can bring out his own perspective of me.

For instance, I know that if I want somebody to give me the best wine, one of the people I will go to is Wole Soyinka and I know he has a taste for good wine and I said that in the book.”