NIGERIA: NOBEL LAUREATE WOLE SOYINKA ARRESTED,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 001068

SIPDIS

LONDON, PARIS PASS AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2014
TAGS: PHUM KDEM SOCI PGOV PINR NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: NOBEL LAUREATE WOLE SOYINKA ARRESTED,
MEETS WITH CG

REF: A. ABUJA 849

B. ABUJA 865

C. ABUJA 829

Classified By: Consul General Robyn Hinson-Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) an
d (d).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) arrested
and later released Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka and six other
human rights activists on May 15 during a rally held in Lagos
opposing President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration and its
policies. Soyinka later met with the CG and POLOFF on May 19
and gave his account of the rally, the mission of his new
organization Citizens Forum (CF),and his assessment of
Obasanjo. END SUMMARY.

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LAGOS RALLY, A BUILDUP FOR CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
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2. (U) Hundreds of protestors assembled at Campos Square,
Lagos Island on May 15 in anticipation of Soyinka's arrival.
With equal anticipation police, already present at the scene,
destroyed the speaker's podium and dispersed the protestors
with tear gas in advance. The protestors later regrouped and
were soon joined by Soyinka and other prominent human rights
activists including Gani Fawehinmi, Beko Ransome-Kuti, and
Femi Falana. Soyinka told us that police again fired tear
gas into the crowds and then arrested seven rally organizers,
including Soyinka, by "bundling us into a meat wagon." En
route to NPF Lagos headquarters, the truck was diverted and
Soyinka told us he meet with two police officials he knew who
apologized for the arrest. He then received a call from NPF
Inspector General Tafa Balogun who expressed the same
sentiments and explained that he never gave orders to arrest
anyone, but to only break up the rally. Within an hour,
Soyinka and his colleagues were released without charge.


3. (C) The NPF has publicly denied arresting Soyinka,
claiming he was merely detained. The press and the
opposition Alliance for Democracy (AD) party have
hypothesized that Soyinka's arrest was the work of an
overzealous and newly appointed Lagos Commissioner of Police
who wants to score points with Obasanjo by keeping protestors
in check and exhibiting independence from Lagos Governor Bola
Tinubu, who is the AD's most prominent politician. Soyinka
told us that both explanations were "rubbish." He surmised
that Obasanjo directed the disruption of the rally and his
arrest. The President, Soyinka opined, feels embolden by his
recent successful break up of former President and recent All
Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) presidential candidate
Mohammadu Buhari's most recent rally (ref A). "Besides,
Obasanjo cannot show preference to another Yoruba man,"
Soyinka jested. Soyinka told us he would continue his
efforts to point out the failings of the government.

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CITIZENS FORUM'S GAME PLANS
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4. (SBU) Citizens Forum (CF),a newly created civil rights
organization founded by Soyinka and others is a coalition of
human rights groups and civic organizations. CF advocates
the creation of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to
reverse unconstitutional enactments by Obasanjo and formulate
a new constitution. On these two issues CF coalition members
are in agreement. They differ, however, on whether Obasanjo
and other politicians should resign from office and a
National Unity Government be created. Soyinka has been
erroneously quoted in the press as calling for Obasanjo's
resignation. On May 19, Soyinka held another press
conference to clarify his position. "I would like to see
those largely fraudulent arms of governance vanish, and I may
yet join in the call for their suicide. The fact, however,
is that I have not yet done so. My tactical priorities for
now are stemming the nation's drift towards fascism and
convening a Sovereign National Conference."


5. (C) Soyinka detailed to us his vision for the SNC. He is
calling for 500 participants representing human rights
groups, the military, the NPF, politicians, religious groups,
tribal leaders, concerned professionals, and scholars who
would meet over a six month period. The SNC would be tasked
with creating a new constitution, replacing the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC),and addressing national
issues such as ethno-religious violence, corruption, and the
nature of Nigerian democracy. When pressed how he would get
sitting politicians to buy into a forum that could jeopardize
their legitimacy, Soyinka said there were two schools of
thoughts on the issue. There are some who advocate that
decisions are binding with immediate effect, creating a
National Unity Government and beginning a new election cycle.
However, Soyinka advocated a binding decision that would be
implemented with the next scheduled national elections of

2007. Soyinka reasoned that politicians would not feel their
existing tenures threatened and those who will not have
reached their term limits could run on the platform of
implementing social change that they helped create. He
stated that Obasanjo has been receptive to the idea in
private meetings when tensions are high, but then dismisses
it when situations cool.

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OBASANJO, PLACATER OF THE NORTH?
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6. (C) Soyinka showed disdain for many of Obasanjo's
policies, which he described as unilateral and dictatorial,
rising to a "level of intolerance reaching academic
proportions." The recent announcement of a state of
emergency in Plateau State over unabated ethno-religious
violence in May (ref B) was of deepening concern to Soyinka.
He was disturbed with Obasanjo's coup of suspending the
governor, deputy governor, and state assembly and replacing
them with a former military governor of Plateau State after
Obasanjo's attempts to force the state house of assembly to
impeach the governor failed. Soyinka attributed the decision
to Obasanjo's political precariousness in light of increasing
national instability and his habitual placation to northern
sentiments, which Soyinka claims dates to Obasanjo's career
in the military.


7. (C) Kano and Delta States, Soyinka argues, should have
had states of emergency enacted several times under
Obasanjo's rubric for justifying that of Plateau. Soyinka
pointed out the recent Kano riots (ref C) and its history of
being a manipulated flashpoint of religious violence as a
more probable justification for a suspension of the state
government, but believes this has been purposely ignored by
Obasanjo. Soyinka thinks Obasanjo may use the threat of a
state of emergency to keep erring governors in check or in an
attempt to wrest power from the AD in Lagos, which Soyinka
described as an insolent state that the president's party has
been enviously eyeing.


8. (C) COMMENT: Soyinka made it clear to us that he is ready
to return to the national arena of civil disobedience and be
active in producing social change in Nigeria. He currently
is setting up a literary institute at the University of
Nevada - Las Vegas, but intimated that it was not too
demanding on his time. He has since returned to the United
States and is making arrangements to be permanently based in
Lagos, commuting to Nevada when needed. As instability and
public dissatisfaction increases, the message of Soyinka and
his colleagues and their continued efforts to demonstrate
against the Obasanjo administration will keep this Nobel
Laureate in the news for sometime to come. END COMMENT.
HINSON-JONES