For Nigeria’s literary icon, Chimamanda Adichie, it does not rain. It pours as she continues to receive bashing and attacks from right, left and centre over her audacious letter to President Joe Biden of the United States of America condemning the February 25 presidential election that produced Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President-Elect. Many Nigerians have described what Chimamanda called hollow democracy as a mere over-bloated ego trip aimed at rubbishing the country’s sovereignty and her 24 years old democracy. But wittingly or otherwise, her senseless vituperation and mudslinging against her motherland is nothing but the ranting of a sanctimonious element.
It would not have been out of place if anyone had suggested psychiatric intervention to ascertain her level of sanity. But we hope that she will make amends shortly.
It’s very sad and highly unthinkable that a Nigerian who rose from this country and has since become a literary giant, rather than use her trademark to boost the image of her country and possibly push for gender discrimination issues at global stage as a woman, went berserk trying to use her pen or keyboard to destroy the foundation of a nation simply because the results of the general elections did not favour her preferred candidate, Peter Obi of the Labour Party who came a distant third at the elections.
Equally sad is the fact that her letter to Joe Biden is choreographed and clearly overwhelmed by ethnic bigotry and unsubstantiated claims from a Nigerian who is suffering from an incurable infantile obscurantism..
It’s also sad that Chimamanda did not participate at this election but chose to behave like the outsider who weeps louder than the bereaved. Yes, she campaigned for Peter Obi, her candidate online from far away in US, yet it is ridiculous to think that ,just because you supported a candidate, he must win at all costs, otherwise all hell would be let loose on the entire country. That is rubbish! Such behavour could only come from a prodigal daughter who is so eager to receive her own inheritance from Nigeria as people speculated that Peter Obi had promised to make her a minister if he won..
One expects that her status and exposure should have shown a better behavior than using gutter language against her motherland. Chimamanda should have known that a country that has her own internal issues to deal with will have no time to pokenose into the internal affairs of Nigeria. And at best, because of our long standing cooperation at different spheres of human endeavors, US position can only be advisory because Nigeria is a sovereign nation.
Chimamanda also goofed and could not hide her tribal bigotry which is also very true of more than 95 per cent of elites from her ethnic group, irrespective of their level of social standing in the society.
It’s therefore a global shame on the part of Chimamanda Adichie and her co-travellers who preferred to use their trademark to malign, incite and describe their country and people (apart from her ethnic group) in unpalatable language. .
Chimamanda’s action is like that of the proverbial woman who desecrated in the market place. Such public disgrace is bound to hunt her and her generation yet unborn forever.
While a whole lot of patriotic Nigerians have been using their pens to rebrand the country, it is sad that this hitherto respected global icon chose to tear Nigeria apart with her god-given talent.
If I were Chimamanda, I will beg for forgiveness by apologizing to the nation and take a cue from great men like Prof Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Niyi Osundare, Bayo Williams and several others that have always preached unity in Nigeria in spite of our imperfections. No true patriot will ever write such a distasteful letter against his of her country. .
Chimamanda metaphorically raised a sword against her country. What a silly error of judgment on her part! She has also proved that she has hidden her bigotry with the mask of an international literary personae, whereas her mission and motif are driven by Biafran and IPOB philosophy. And she will need the entire water of the Atlantic Ocean to clean herself of the swirling cacophony and condemnation her letter to Biden has generated globally. Right now, the world knows her more as the political letter writer than a woman of letter, a literary juggernaut that she was meant to be
By way of digression, it is apposite to conclude here that Chimamanda, Ohanaeze, IPOB, Biafran now want equity, justice and fairplay, claiming that the Senate president is their entitlement. But a wise man will always answer this poser that it might be possible for the camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for this dream to come true. In the first place, they didn’t work for the victory of the All Progressives Congress, APC, at the centre despite the fact that Buhari made so much contributions for infrastructure development in their region.
.Otunba Sola Olatunji, Chairman of the Ikale Heritage Development Association, IHDA, writes from Lagos
