Soyinka To FG: Bola Ige Was Killed Because Of Mambilla Project, End Deception

Literary icon, Wole Soyinka has called on the federal government to unmask those behind the murder of Chief Bola Ige, a former Minister of Power.

He said those who killed the former minister did so in other to cover up the massive corruption in the Mambila Power Project.

Soyinka remarked that the federal government has been deceiving Nigerians on the investigation of those who murdered the former minister, and Governor of Old Oyo state.

He said “It is time to end the deception,” adding that “the cynical cover-ups, the blame passing,” must stop.

The professor was reacting to the recent arrest of Olu Agunloye, a former Minister of Power over alleged corruption in the power project.

Agunloye was arrested last week by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC., and the Chairman of the Commission, has vowed that only on the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu could he be released.

Soyinka said, “Let this be understood. The murder of Bola Ige, plus a monumental act of sabotage that took place under Ige’s watch, involving the loss of some en-gineers, was linked to massive corruption that underlay the Mambilla collapse.

“It is time to end the deception, the cynical cover-ups, the blame passing, the diversionary utterances, and the now open admission of corporate corruption with high reaches of power.

“We are calling for a non-partisan Commission that will sit in public, take evidence, ask questions, and cross-examine witnesses over even one year if necessary. After all, this massive failure, has gone on for nearly two decades. We can spare one more year, surely to lay bare the ugly face of Truth, then let the public do what it will with the revelations.

“The cycle of self-deception has gone on far enough. Let the two legislative chambers take the bull by the horns to end the charade, cut our losses, and move on.

“In the meantime, the EFCC should release all its prisoners or, in the alternative, equally arrest and detain all those involved in this mammoth scam that has deprived the “Giant of Africa” the basic survival facility for a twenty-first-century society.”

Chief Ige was killed on December 23, 2001, at his Bodija, Ibadan home by some unknown assailants whose identities have yet to be unmasked 22 years after.