Monday, 15 July 2013

Nigerians Ask For A Patience Jonathan-Soyinka Debate

Soyinka-VS-Patience
Following wife of the President, Patience Jonathan’s gibe at Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, calling him ‘an embarrassment’ because of comments he made on her complicity in the crisis rocking Rivers State, some Nigerians have asked Mrs Jonathan to make herself available for a debate with Soyinka.
Some Nigerians who saw were appalled by the First Lady’s diatribe took to Twitter and other social networks to react on the development, and has now called on a Lagos-based private broadcaster, Channels Television, to organise a debate for the two.
The TV station’s Sunrise Daily, a news and current affairs programme that features prominent Nigerians, who are experts in their areas of specialisation, was an easy choice for most Nigerians, due to the programme’s history of leaving guests tongue-tied with thought-provoking questions that run through the minds of Nigerians daily being asked by the hosts of the show. Nigerians believe the morning show will provide a level playing ground for the duo to thrash out the knotty issues they were arguing on.
It’s been more than just wishing as many Nigerians who want this have contacted the TV station and the programme itself via twitter; @sunrisedailynow and @Channels_TV on Sunday.
A user of the micro-blogging service with the name, Hig-Wayne Cannon, with the handle @dosinclair, said he would be looking forward to the debate on national TV as it would be a clash of the titans. Cannon notes, “You can expect a volcanic grammatical literary of freestyles. What a collabo #Titans,” the user tweeted.
Opinions remain divided on who was right or wrong, with some saying it was wrong for Soyinka to insult Mrs Jonathan in the first place, saying “he got what he deserved.”
Others however believe Soyinka said nothing wrong, nothing that the first lady’s reaction to his comments went overboard and indicated Mrs Jonathan was guilty of the allegations.
An anonymous visitor on a blog noted, “I see this current government and her (Patience Jonathan) agenda losing their taste of civility and moral standing. I don’t see any reason why the First Lady should talk to an elderly statesman with such verbal brutality, irrespective of what he (Soyinka) said to her. Really, I think it’s quite unpresidential.”
Comments poured in in scores on Information Nigeria also;
The kind of debate some Nigerians are asking for may never happen, but more than the exchange of words, the crisis in Rivers State still remains and something needs to be done about it.

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