Yesterday I was shocked to find out that the deputy-editor of my former favorite literary blog Brittle Paper, Otosirieze Obi-Young, have had to leave the literary platform over a matter that had few days ago, attracted the attention of many writers, artists and literary enthusiasts within the country and outside it. This matter is about the son of the governor of Kaduna State, Bello El-Rufai, who had insulted a social media user just like himself, by pouring bitter and caustic vituperations on him. Bello was called out on the internet by many people, alleging that he had threatened to rape the mother of the social media user and that by doing that he had violated provisions of the law of the land and should be made to pay for it. Hadiza El-Rufai, wife of the governor of Kaduna state and a novelist, was roped into the barrage of tweets that was rained on her son. This happened because Mrs El-Rufai stood to defend her son at first, stating that his action was taken in defense of himself and his dignity. Brittle Paper ran the story about the unacceptable attitude of the governor’s son and his wife’s hurried defense of the Man-boy before finding out the facts of the matter. The reason for running the story according to the former deputy-editor of the platform who ran it, was that Mrs El-Rufai is a novelist and that since the platform concerns itself with developments about writers and their lifestyle, the story was well within bounds to be published by the paper. Brittle Paper’s founder Professor Ainehi Edoro did not find some of Otosirieze statements in the publication acceptable, irrespective of the fact that he was making a valid criticism and running a solid news. In her argument, some of Otosirieze words were unwarranted, harsh and they opened the platform to possible law suits from other new platforms that were mentioned in his news. She also argued that the news story was personalized by the former deputy-editor, when he should have detached himself from the story he ran to be impartial and objective. After a few back and forth conversation with the founder of the blog, the former deputy-editor was logged out of the official pages and accounts of the literary site. His access to the platform was denied, and it was then that he realized that he had been distanced from the literary hub. Otosirieze moved to announce his departure from Brittle Paper yesterday, reclaiming back all his intellectual properties that are or might be in the possession of the African literary site.
This development once more reveals the crisis that has always troubled the literary sphere of our dear Nigeria. Once again the writer appears to be under threat because he has chosen to speak the truth just the way he wants to, as a free man. One of the importance of literature is that as a site of continuous power play and cultural interconnection, it is capable of positively influencing the society through constructive criticism and required objectivity. What is the use of literature if it cannot be used to speak truth to power just the way it wants to? This is a question that we must ask ourselves at this critical time. Should writers in Nigeria exist just so that whatever they write can be accepted by the government and other structures of power because it possess decorous statement? Must a writer kowtow to the popular attitude of hypocrisy in Nigeria, before he can be left alone to breath in peace? The answer to these questions is certainly no! The writer is a god that has been given the power to create and to kill, to make and to destroy. This is the reason why the writer must be encouraged and guarded jealously, so that his creations can continue to be based on truth and not deception and can be of benefit to society. In my opinion it was totally wrong for Otosirieze to be treated the way he was handled by Brittle Paper. I deeply respect and love Professor Edoro, but I also believe that she didn't make the right call when she blocked and retired his access to the platform work spaces without letting him know first, because this happened after she had talked to him. Nigeria has suffered from the damning throes of ethnic jingoism and professional nepotism enough. There is no better time for the people of this country to rise up and be nonpartisan in their criticism, especially in literature and the arts, than now.
While the highly cerebral Otosirieze has now fallen-out with the Brittle Paper platform, Bello El-Rufai has so far received no major sanction for his nasty public behavior from the government, his employer and his father. His actions have caused a ripple effect in the Nigerian literary scene, leading to a fragmentation of the already strained relationship between writers in the country. Bello is reported to be working as an aide to a senator in the state, and now one can only wonder what kind of aid someone that is filled with so much uncouth language and sickening egocentrism can offer to drive this country forward. As a young man who should be a shining example of leadership based on his political privileges, Bello El-Rufai have through his actions, portrayed himself to be a young example of the cancerous tumor which intends to worry our dear Nigeria to death. He lacks public coordination, and he obviously harbors ethnic divisive tendencies. His actions and words stand against him as evidence that he doesn’t believe in the dream and aspirations of a one Nigeria. Therefore he stands in contravention of the laws of the land and as an aide to a senator, he is a security risk to this country while in his current position.
This matter is a landmark happening within the Nigerian literary sphere, and it is a significant turn of the hands of time that would ultimately have some effects on the destiny of the country’s literary life. This is not the first time that a writer is in contention with people that used to employ him over his writings, and this would definitely not be the last. So far many writers have written and some have proposed to write to Brittle Paper in expression of their copyrights, to withdraw all their published works on the platform. Today is a day that has been impregnated by yesterday, and will give birth to tomorrow. The things that happen today are potent signs of that which is to come tomorrow. Certainly but sadly, this incident will lead to the further polarization of the literary scene in Nigeria. Already, writers like Elnathan John have begun to mock the entire Brittle Paper establishment, accusing the writers and workers at the platform of reaping from what they have sown. The platform has been criticized to have connections with the Kaduna state government, and this has been described as the reason for the victimization of their very own after he criticized members of their benefactor’s family. I do not know how legitimate the accusations against Brittle Paper are, but I know that Professor Edoro has repeatedly and sternly refuted the claims, stating her historical personal sponsorship of Brittle Paper without any external donations.
What is important now is that, we must not allow the tool of literature to be wrestled away from us by those that it is used to fight against. Whoever does not like the truth must move away from any position that demands uprightness from him/her. Anybody that finds him/herself in a public space, must be cautious to not abuse another man’s freedom on the account of his/her own privilege. Politics must not be allowed to absorb literature into it, to make literature into a tool that can only be used by the rulers against the ruled. Literature must be allowed to roam free and live its life the way it wants to live it. The writer must be protected from being intimidated to relinquish his pen and run into hiding every time, because he has chosen to correct the ills of society and talk against the bad leadership of those who sit in places of power. As time goes on, I will be patiently waiting to see how things would unfold within the Nigerian literary sphere, even though I am certain that this matter has only just begun. It is my position that the writer as an artist should not and must not be persecuted for following his conscience and speaking the truth. Every Nigerian at this critical time when the history of the world is being rewritten through the pen of a virus, must stand together to combat oppression and refute the actions of those minute few who intend to harass the common man as a result of their public power. Bello El-Rufai must be made to answer for his misbehavior and take responsibility for his public display of unacceptable character. This is all that I have to say to say for now.
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