By Osagie Alonge
Seasoned Nigerian writer, poet and playwright Wole Soyinka says he is being impersonated by a fake Twitter account and that those behind it must be ‘deranged minds with their private and sick agenda’.
In recent times, a spoof account @ProfSoyinka has been tweeting socio-political happenings and thoughts in Nigeria. Gathering over 15,000 followers since @ProfSoyinka hit Twitter on September 23, 2011, many have mistaken it for the Nobel Laureate who is just as outspoken on similar matters.
However, Soyinka who sounds displeased has released a statement on the impersonation. With a header ‘A Dangerous Game Of Impersonation!’, it reads;
Once again, taking advantage of a situation of national unrest, some unscrupulous individuals have taken to circulating comments, often of a most distasteful, uncouth and unprincipled nature, in my name. I wish to inform the public that I do not Tweet, Blog, Facebook etc. etc. My public statements are signed and/or go through authorized channels that the media recognize and can authenticate where in doubt. Any electronic message that purports to emanate from me for general circulation through Mobile phones or Internet should be taken as a complete concoction, in most cases by deranged minds with their private and sick agenda.
I must remind the public that these are not normal times, and that extreme caution and personal responsibility are needed. It is no time to be taken in by spurious propaganda by cowards who cannot speak in their own voices or acknowledge the names given to them at birth or even acquired during their nefarious careers.
Even more than the nausea one feels by being subjected to such identity embezzlement is the danger it poses generally, since it is certain that there are others who are similarly afflicted. One hopes therefore that the Security services , when called upon to assist in tracking down these felons, will recognise this goes beyond individual clamour and will act promptly, not only in unmasking, but in prosecuting them as befit criminal minds with the capacity for incalculable damage to an already fragile social fabric.
In response to the statement and denouncement, the spoof account Tweeted, ‘I am surprised uneducated people r attacking me, saying I’m impersonating prof Wole Soyinka even afta putting ‘Parody’ in my Bio’.
@ProfSoyinka’s bio reads; This page is not in any way related to the Literature Giant Prof Wole Soyinka, it’s just a Parody Account!.’
There are several other spoof-Wole Soyinka accounts on Twitter – @wolesoy, @WoleSoyinka, @wole_soyinka and @WoleSoyinka1.
