LAGOS — IN a bid to demonstrate his resolve to assist in enthroning a culture of good governance, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has expressed the possibility of his seeking elective office in the next round of elections.

Prof. Soyinka also explained that in order to show that he was not seeking power for it sake, he would not be averse to contesting an office as low as that of the councillor or local government chairman.

Soyinka spoke Sunday at the Town Hall Meeting of Progressive Action Movement (PAM), a political organisation seeking to change the face and character of politics in Nigeria.

The Nobel Laureate said: "I may decide tomorrow to run for local government office; there is nothing wrong in that. Although I have not given it real subjective thought but in a general, broad sense, it is a move worth considering to demonstrate that there can be a model."

The Nobel Laureate pointed out that PAM or any group for that matter seeking to achieve the ultimate good should not shy away from being a participant observer in the political process by transmuting into a full fledged political party to capture power.

Prof. Soyinka who spoke on the need to create a veritable platform for the monitoring of elected public office holders with a view to ensuring that the real essence and purpose of governance is served both on a short and long term basis, said this was the only way Nigerians could reap the dividends of democracy.

"Because of the way some rascals have continued to run government we cannot afford to continue to sit on the sideline and complain about those in power. We should desist from being ring-side analysts. We should be ready to take the bull by the horn and take the plunge. There is nothing really bad in getting involved and going into the ring. It would not be enough to continue to allow some rascals," he said, adding: "To the extent that there is a need to ensure that democracy survives through positive and productive change, I have been giving some thought to the issue of really, really getting involved in governance and showing people that things can really work.

"To that extent, just to demonstrate that things can really work, there is the possibility that one may go for elective office, even if it would be the councillorship or the local government chairmanship, just to show that we know what we are talking about and to create a model that people can see and point to.

"We cannot continue to sit on the side and say I don’t like politics and political office space, it’s an ungrateful thing, it’s a thankless job, no.

"We should be able to intervene and demonstrate that although we may not own a political party, we can vigorously intervene and determine who would rule or lead us. The intervention should become more vigorous so that it can achieve the desired effect."

Prof. Soyinka explained that "my people are already looking at the possibility of collaborating with other progressive minded people."

He said all the efforts his group made before the beginning of the Abdulsalami Abubakar transition programme, and attempts to make some politicians see the need to get it right "fell on deaf ears."

"We told them; we told them that what they were getting into would not last but they wouldn’t listen. They kept telling us that we were intellectuals who did not understand the real politics of Nigeria," he said.

"But what do we have today?" Soyinka asked.

He answered the question himself: "They are falling one after the other. They claimed they know everything but they don’t know anything. I know they don’t understand anything."

The Laureate explained that there were quite a few politicians in the country who had tried to perform well and all such people needed was encouragement.

His words: "We should try to encourage those who are doing well and let them know that we are still watching them. There are also a few who do not like the rubbish that is going on and who are always ready to blow the whistle on their colleagues.

"It is unfortunate that the type of leaders we have in the country today appear to be interested only in what they can make for themselves, their own comfort alone and not what is good for the country. The legislators got into office and started making provisions for all manner of allowances.

"Sadly enough, they make it appear as if the trauma of the Abacha days had happened in the distant past, thereby making the sacrifices of people appear useless."

Prof. Soyinka, who was later presented with a plaque by Hafsat Abiola, daughter of slain heroine, Kudirat Abiola, for his support to the struggle for the rejection of the dictatorship of Abacha before, during and after the assassination of her mother.

Earlier, Mr. Opeyemi Agbaje, MD/Chief Executive of Metropolitan Bank, and founding member of PAM, had told the audience that the group sought to create a new awareness which would enthrone good governance as well as bridge the generation gap, while simultaneously creating a new breed of selfless, purposeful and progressive political class, devoid of the cleavages of the past which had created the mess on the ground.