2019: Soyinka attacks Buhari, calls for restructuring

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s alleged refusal to obey court orders, as a national embarrassment.

The iconic writer spoke at the ‘Handshake Across Nigeria’ summit titled, “Nigeria beyond oil,” organised by Nzuko Umunna and The Core Federalists, which took place in Lagos yesterday.

The summit witnessed the presence of many prominent Nigerians including the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo; former Foreign Affairs Minister, Maj-Gen Ike Nwachukwu (retd); Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Prof. Anya O. Anya, Young Progressive Party, YPP, presidential candidate, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu and many others.

Soyinka lampooned President Buhari for refusing to obey court orders particularly on the cases involving Shi’ite leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzakky and former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, retd.

Soyinka said, “Forgiveness is a virtue. Although, I have the same temperament with my late friend, Tai Solarin, but it is a national embarrassment that our President has refused to obey laws. Citizens should not be the one to choose the laws to obey.

“We want the government to understand that they are part of the community and have been given a mission of carrying out the will of the people.“When we talk about governance, we are talking about an instrument for the execution of people’s policy. Insecurity has reached a certain level that even when we bring experts in they wonder what exactly they have come to do.

“They are given a certain problem to solve, and when they arrived here they meet another problem.

“One way of stopping the bloodbath is to reconfigure the nation. States must be given maximum control over their resources.

“There are some, who prefer to grow rice, there are others who prefer to grow religion and we know where religion has taken us today.

“Some people will like to say, it is not really religion that has gotten us to where we are, I agree with you; but some people have manipulated religion to suit their purpose.

“The effect of those who manipulated it is disastrous. If some people prefer to grow rice, and others to grow Sharia, then, both sides should be given the means to develop.

“Those insisting on restructuring do so because they know that there is something wrong with the state of Nigeria.

“Many times, Nigerians have come together to proffer solutions and the way forward for the country, but after spending so much time and effort, nothing ever comes out of it.

“The recommendations are left to gather dust. How much longer shall we continue like this?”