Wole Soyinka, renowned playwright and Nobel laureate, has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari over his “inability to get justice” for victims of clashes between farmers and herdsmen and Boko Haram insurgents.
In his keynote address at the maiden edition of Ripples Nigeria Dialogue, entitled, “Rebuilding trust in a divided Nigeria,” yesterday in Lagos, Soyinka said: “I get impatient when I hear things like Buhari has failed to go and sympathise with the people of Benue, with the people of Nasarawa, with the people of Dapchi or wherever.
“Who needs sympathy? Is it sympathy that will reorder their broken lives? Is sympathy the issue? We are speaking here of one commodity that is fundamentally human deserving, justice.
“There should an internal measure to avoid repeat. We are speaking here of a president that will respond with massive action and not showing up at the arena of human desecration to shed any unjust tears, but give orders that the bloodthirsty terrorists are brought to book.”
He also described the proposed death sentence as punishment for hate speech in Nigeria currently being deliberated in the National Assembly as an instrument to silence fierce criticism and opposition in the county.
He said: “The bill is to silence criticism and buy immunity so that their acts will not be exposed. This is coming at a time the world is trying to end capital punishment.
“The treatment of Nigerians by the military led me to relocate to a saner clime. I remember invading Obasanjo’s residence in Lagos and challenging him concerning the way Nigerians were being treated. It is a disgrace to us, as a nation. We have been left behind in nearly every field.
“There are lessons to be learned from the diaspora. We need to peep across the Atlantic to see how other countries have been faring.”
