25th May, 2024
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has described the government of former President, Muhammadu Buhari as a disaster.
Soyinka said he made very pungent criticisms of Buhari when he was in power and even gave him ultimatum when banditry, fundamentalists, kidnappings, the raiding of farmlands, and the creation of a new nation of displaced persons were the order of the day.
In his words: Buhari, of course, was a disaster. I made very pungent criticisms of Buhari when he was in power. For instance, I gave him an ultimatum when this banditry, fundamentalists, kidnappings, the raiding of farmlands, and the creation of a new nation of displaced persons were the order of the day.
“I told him that as Commander-in-Chief, he should give those insurgents 48 hours to quit all the lands that they had illegally acquired, and after that, it is maximum force. I watched him, but nothing happened. I merely cite this as one.
“This exposes the nature of Nigeria’s vociferous critics for who they are – liars. It is either they are liars or deliberate ignoramuses for them to say that when critical issues that attacked the core of our nation were being discussed, Wole Soyinka kept quiet.”
He said from that, all kinds of disgusting insinuations were made, saying some even said he had been bought.
Soyinka added that after that, “we gave up on Buhari completely and began a do-it-yourself mission. Don’t let us flog this horse. Anybody who wants my answer should go and read ‘Baiting Igbophobia’ which is my last in the intervention series.
“I already made up my mind that anybody who wanted to know certain issues and the truth behind certain truths that I share should go read those interventions and come and meet me on any public forum for a debate. Otherwise, it is just talking to the ignorant who take pride in their ignorance.”