Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka on Thursday said the fear of break-up to him was not logical enough for those in power not to recognise the urgency of decentralising Nigerian and that the time is now for those who lead to restore dignity to the Nigerian citizen, adding that if taking the bold step is going to “guarantee three square meal a day, so be it”.
Soyinka made this position known during his speech at the 50th anniversary of PUNCH Newspaper in Lagos.
He explained that the only way to rescue Nigerians from their plight was to implement decentralisation by drafting a new protocol in which all regions would be allowed to decide whether to join or leave through their representatives without resorting to war.
He maintained that most Nigerian leaders were aware of the fact but they chose not to do the needful because of lack of political will and commitment.
Hear him, “What do you mean by restructuring? Well, I don’t even like the word restructuring. I use, I prefer expressions like reconfiguration and decentralisation. Everybody can grasp that, decentralisation. And those who lead, recognise the necessity of it. They recognise the importance, almost the inevitability of it until they get in power, yes, that’s the difference.
“It’s about time, I think leaders stopped taking this nation for a ride, you know, we must decentralize. Security, you know, has become a burden to bear. From all corners of the nation, that is the crime.
“Decentralized so that government can come closer to the people, and productivity can really be manifested as a product of citizens, not simply as a manner from heaven. That is the attitude obtained at the moment.
“I know the fear. The fear is collapse, break up. That’s been the excuse given by several regimes. But suppose the nation is breaking up informally, in other words as a fact rather than as a theory. “Then, and you better just address this. Come straight on and see exactly what happened. What is wrong with general representatives see them and say this is the protocol of our association, Anything outside of it. Anyone who does not want to accept these protocols, abide by these protocols and manifest these protocols in the act should take a walk. I have no problem at all.
“We live in what is known as the nation beginning as a vast football field is ending up as a ping pong table. If that is going to restore dignity to citizens. If that is going to guarantee 3 square meals a day then so be it. One of my favourite expressions with people is “Let nations die, that humanity may live.”
