Soyinka speaks: Nigeria should break up if necessary

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Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has given a damning submission for Nigeria to consider breaking up if it helps solve the country’s challenges.

Soyinka, who spoke as guest lecturer at the PUNCH Newspapers’ 50th-anniversary lecture, in Lagos on Thursday, said power should be decentralized from the centre to bring governance closer to the people.

Soyinka, who delivered a lecture titled ‘Recovering the Narrative,’ said Nigerian leaders should desist from taking Nigerians for granted.

He expressed support for decentralization, using terms like “reconfiguration” instead of restructuring.

He highlighted the fear of collapse and breakup as excuses several regimes gave, urging leaders to address the issue head-on.

The Nobel laureate admonished politicians to also understand the importance of restructuring when in office, rather than embrace this when out of office.

He emphasized the need for leaders to recognize the necessity and inevitability of decentralization to address issues such as security and bring productivity closer to the citizens.

“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 seeing them and saying 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 and ending up as a ping pong table. If that is going to restore dignity to citizens.

“If that is going to guarantee three square meals a day, then so be it. One of my favourite expressions with people is, “Let nations die, that humanity may live,” he said.