I Make Sure My Alarm Clock Was Set This Morning To Ensure I Did Not Miss Bola Tinubu Address – Wole Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s national broadcast for failing to address the violent crackdown by security forces on #EndBadGovernance protesters.

In a statement, Soyinka expressed deep concern over the president’s omission of the critical issue, stating that it “fell conspicuously short” of addressing the nation’s concerns.

According to the report by Vanguard on Sunday, Soyinka said that the use of live bullets and tear gas against peaceful protesters is unacceptable and constitutes a “retrogression” to colonial-era tactics.

He cited the French “Yellow Vest” movement as an example of a more civilized approach to security intervention, where guns were not levelled at protesters even during direct confrontations.

The renowned writer and activist warned that the continued use of lethal means by security agencies will lead to further upheavals and potentially even revolutions.

He urged the government to abandon its anachronistic resort to violence and instead exercise the will to transform its approach to civic protests.

Soyinka also suggested that protesters adopt songs from Hubert Ogunde’s folk opera “Bread and Bullets” to shame the government into transcending its colonial inheritance.

He emphasized that the vicious cycle of lethal responses against civic society must be broken.

He said, “I set my alarm clock for this morning to ensure that I did not miss President Bola Tinubu’s impatiently awaited address to the nation on the current unrest across the nation.

“His outline of government’s remedial action since inception, aimed at warding off just such an outbreak, will undoubtedly receive expert and sustained attention both for effectiveness and in content analysis.

“My primary concern, quite predictably, is the continuing deterioration of the state’s seizure of protest management, an area in which the presidential address fell conspicuously short.”

Soyinka’s statement came as the #EndBadGovernance protest entered its fourth day, with demonstrators demanding action from the government to address economic hardships and corruption.

The protests have been met with violent crackdowns by security forces, resulting in injuries and arrests….Viêw_More