Buhari A National Embarrassment For Disobeying Court Orders — Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has slammed President
Muhammadu Buhari over his alleged refusal to obey court orders,
describing it as a national embarrassment.

Soyinka, in his presentation, upbraided the administration’s
failure to obey court orders particularly on the cases involving
Shi’ite leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzakky and erstwhile National Security
Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).

“Forgiveness is a virtue. Although, I have the same temperament
with my late friend, Tai Solarin, but it is a national
embarrassment that our President has refused to obey laws. Citizens
should not be the one to choose the laws to obey,” he said.

“We want the government to understand that they are part of the
community and have been given a mission of carrying out the will of
the people. When we talk about governance, we are talking about an
instrument for the execution of people’s policy.

Soyinka made this known as he spoke at the Handshake Across
Nigeria summit titled: ‘Nigeria beyond oil’, organised by Nzuko
Umunna and The Core Federalists, which took place in Lagos.

The summit was graced by prominent Nigerians, among whom were
the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo; former
Foreign Affairs Minister, Maj-Gen Ike Nwachukwu (retd); Afenifere
chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Prof.
Anya O. Anya, Young Progressive Party, YPP, presidential candidate,
Prof. Kingsley Moghalu among others.

Soyinka, in his presentation, upbraided the administration’s
failure to obey court orders particularly on the cases involving
Shi’ite leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzakky and erstwhile National Security
Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).

“Forgiveness is a virtue. Although, I have the same temperament
with my late friend, Tai Solarin, but it is a national
embarrassment that our President has refused to obey laws. Citizens
should not be the one to choose the laws to obey,” he said.

“We want the government to understand that they are part of the
community and have been given a mission of carrying out the will of
the people. When we talk about governance, we are talking about an
instrument for the execution of people’s policy.

“Insecurity has reached a certain level that even when we bring
experts in they wonder what exactly they have come to do. They are
given a certain problem to solve, and when they arrived here they
meet another problem.

“One way of stopping the bloodbath is to reconfigure the nation.
States must be given maximum control over their resources. There
are some, who prefer to grow rice, there are others who prefer to
grow religion and we know where religion has taken us today.

“Some people will like to say, it is not really religion that
has gotten us to where we are, I agree with you; but some people
have manipulated religion to suit their purpose.

“The effect of those who manipulated it is disastrous. If some
people prefer to grow rice, and others to grow Sharia, then, both
sides should be given the means to develop.“Those insisting on
restructuring do so because they know that there is something wrong
with the state of Nigeria. Many times, Nigerians have come together
to proffer solutions and the way forward for the country, but after
spending so much time and effort, nothing ever comes out of
it.”

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