More Nigerian lives have become cheapened, valueless under Buhari’s govt — Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on 2 August 2018, lamented that the lives of Nigerians have been so cheapened under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, and called for the election of new generation of leaders to overhaul the system.

Soyinka spoke at the official launch of his Interventions VIII series, entitled: “Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes? (Who keeps watch over the watchmen?), Gani’s Unfinished Business,” at Freedom Park, Lagos.

Prof. Wole Soyinka

Soyinka said there were serious acts of mis-governance under the current administration, as there were lots of unforced errors being committed by Buhari

“There are acts of mis-governance under this administration. There are unforced errors and acts that are considered being stupid; failure to secure lives; languages of self-excusing, which were condemned in the past but resurfacing all over the place,” he said.

He decried that the administration glossed over intolerable degrees of bloodshed as if in a casual event or happening by accident, adding that there was “also, failure to exact authority when and as at when due which led to the killings.”

‘’There is cheapening of lives. The value of lives in the last year or so on is on a level we haven’t witnessed in the country for long time,” Soyinka said.

The Nobel laureate said this was one of the reasons it had become essential that “we all embark on ground clearing for new generation of leaders and to make sure that in the process, we don’t bring back what we are just getting out from. That is one of the stupid acts that we could be held responsible by the coming generation.”

Soyinka stated that between now and 2019, an opportunity still existed, as there should be reforms and total overturn, saying whatever it would take to secure the nation to give the people new sense of dignity and humanity, should be done.