The literary doyen made the statement in a speech he delivered on
Monday at the 2014 Foundation Day Anniversary and Convocation Ceremonies
of the University of Ibadan.
Soyinka, who was honoured with Doctor of Letters honorary degree at the event, also added that the Boko Haram sect was successfully taking over Nigeria because of the incompetence of the government and lack of genuine leadership.
The Daily Post reports that the Lion and the Jewel author was honoured alongside Emeritus Professor Olufemi Ogunlesi, who became the oldest person to receive honorary award of the institution and businessman owner of Globacom Limited, Mike Adenuga.
Speaking further, Soyinka said it would be difficult to forget the plight of the abducted girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, seized by Boko Haram insurgents over six months ago.
He said, “This is a festive occasion but we are all sitting under a heavy cloud. We are sitting under a cloud of heavy embarrassment, shame of the feeling of dereliction, sullen responsibility towards children.
“We are sitting under a cloud of impotence, of a calamity that was not without notice, and whose myriad causes is quite discernible.
“We sent our children on an errand and they did not return. The
errand is what we are celebrating today. The errand was to prepare the
children for today but they never came back, that is what we cannot
allow ourselves to forget.”
The celebrated playwright said the gradual disappearance of the University of Maiduguri due to the activities of a set of people who flourished on hate, intimidation and intolerance, called for reflection.
The Nobel laureate said, “We are familiar with what is going on so I have decided that there is nothing new in what I am going to say.
“In Port Harcourt where I made a speech at the University of Science and Technology three years ago, I asked deliberately, ‘where is the University of Maiduguri today?’ In the US back in 1957 at the time of racism, the president of that nation federalised the National Guard and ordered it to protect a young girl.
“Do we send children to school to have their hands tied and their throat slit? Yet, we have leadership that is asking the terrorist to come to the table and negotiate with it while children were being killed and taken away in Chibok.
“What crime did they commit? This is not what our children deserve. It begins with the failure to respond as the US president did to protect the little girl.
“What is the difference between Nigeria’s Boko Haram and America’s night and day riders of hate and destruction? Both thrive on hate, intimidation and inculcation of fear, intolerance and terror. This is what is happening to our institutions, especially in the northern part of our country.”
Soyinka, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, had last week expressed rage and shock over a publication credited to him.
According to Sahara Reporters, a Pro-Jonathan group had published a piece titled “The North Must Stop Bombing Nigeria & Blaming Jonathan – Prof. Wole Soyinka”, in which the prominent Nigerian was allegedly “quoted” to have said: “If the United States citizens decide to be bombing the USA everyday and ready to die, there is nothing Obama can do about it. The only thing he can do is to urge citizens to report bad people. If citizens refuse to report evil people then there is nothing anyone can do.”
The Nobel Laureate had denied having anything to do with the publication, characterizing the tactics of the Goodluck Support Network as “truly desperate”.
Soyinka, who was honoured with Doctor of Letters honorary degree at the event, also added that the Boko Haram sect was successfully taking over Nigeria because of the incompetence of the government and lack of genuine leadership.
The Daily Post reports that the Lion and the Jewel author was honoured alongside Emeritus Professor Olufemi Ogunlesi, who became the oldest person to receive honorary award of the institution and businessman owner of Globacom Limited, Mike Adenuga.
Speaking further, Soyinka said it would be difficult to forget the plight of the abducted girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, seized by Boko Haram insurgents over six months ago.
He said, “This is a festive occasion but we are all sitting under a heavy cloud. We are sitting under a cloud of heavy embarrassment, shame of the feeling of dereliction, sullen responsibility towards children.
“We are sitting under a cloud of impotence, of a calamity that was not without notice, and whose myriad causes is quite discernible.
The celebrated playwright said the gradual disappearance of the University of Maiduguri due to the activities of a set of people who flourished on hate, intimidation and intolerance, called for reflection.
Professor Wole Soyinka
“In Port Harcourt where I made a speech at the University of Science and Technology three years ago, I asked deliberately, ‘where is the University of Maiduguri today?’ In the US back in 1957 at the time of racism, the president of that nation federalised the National Guard and ordered it to protect a young girl.
“Do we send children to school to have their hands tied and their throat slit? Yet, we have leadership that is asking the terrorist to come to the table and negotiate with it while children were being killed and taken away in Chibok.
“What crime did they commit? This is not what our children deserve. It begins with the failure to respond as the US president did to protect the little girl.
“What is the difference between Nigeria’s Boko Haram and America’s night and day riders of hate and destruction? Both thrive on hate, intimidation and inculcation of fear, intolerance and terror. This is what is happening to our institutions, especially in the northern part of our country.”
Soyinka, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, had last week expressed rage and shock over a publication credited to him.
According to Sahara Reporters, a Pro-Jonathan group had published a piece titled “The North Must Stop Bombing Nigeria & Blaming Jonathan – Prof. Wole Soyinka”, in which the prominent Nigerian was allegedly “quoted” to have said: “If the United States citizens decide to be bombing the USA everyday and ready to die, there is nothing Obama can do about it. The only thing he can do is to urge citizens to report bad people. If citizens refuse to report evil people then there is nothing anyone can do.”
The Nobel Laureate had denied having anything to do with the publication, characterizing the tactics of the Goodluck Support Network as “truly desperate”.
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