Nigeria is sick and empty — Wole Soyinka

Soyinka said this while speaking at the Ripples Nigerian Dialogue titled “Rebuilding trust in a Divided Nigeria,” which held at The Wheatbread Hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos. The Nobel Laureate condemned the humiliation of Nigerians by the military personnel, stating that the humiliation of Nigerians led him to relocating abroad. “The treatment of Nigerians by the military led me to relocating to a saner clime. I remember invading Obasanjo’s residence in Lagos and challenging him concerning the way Nigerians were being treated. It is a disgrace to us, as a Nation. We have been left behind in nearly every field. “They are lessons to be learnt from the diaspora. We need to peek across the Atlantic to see how other countries have been faring,” Soyinka urged. Drawing illustrations from his lecture titled “From Miyetti to Haiti: Notes from a Solidarity Visit,” Soyinka emphasized the need to end slavery in our current society. Citing the examples of Haiti and Nigeria that has been described as shit-hole countries, as identified by Trump, United States President. “We have become laughing stocks in the eyes of the public. “We have earned the term of shit hole. Nigeria is sick and empty. Some retrogressive forces won’t just stop. Everything Nigeria touches rusts.” Wole Soyinka ended his session by emphasizing the need of looking in the mirror to solve Nigerian problems. He also encouraged the youths to resist the passage of the Hate Speech bill. The roundtable featured Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka; Pat Utomi, represented by Mr Rasheed Adegbenro; Ex Governor Peter Obi and Dr. (Mrs) Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi. The session was moderated by Reuben Abati.]]>