Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has stated that the problem of insecurity in the country is no longer the problem for the north alone, saying the scourge of Boko Haram insurgency should be collectively tackled.
Soyinka spoke yesterday at a birthday colloquium organised in honour of the immediate past governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu.
The Nobel laureate who chaired the event, said the security situation in the country poses a great danger to the fabrics on which the nation is built.
The event, which took place in Lagos, drew participants from all walks of life to mark the 61st birthday of Tinubu.
Soyinka said, “The insecurity problem is not a northern affair because it is now happening everywhere.
This consciousness should have been impacted on Nigerians so that we all understand that the problem is not a regional problem but a national one,” Soyinka said.
While calling on government to rise up to the challenge posed by tackling it headlong he stated that the country is currently on the brink, saying no part of the country was save anymore.
“This nation is on the brink and this is not what we envisioned when we struggled for independence and when we fought dictatorship and install the rights and dignity of human beings and citizens in the society”.
“The problem with the government right now is that it doesn’t seem to realise that it is not taking the people of the nation into confidence.
By now it is my belief that the president should be addressing the nation in great details explaining why the entire nation is at war,” he said.
According to him, there was need to do some certain things that should be done to ensure that Nigeria is brought back from the second what he termed “round of what is moving towards a civil war. And now we should be tightening our belts in many different directions.”
Tinubu, who had disagreed with the view of Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who urged youths to form their political party, said the APC provides the viable platform for youth to make an impact in governance.
He said the current system of government at the centre has not only failed to provide good governance but has continued to toil with the future of Nigeria. “You don’t need to form a political party, come and join us”, he said.
Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola who opined that youth must be given a chance in the scheme of things, recalling that some milestones national monument in the country where established by past leaders who were in their late 30s.
The governor, however, noted that the birth of the APC provides a strong opportunity for that change to come saying youths must resolve to take up leadership positions.
The colloquium featured five panellists, including Mr. Femi Edun’s, Olubankole Wellington popularly called ‘Banky W’, Mrs. Hafsat Abiola-Costello, Kolawole Oyeneyin and Myani Bukar who took turns to speak to set the tone for the theme of the Colloquium, “Beyond Merger: A National Movement for Change”.