Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says President Goodluck Jonathan does not deserve a second term.
He told a gathering of youths at a programme titled ‘Vision of the Child’ in Lagos on Thursday, that he had 60 reasons why Jonathan should not be returned to office on February 14 when the presidential election would hold in the country.Although Soyinka did not list the 60 reasons, he was specific on one: The April 14 abduction of over 200 schoolgirls by Boko Haram insurgents from their hostel in Chibok, Borno State.
“I will not vote and I will not encourage anyone to vote for the continuation of this government, simply because your colleagues numbering over 200 were kidnapped,” he said.
The playwright, who last December described the Jonathan administration as being worse than Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, stated the President’s inability to locate and free the abducted girls represented leadership failure.
He noted that shortly after the girls were kidnapped, Jonathan failed to address the situation and went about as if nothing had happened.
Soyinka said it was, therefore, outrageous for anyone to say he was supporting the re-election of Jonathan.
He added,“It took the Jonathan government 10 days to even accept that the Chibok girls were missing. After that dereliction of duty; after that failure of leadership, after that betrayal of our future, for anyone to think or to put words in my mouth suggesting that I will vote or encourage anyone to vote for this regime is a travesty of intelligence.”
Speaking on the theme, “The Road to Sambisa”, the literary icon stressed Jonathan had not only betrayed children, he had failed as a leader.
“There has been a failure of leadership. Our children whom you represent today have been betrayed,” he said.
Soyinka warned members of the public not to believe every story written about him on the social media on his purported death.
Soyinka had also in September last year accused Jonathan of shielding sponsors of terrorism.
He urged the President not to take likely, allegations by Australian hostage negotiator, Stephen Davis, that there was a group within the Central Bank of Nigeria sponsoring Boko Haram.
The Nobel laureate noted that he personally knew Davis because they both worked together during the Niger Delta militancy crisis.
Soyinka also alleged that information about a suspected financier of the terror group within the CBN was passed to Jonathan but he allegedly sat on it.
Also at the event , the Secretary and Programme Manager for the Vision of the Child programme, Ms. Foluke George, said about 250 students from 60 primary and secondary schools in Lagos would participate in a competition aimed at promoting creative skills.
According to her, the competition will focus on reading, writing, and painting for student aged between eight and 12 years.
