Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent address to the nation on the current unrest across the country.
In a statement, Soyinka said that while Tinubu’s outline of the government’s remedial actions may receive attention, his address fell short in addressing the continuing deterioration of the state’s seizure of protest management.
He explained that the use of live bullets and tear gas against peaceful protesters is unacceptable and constitutes a violation of human rights.
According to him, hunger marches are a universal sign of desperation and should be met with governance awareness and response, rather than force.
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The Renowned Writer and Activist drew parallels with the colonial era, citing the example of Hubert Ogunde’s folk opera “Bread and Bullets,” which was banned by the colonial government.
He also referenced the 2022/23 Yellow Vest movement in France, where protesters were not met with lethal force.
Soyinka called for an end to the use of lethal means by security agencies and urged the government to exercise the will to transform and break the chain of violent responses against civic society.
The Poet suggested that marchers adopt the key songs of “Bread and Bullets” to inculcate a sense of shame in the government’s failure to transcend colonial inheritance.
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