e presidency, and the country could move forward, as all the while the sick president was away, GEJ did not have full political power to lead Nigeria. One month later, a motion from the Nigerian Senate invested Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President of Nigeria.
“A serious government would have emplaced the ‘palliatives’ first, worked assiduously to ensure that they were effectively enforced, with, at the very least, a guaranteed stabilisation of the existing level of Nigerian subsistence – which was nothing to crow about in any case. Nothing remotely approaching this protective measure has taken place, only – business as usual.”
These were the words of Wole Soyinka, when he and other prominent Nigerians led thousands of protesters against the Fuel Subsidy removal by the Goodluck Jonathan government in 2012. They urged the president to rescind his decision to withdraw fuel subsidy, saying he should revert to the N65 pump price as it was anti-people. In the end, subsidy stayed, but pump price was increased to N97 per liter.
From Chibok with love
Wole Soyinka was heavily critical of the PDP led administration under President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, labelling it corrupt and naïve. In August 2014, Soyinka delivered a recording of his speech ‘From Chibok with Love’ to the World Humanist Congress in Oxford, bemoaning the plight of Chibok and the failure of government to secure the Northern Nigeria. While the current government has been poor, one cannot deny the fact that they have returned relative peace to the once war-torn Northern Nigeria.
This listicle is inspired by the people calling Wole Soyinka a hypocrite for not being as critical of the current government as he was of past governments. While I can understand where there are coming from, I still think it is ridiculous to expect an 83 year old man who has spent the better part of his life fighting for this country, and is now battling prostate cancer to continue being at the forefront of the struggle for a better Nigeria. Young people keep saying they want to lead, but they want an old man to champion their struggle, and it is unfortunate. The man has been there, done that and if he decides to never speak about Nigeria, a country he has bled for, he reserves that right completely. Put some respect on his name.
And oh, just so you know, he has not been completely quiet about the affairs of the nation. See news cuts. You’re welcome.