Jonathan doesn’t deserve re-election –Soyinka
Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says President Goodluck Jonathan does not deserve a second term. He told a gathering of youths a...
https://9ijatunes.blogspot.com/2015/02/jonathan-doesnt-deserve-re-election.html
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.
source: punch.ng