Nigerians Perpetually Living In Danger, Says Soyinka

Nobel Laurette, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has said Nigerians are living in constant fear, not knowing which danger will befall them at any given time.

The playwright described the year 2020 as the most challenging year as a result of many problems which had happened during year.

He said this in Ibadan on Wednesday evening at the Booksellers, venue of the presentation of his new book, ‘Chronicles of the happiest people on earth,’ a book with over 500 pages which took him about 40 years to write.

He stated that Nigerian situation especially in the year was worse as a result of the imperial nature of its leadership at the socio-political and religious levels.

He said he did not believe on many ocassions that anybody was in charge of the country.

Soyinka said, “With the turbulence that characterises year 2020, and as activities wind down, the mood has been repugnant and very negative. I don’t want to sound pessimistic but this is one of the most pessimistic years I have known in this nation and it wasn’t just because of COVID-19, no. Natural disasters had happened elsewhere but how have you managed to take such in their strides?

“Was calamity as a result of human negligence or as a result of malignant activities when people find themselves under the control of other beings which I am afraid what most Nigerians find themselves in, it is like you don’t know from where the blow would descend. That is not the way a nation should be and that is not the way the citizens should exist.

“Situation has reached a point where you are not very sure of where you are going and where you will end it. As I had said before, you don’t believe, in many instances, that anybody is in charge. That, really, it is a parlous condition for any nation. So, I am afraid it has not been a very good year for me generally.”