Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has described as tattered whatever remains of President Muhammadu Buhari’s claim to democratic born-againism.
Soyinka attacked Buhari following the kidnapping of 333 pupils in the President’s home state, Katsina, even when he is on a visit there.
The legendary scholar and writer links this with Buhari’s decision to halt his initial promise to meet with national lawmakers to discuss the state of security in Nigeria.
Soyinka said in a statement:
“That, to come to the present, constituted Buhari’s response to the National Assembly’s invitation to drop in for a chat. He did not consider it infradig at the beginning. He responded to the polite invitation to rub minds urgently over a people’s security anxieties as one who still struggled to preserve the tattered remains of his ‘Born-Again’ democratic camouflage.
“However, his reversal of consent raised yet again the frightening situation report I have fervently posed: Buhari is not in charge. Whoever is, that segment of the cabalistic control obviously cornered him on the way to the lawmakers’ chambers and urged: Don’t! Their invitation is infradig! He succumbed.
“Beneath the dignity of a Commander-in-Chief! Well. The opportunistic homicidal respondents -Bandits/Boko Haram or whoever – thereupon picked up the gauntlet and provided a response in their own language: abduction once again of the nation’s children. They handed him a slap across the face, on his home terrain, taunting: See if that is more suited to your dignity.”
Nigerians were, again, shocked on Saturday when some bandits stormed Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, and abducted many pupils.
Although the Presidency initially said only 10 of the pupils were with the kidnappers, it was soon confirmed that 333 are there.
Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari and the military have confirmed so.
Only about two weeks ago, over 40 farmers were headed in Zabarmari, Borno State, by people who later said they were Boko Haram.
