Nigerian nobel laureate Wole Soyinka recently published an article in which he spoke extensively about the Nigerian nation and the old and renewed agitations for Biafra by the Igbo people.
Soyinka said it’s best to let the Biafra agitators have their way but also noted they are better off in a United Nigeria.
He spoke of the devastating effects of the civil war- caused by the first agitation- and stated that although the agitators at that time were defeated, the agitation wasn’t crushed. According to him, the agitation has been passed on and has learned to remain just below the surface over the decades.
Against the declaration of many Nigerian elites, Wole Soyinka believes the unity of Nigeria is negotiable, as it was birthed from negotiations in the first instance. He recommended negotiations and consultations in the face of the current agitations instead of violence and hate speeches.
“We need therefore to eliminate the distracting lament of professionals of violence and confront, in its own right, the issue of the collective volition of any human grouping. This leaves us with the other line of approach, the line of frankly subjective or reasoned, pragmatic preferences. It is a positioning that admits, quite simply, I am a creature of habit and prefer things as they are. Or: I like to be a big frog in a small pond, and allied determinants.
“Should Biafra stay in, or opt out of Nigeria? That is the latent question. Even after years of turbulent co-tenancy, it seems unreal to conceive of a Nigeria without Biafra. My preference for “in” goes beyond objective assessment of economic, cultural and social advantages for Biafra and the rest of us.
Soyinka has two main reasons for wanting Biafrans to stay. According to him, a nation with diverse cultures is more appealing in the modern world, and Nigerians need to shame doomsayers, who predict that Nigeria is a ticking time bomb.
Read full article on NEWSWEEK – War in Nigeria: Victory Remains Elusive 50 Years
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