Prof Wole Soyinka believes that decentralising governance in Nigeria can help eliminate the social and economic crisis facing the country.
The Nobel Laureate who was speaking at Thursday’s PUNCH Newspapers’ 50th-anniversary lecture in Lagos said Nigeria as a country was already in disintegration and there was a need to urgently address the issues facing the people and the country.
“I know the fear. The fear is collapse, break up. That’s been the excuse given by several regimes. But suppose the nation is breaking up informally, in other words, as a fact rather than as a theory. Then, you better just address this.
“Come straight on and see exactly what happened. What is wrong with general representatives seeing them and saying this is the protocol of our association, anything outside of it?
“Anyone who does not want to accept these protocols, abide by these protocols and manifest these protocols in the act should take a walk. I have no problem at all.
“We live in what is known as the nation, beginning as a vast football field and ending up as a ping pong table. If that is going to restore dignity to citizens.
“If that is going to guarantee three square meals a day, then so be it. One of my favourite expressions with people is, “Let nations die, that humanity may live.”
