Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent national broadcast for failing to address police brutality against protesters.
Soyinka expressed disappointment that the President did not mention the violent response by security forces to the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests.
In a statement released on Sunday, Soyinka said, “I set my alarm clock for this morning to ensure that I did not miss President Bola Tinubu’s impatiently awaited address to the nation on the current unrest across the nation.”
He continued, “My primary concern is the continuing deterioration of the state’s seizure of protest management. The presidential address fell conspicuously short in addressing this issue.”
Soyinka argued that the lack of mention about police brutality “arms the security forces in the exercise of impunity” and perpetuates a cycle of resentment and reprisals. He criticized the use of live bullets and tear gas against peaceful protesters, saying, “Live bullets as state response to civic protest – that becomes the core issue.”
He compared the current situation to colonial times, stating, “The tragic response to the ongoing hunger marches evokes pre-independence acts of disdain,” and recalled the folk opera “Bread and Bullets” by Hubert Ogunde, which was banned by colonial authorities.
Soyinka added, “The serving of bullets where bread is pleaded is ominous retrogression,” and stressed the need for the security agencies to adopt more civilized methods of handling protests. He suggested looking at international examples, like the Yellow Vest movement in France, where protesters were not met with violence.
He concluded, “The time is long overdue to abandon the anachronistic resort to lethal means by the security agencies of governance,” urging a transformation in how protests are managed.
Soyinka called for an end to the cycle of violence and for the country to learn from its history to create lasting change. “One way or the other, this vicious cycle must be broken,” he said.
