LONDON (AFP) - Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka warned on Tuesday that his country was heading towards a civil war, blaming political leaders who spread religious intolerance.

Asked whether he agreed with President Goodluck Jonathan that the current unrest was worse than the 1960s civil war, he told the BBC World Service: “It’s not an unrealistic comparison — it’s certainly based on many similarities.




“We see the nation heading towards a civil war.”

Soyinka was also asked whether the unrest threatened the state of Nigeria itself, and replied: “It is going that way. We no longer can pretend it’s not.

“When you’ve got a situation where a bunch of people can go into a place of worship and open fire through the windows, you’ve reached a certain dismal watershed in the life of that nation.”

Soyinka said the issues raised by Islamist group Boko Haram, which was blamed for violence targeting Christians in the north of Nigeria and has sparked fears of a wider religious conflict, had been brewing for some time.

“There are people in power in certain parts of the country, leaders, who quite genuinely and authoritatively hate and cannot tolerate any religion outside their own,” he said.

“When you combine that with the ambitions of a number of people who believe they are divinely endowed to rule the country and who… believe that their religion is above whatever else binds the entire nation together, and somehow the power appears to slip from their hands, then they resort to the most extreme measures.

“Youths who have been indoctrinated right from infancy can be used, and who have been used, again and again to create mayhem in the country.”

He added: “Those who have created this faceless army have lost control.”

Soyinka, a dramatist and essayist, became Africa’s first Nobel laureate in literature when he won the prize in 1986.
What is your reaction to this?

The Christian sect a.k.a. Niger Delta Millitants under different groupings have issued ultimatum for hausas to take their leave from the Niger Delta Region or meet a bad fate. Against this backdrop a madrasah(islamic school) was bombed in Sapele, muslim sisters were molested within and between Delta and Bayelsa, The Benin Central mosque has been burnt and the ring road mosque in benin was vandalized.

Dear fellow nigerians, security sittuation is improving in the country. the media is doing a lot to inform us all and we pray God to be with us and give us peace. THE BENIN CENTRAL MOSQUE WAS BURNT DOWN THIS AFTERNOON (10/01/12). YESTERDAY THE RINGROAD MOSQUE WAS VANDERLIZED AFTER A FAILED ATTEMPTED BURNING. Meanwhile am surprized this is not reported. In addition refugees have taken to the barraks in hundreds of hausas for safety of their dear lives in benin. we need a joint effort of christians and muslim faithfuls to protect lives and properties at the moment

That is not possible.
Nigerians are too disorganized to fight for ANY COMMON GOAL.
With all due respects Kongi. . . You are sooooooo wrong.

You can only have sectarian conflicts against one small group or another. . . not a war. Like I stated earilier. . . NIGERIANS CAN NEVER HAVE A COMMON INTEREST. . . NEVER!

stop multiplying threads