Bull shit, He doesn't practise no religion,how would he know all.
He thinks westenr knowledge does it all, afteralll he was among the pioneers of cultism in Nigeria and now he stands to speak against violence.
What about the ones killed by cultists?
What can you say about it?

Unlike many two faced leaders in the west, Soyinka has come out to hit the real issues  on the head. People like Bakare and Tinubu are more concerned with what opportunities abound in the persent situation in their quest for political aggrandizement, consolidating on wild blind followership instead of proffering solutions or at least speaking up against the unseen forces that is holding us to ransome in our own land.

This very brilliant piece of write-up  in some ways mirrors what I posted on NL some time ago. Many people will put all the blame on welfare issues, corruption, govt's inadequacies, etc., when in reality, much more than those are the real issues of  the agenda of some powerful northern elites  and islamic imans deliberately breeding a force of evil that threaten to destroy us as a nation. Some say the agenda of BH is religious, others say it is political. I say they are one and the same thing. Islam being used as a weapon of terror to actualize specific political agenda. For instance, the extremist are conscious of the  wild fire of christianity that threatens to de-populate their faithfuls. To them, it is a deadly contest between islam and christianity, and this christian sunami must be stopped with any means neccessary. The politicians also have a stake, if this invasion of christianity continues, with Nigeria gradually enthrenching a democratic system, they may fail to hold on to power as we known northerners are known to be swayed mayorly by religious sentiments in political exercises. In the game of number of which is the new system, the country may never revert to our historical years of power hijack by the north. Hence,  a scanario analysis and planning went into action. Powerful northerners facilitated the setting up and financing of islamic army now terrorists to actualize their agenda.

For real, Bakare should return to status quo  and steer clear from partisan politics so that he could without biase address the problem of this nation, a nation I have no doubt in my mind he loves.

I will also be bold to say that, apart from northerns, the westerners benefit from the massive corruption going on in this country. The yoruba language  like hausa is freely spoken in our govt offices and even some private ones like banks. Even outside of the natural geography of the people. That is one way they have bled the nation and corrupted institutions from working. Some many westerners will either just sit on the fence or take a silent side with the north. So believe me when I say that Soyinka is one Yoruba man in a million. He may be able to speak freely without fear or favour or prejudice because he doesn't fatten himself from govt allocation or enrich himself through evil corruption from which most western elites thrive.

A most comprising article and, one likely to earn dismissal by a people, for all it seems, pathetically conditioned to reel in religious, ethnic tomfoolery and savage fanaticism- it will be news when history fulfills its course.

strangest:

Cultism in schools has killed more people in Nigeria than Boko Haram, Wole should focus on what he started, stu.pid atheist

Indeed u r the strangest creature that ever crawled the earth.

Wole Soyinka avoided the most important issue. In his brilliant writeup, he is correct that there are both “unwashed masses” (almajiri's) and the " the polished face of fanaticism." He has not told us the factors that watered the ground that these societal weeds have flourished on. That is a gaping hole in the article and a yawning gap in his thesis.

The factors that have led to the building of almajiri armies are mistrust, low self esteem, fear of the unknown and the lack of a sense of belonging. Every last one of these items can be directly traced back to an "anything goes" national structure where chaos reigns supreme and the biggest, corrupt, most cruel and most ugly thrive to the detriment of the poor, weak and upright. The root cause of all Nigeria's problems is our chaotic system that promotes impunity with its lack of organisational structure; impunity in turn promotes crime and corruption.

In areas where poverty is most endemic, chaos is also at its peak and religious fervour takes root as the provider of hope, security and purpose in life. Religious extremism in Northern Nigeria has only been emphasised and reemphasised by unending poverty, despair, hopelessness and the wickedness of sections of its elite who take advantage of our entropic system to prey on the weak and abandoned. We are now at the watershed where decades of running a shambolic system have now burst their banks in a torrid tsunami of blood, gore and death. Boko haram would not be possible in an organised society where there are laws, due process and every individual is valued.

Yes, boko haram must be neutralised as a military force, but the answer is in restructuring the nation along the lines of true federalism and true representation of the citizen. After that, we must grant an amnesty to their elite to sink into the background and let new blood come forth; also we must unleash a programme of massive education in the North (how to all win these? Their federating units will remain dependent on the South, thats a vital bargaining chip).
This window is open to GEJ right now, but it cannot be achieved in a mere 3 years. It is more of a long term thing.

Meme Inc.:

Bull poo, He doesn't practise no religion,how would he know all.
He thinks westenr knowledge does it all, afteralll he was among the pioneers of cultism in Nigeria and now he stands to speak against violence.
What about the ones killed by cultists?
What can you say about it?

So because he doesn't practice religion, you think he doesn't know anything? I guess you are one those fanatics we're talking about.

Also, Soyinka's group was never violent. There is nothing wrong with forming a students group, stop trolling.

Kogi baba may your days be long! you input here is very audible to the deaf and well comprehended to well meaning Nigerians.
Your contribution toward peace actualization on every debate on national issue is very important to building good Nigeria we are all yearning for.  if those that leading us in this country yield to elderly advice perhaps they will sleep with their eyes close after leaving office, But instead of this most of these crooks engaged in deaf stealing of our collective wealth, they loot for their unborn and they’ve weaken if not kill our judiciary as a strategy to continue enjoying stolen wealth and to also continue this bad practice till the rest of their lives. Their product are everywhere condemning important discursion about moving the nation forward because they are also been consider in the loots as their family has opportunity to loot in govt.

PapaBrowne:

Indeeed! Defeated in under a month indeed!
America, the world's greatest power is only now beginning to defeat Alqaeda after 10 years and 3 Trillion Dolllars!
Any you say 1 Month!! Thats delusional! The nature of terrorism is such that you can only fence it out of your territory, you can hardly defeat it!

Let me remind you that Boko Haram is no Al Quaeda. Our government simply succeeded in embolden a bunch of thugs and terrorists by letting them kill Nigerians with impunity hence turning them into the monster they've become.  I maintain that they can be significantly weakened within 1 month.  Unfortunately, fighting corruption and guiding the nation towards true federalism has to take a back seat to defeating BH.  The government is completely crippled and must fight these terrorists using all the intelligence help she can obtain from friends such as the French, USA, Israeli, and others.

We need offensive moves from the C in C- the cat is already out of the bag!! Helloooooo, we are at war! 

@Kuroji, I find it difficult to disagree with your post.

Beaf:

Wole Soyinka avoided the most important issue. In his brilliant writeup, he is correct that there are both “unwashed masses” (almajiri's) and the " the polished face of fanaticism." He has not told us the factors that watered the ground that these societal weeds have flourished on. That is a gaping hole in the article and a yawning gap in his thesis.

Yes, boko haram must be neutralised as a military force, but the answer is in restructuring the nation along the lines of true federalism and true representation of the citizen. After that, we must grant an amnesty to their elite to sink into the background and let new blood come forth; also we must unleash a programme of massive education in the North (how to all win these? Their federating units will remain dependent on the South, thats a vital bargaining chip).
This window is open to GEJ right now, but it cannot be achieved in a mere 3 years. It is more of a long term thing.

Welcome back from the delusional world. I agree with your post but you must agree that none of the prescriptions you've offered can be implemented without first defeating these BH thugs and bring back peace and civility to the nation. I wonder what is preventing GEJ from doing what seems quite obvious to most people.

"How does one convey scenes where killers perform ritual recitations before or after the meticulous throat-slitting of schoolchildren, in the conviction that this carries the same potency of immunity as papal indulgences once did in the decadent era of Christianity? "


maybe with time the islamist will be purged of their blood thirty appetite.

Meme Inc.:

Bull poo, He doesn't practise no religion,how would he know all.
He thinks westenr knowledge does it all, afteralll he was among the pioneers of cultism in Nigeria and now he stands to speak against violence.
What about the ones killed by cultists?
What can you say about it?

The fact that he doesn't practise any religion is advantageous as he is able to take dispassionate view of the dark edges of the religions practised in Nigeria.

Where it is the duty to worship the sun, laws of thermodynamics will be poorly understood.

klas:

The fact that he doesn't practise any religion is advantageous as he is able to take dispassionate view of the dark edges of the religions practised in Nigeria.

Where it is the duty to worship the sun, laws of thermodynamics will be poorly understood.

And there you have it. Physics and blind religious indoctrination are in fact mutually exclusive.

nud_chucks:
This piece by Wole Soyinka is nothing but a bunch of crappy common knowledge. The man has added nothing tangible to the problem at hand. In an expression of intellectual cowardice, he avoided mentioning any viable solution to the problem at hand, rendering his article a bunch of crap. He concluded, "Only one choice remains: to ride, or else reap, the whirlwind." What da heck does that mean? ride ko, sour like a bird ni.



The answers to the questions you posed are why Nigeria can never split peacefully. Note that no one is willing to go to war for separation because the human costs will be unbearable. The government will kill 5,000 of you people rather than go to war and risk losing millions.

Of course, Biafra's experience has set peaceful disintegration of Nigeria unreachable. This is not because of unbearable humans cost as you have adduced but actions of certain people during the Nigeria/Biafra civil war.

There is no doubt in my mind if Nigeria will split contestably but when.

Dede1:

Of course, Biafra's experience has set peaceful disintegration of Nigeria unreachable. This is not because of unbearable humans cost as you have adduced but actions of certain people during the Nigeria/Biafra civil war.

There is no doubt in my mind if Nigeria will split contestably but when.

I'll appreciate some explanation of the bolded above. Please expantiate on the 'certain people' and their actions during the war.  I know you never shy away of speaking the truth.

GEJ will give them chance in next election

According to Karl Marx, 'religion is the opium of the Masses. The elites use religion to suppress the masses. Due to poverty and illiteracy, the masses are often induced to fight for gods. God is omnipotent, omniscience and omnipresent. He fights his battle and does not wait for man to fight for him. God is a spirit, those that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Most of these religious fanatics are hypocrites. God shall judge them at the appointed time.

Evil Brain:

The violence in the north isn't going to stay there. Nigeria is one country. Eventually it will spread south. There are muslims in the south, christian fanatics and poor people everywhere. Anybody who thinks Boko Haram is someone else's problem is deceiving himself.

Could it spread, yes. But not like it is in the North. As I said, BH was grassroots fed, which is why it now has a stranglehold there. Their infiltration of the security forces ensures they can strike Rambo style almost at will. When was the last time you heard of muslims killing wholesale in the south. And you can be sure if it happened, it would not have popular support. Given this prognosis, my point stands. If you are from the south, escape while you can.

If we don't solve this then we are all fvcked.

This is NOT your problem to solve. Anyone who thinks BH is going to be a thing of the past in a few months is deceiving himself. When you tacitly support terror against other groups, it is only a matter of time before it turns on you. See Pakistan, Syria, etc,  BH is going to force the north to come to terms with itself. Any southerner thinking he can affect the outcome is wasting his time, and will probably lose his life as a result.

Remember, we may be one Nigeria, but we are several peoples. And as a people sows, so shall it reap.

klas:

The fact that he doesn't practise any religion is advantageous as he is able to take dispassionate view of the dark edges of the religions practised in Nigeria.

Where it is the duty to worship the sun, laws of thermodynamics will be poorly understood.

Thats a big LIE my friend. People always have their biases no matter how neutral they seem.

Nigerians must know that the election of any Hausa Fulani man to the office of President will be a National Security threat in the next 50years.

Use your votes wisely.

It seems we have a group of people who will rather tacitly side with terrorists than speak out against evil!

Wole Soyinka did not in this write up or previously claim to be a security expert. I really don't know why some are expecting him to provide a solution on how to battle BokoHaram? Soyinka the last time I checked is a Literature Professor and not an Army General. He has simply provided a critique and correlation on how our societal values have given rise the present situation. He has also previously in his many write ups argued for the need to discuss the structure of Nigeria in a Sovereign National Conference.


I really don't know why some folks are attacking Soyinka. He is not the President of Nigeria!
He is only a public commentator and we must not over-estimate the limits of his power!. Folks like Soyinka can only provide advisory speeches on the future of Nigeria.

It is up to the "Good for nothing President in Aso Rock", to turn the yearnings of the people into actual policies or National agenda by putting them into a well structured plan and Present to NASS/Stakeholders for delibration!

It makes me laugh to see posts suggesting that without the oil in Southern Nigeria, the North cannot survive. I'm a full blooded southerner and I know the OIl has been more of a curse than a blessing. Let them go if that's the solution, but they'll survive very well.

Beaf:

Wole Soyinka avoided the most important issue. In his brilliant writeup, he is correct that there are both “unwashed masses” (almajiri's) and the " the polished face of fanaticism." He has not told us the factors that watered the ground that these societal weeds have flourished on. That is a gaping hole in the article and a yawning gap in his thesis.

The factors that have led to the building of almajiri armies are mistrust, low self esteem, fear of the unknown and the lack of a sense of belonging. Every last one of these items can be directly traced back to an "anything goes" national structure where chaos reigns supreme and the biggest, corrupt, most cruel and most ugly thrive to the detriment of the poor, weak and upright. The root cause of all Nigeria's problems is our chaotic system that promotes impunity with its lack of organisational structure; impunity in turn promotes crime and corruption.

In areas where poverty is most endemic, chaos is also at its peak and religious fervour takes root as the provider of hope, security and purpose in life. Religious extremism in Northern Nigeria has only been emphasised and reemphasised by unending poverty, despair, hopelessness and the wickedness of sections of its elite who take advantage of our entropic system to prey on the weak and abandoned. We are now at the watershed where decades of running a shambolic system have now burst their banks in a torrid tsunami of blood, gore and death. Boko haram would not be possible in an organised society where there are laws, due process and every individual is valued.

Yes, boko haram must be neutralised as a military force, but the answer is in restructuring the nation along the lines of true federalism and true representation of the citizen. After that, we must grant an amnesty to their elite to sink into the background and let new blood come forth; also we must unleash a programme of massive education in the North (how to all win these? Their federating units will remain dependent on the South, thats a vital bargaining chip).
This window is open to GEJ right now, but it cannot be achieved in a mere 3 years. It is more of a long term thing.

For Once I agree with you. One begins to wonder if the North be be in such a state if its people(Ordinary Northerners) were  truly EDUCATED and given an opportunity in life. Buh you seee that is what the ELITE thrive on

Hmmn,

"Only one choice remains: to ride or else reap the whirlwind"

IRAQ » AFGHANISTAN »» LIBYA »»» SUDAN »»»»»»»»»»»»» Nigeria?

I hope not but with the bangers (i mean bombings) in northern nigeria?

Time will tell