By Adeyera Damilola
Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka on Tuesday slammed ex-Governor of the old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa over his comment on the Western Nigerian Security Network better known as Amotekun.
Balarabe, had in an interview with a National daily two days ago said, Operation Amotekun would lead to the declaration of Oduduwa Republic. He said the composition of those who constitute the security outfit in the six states governors was the reason why concerns are being raised about the initiative.
Responding to Balarabe’s comment, Soyinka in a statement said the former Governor had failed to understand that operation Amotekun was born out of the need to ameliorate the insecurity situation facing states in South Western part of the country. The Nobel laureate went on to say Balarabe was sadly wrong for his stance on Amotekun.
Soyinka said, “Balarabe is sadly but I hope not tragically wrong. I invoke the tragic dimension here because the making of tragedy, especially for nations, often begins when fears are mistaken or promoted as facts, and governments either by themselves, or together with interest groups, are enticed by fears into embarking on precipitate, irrational, and irreversible acts.
“Such acts turn out, in the end, to be based on nothing but fears, sometimes generated by guilt over past injustices, such as inequitable dealing. That is the basis of tragedy, towards which nations are propelled by a partial, or wrongful reading of socio-political realities and- history. I would like to see this nation avoid such a blunder. So, I am certain, would Balarabe Musa.
“Raising the spectre of secession is a facile approach to the dangerous, self-evident lapses in governance which Balarabe himself acknowledges in his response to the Amotekun principle made flesh. The midwives of Amotekun have repeatedly acknowledged that theirs is only a contribution towards a crisis of escalating proportions. Other states should be encouraged to emulate, not misread such initiatives, then demonise them by false attributions. That is the certain recipe for tragedy.”
