Economic Hardship: “It Is Time to Decentralise Nigeria”, Wole Soyinka Gives Reason

Economic Hardship: “It Is Time to Decentralise Nigeria”, Wole Soyinka Gives Reason

  • Professor Wole Soyinka has stated that the control of power shared with local authorities in Nigeria would favour Nigerians
  • The Nobel Laureate maintained that total decentralisation of Nigeria would lead to sustainable development in the country
  • Speaking at an event in Lagos on Thursday, Soyinka urged Tinubu's led government to prioritise the needs of Nigerians and stop taking them for a fool amid hardship

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Lagos state - On Thursday, February 29, Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, said Nigeria needs to be decentralized for the people to enjoy the country more.

Wole Soyinka, federal government
Wole Soyinka said the word “restructuring” refused to disappear, despite evasion by one elected leader after another. Photo credit: Wole Soyinka
Source: Facebook

Why Nigeria needs decentralisation, Soyinka explains

Soyinka made this assertion on Thursday while speaking at the PUNCH 50th Anniversary Public Lecture on Recovering The Narrative.

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Soyinka said the country should toe the path of breaking up if the path would solve the country’s challenges.

Soyinka to govt: Stop taking Nigerians for a ride

The elder statesman said decentralisation would allow governance to get closer to the people. He added that it was high time for leaders to stop taking Nigerians for a ride, Vanguard reported.

According to Soyinka:

"It’s about time leaders stop taking us for a ride so that the government can come close to the people.
"We don’t want the nation to break, suppose the nation is breaking informally,” Soyinka noted.

He explained that while Nigerian politicians know the importance of restructuring, they change their tune when they get to power, PM News reported.

Soyinka said:

“What do you mean by restructuring? Well, I don’t even like the word restructuring. I use, I prefer expressions like reconfiguration and decentralisation."

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“I took some time to study that man”: Soyinka reacts to BBC documentary on TB Joshua

Soyinka speaks about TB Joshua

Legit.ng earlier reported that Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Thursday at The Punch event in Lagos, said he studied the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as TB Joshua while he was alive.

Soyinka stated this while reacting to the BBC 3-part documentary detailing stories of abuse, harassment, manipulation, and staged miracles at the Ikotun-Egbe-based church in Lagos.

Soyinka said he discussed TB Joshua with the then-Governor of Lagos about the collapsed SCOAN building before the popular televangelist left the country for somewhere in Latin America.

Source: Legit.ng

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Esther Odili (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Esther Odili is a journalist and a Politics/Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng with 6+ years of experience. She Holds OND and HND in Mass Communication from the Nigerian Institue of Journalism (NIJ), where she was recognized as the best student in print journalism in 2018. Before joining Legit.ng, Esther has worked with other reputable media houses, such as the New Telegraph newspaper and Galaxy Television. In 2024, Esther obtained a certificate in advanced digital reporting from the Google News Initiative. Email: esther.odili@corp.legit.ng.