Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, on Thursday, urged Nigerians to embrace decentralisation as a way of improving their quality of life.
He made this call at the 50th-anniversary lecture of PUNCH Newspapers, Nigeria’s leading newspaper, held at the Civic Centre, Lagos.
The lecture, titled ‘Recovering the Narrative’, was part of the events to celebrate the golden jubilee of PUNCH.
Soyinka said that decentralisation would bring governance closer to the people and enhance their productivity. He also said that the country should not be afraid of breaking up if that would solve its problems.
He 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. Everybody can grasp that, decentralisation. And those who lead, recognise the necessity of it. They recognise the importance, almost the inevitability of it until they get into power, yes, that’s the difference.
“It’s about time, I think leaders stopped taking this nation for a ride, you know, we must decentralise. Security, you know, has become a burden to bear. From all corners of the nation, that is the crime.
“Decentralised so that government can come closer to the people, and productivity can really be manifested as a product of citizens, not simply as a manna from heaven. That is the attitude obtained at the moment.
“I know the fear. The fear is collapse, break up. That’s been the excuse given by several regimes. But suppose the nation is breaking up informally, in other words as a fact rather than as a theory. Then, and you better just address this. Come straight on and see exactly what happened. What is wrong with general representatives seeing them and saying this is the protocol of our association, Anything outside of it? Anyone who does not want to accept these protocols, abide by these protocols and manifest these protocols in the act should take a walk. I have no problem at all.
“We live in what is known as the nation beginning as a vast football field is ending up as a ping pong table. If that is going to restore dignity to citizens. If that is going to guarantee three square meals a day then so be it. One of my favourite expressions with people is “Let nations die, that humanity may live.”
PUNCH, which was founded in March 1973, also commemorated the 40th anniversary of its late founding Chairman, Chief James Olubunmi Aboderin, who died on February 28, 1984, at 50.
The anniversary activities included a novelty football match at the Onikan Stadium and a photo exhibition at the Alliance Francaise de Lagos/Mike Adenuga Centre.
The grand finale will be a black-tie dinner at the Eko Hotels and Suites on Saturday, March 2, 2024, to honour the stakeholders of the newspaper.
