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Soyinka Lashes Jonathan, Igbos Over Polls
Leader of the House, Hon Chidi Lloyd (left) conferring with chairmen House Committee on Judicary, Hon Golden Chioma (middle) House Committee on Finance, Hon Josiah Olu (right) during the sitting of the house, recently. Photo: Chris Monyanaga
Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has interpreted the outcome of the recently concluded presidential election as a stark choice between a failed president and a former military dictator; saying president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari was the better of the two evils as the incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan had been an unmitigated disaster and failure.
Defending his support for Buhari, the foremost dramatist said at a personal level, it was a “painful decision to tell people to vote Buhari, but the country needed a new beginning. I was more against Jonathan, than I was pro-Buhari,” he told a sold-out audience at the Harvard University Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, where he delivered a lecture on: “Predicting Nigeria, Electoral Ironies”
“If the incumbent had been anything near competent,” Buhari’s most maladroit statement about the dog and the baboon being soaked in blood, would have been enough to scuttle his presidential ambition for the fourth time, Soyinka averred.
As the nation’s much talked-about centenary year ended, the 2015 elections offered Nigerians an opportunity to halt the nation’s descent into anarchy.
According to him, “four more years of Jonathan would have seen Nigeria plummet further, as the crawling giant of Africa, and the beggarly, weeping boy in the comity of nations.”
In a country where one of the six zones that make up the federation was on the verge of excision, with millions of beleaguered citizens marooned in the North East; and thousands more cruelly murdered by insurgents, all Jonathan could offer was mollifying rhetoric and empty promises, he said.
The situation demanded exemplary leadership, which Jonathan could not provide; not because he was unaware of the problem; he was just at a loss for solutions, Soyinka noted.
Accusing Jonathan of setting the law of simple arithmetic on its head; referring to the split in the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Soyinka regretted that Jonathan’s recognition of the minority after a straightforward, peer election rendered democracy meaningless where it should have been most fervently exemplified.
“Nothing is more unworthy of leadership than to degrade a system by which one attains fulfillment, and this is what the nation witnessed time and time again under Jonathan, who increasingly becoming intolerant of opposition in an escalating streak of impunity and authoritarian madness, which was most blatant and unconscionable.”
He disclosed that “even after Jonathan personally confided to him that he made a mistake by surrounding himself with the wrong people, the president continued to surprise us in ways that very few could have conjectured.”
Soyinka, also said that Nigerians of Igbo extraction are the only people in the country who can be predicted accurately, saying that the people voted in the last elections in order to appease their stomach.
“Igbos remained unrepentant and resolute towards their strategic objective of secession at worst; or a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction at best,” he said at the lecture, which held on April 29.
“The Igbos are probably the only group of Nigerians that you can predict with great accuracy whom they will vote for in an election, because they tend to put their votes where their stomachs take them; suffering as it were, from incurable money-mindedness, as they would stop at nothing in their quest for personal financial gain.”
Commenting on the result of Nigeria’s presidential election, Soyinka said the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan would have been “disastrous”, as Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president-elect, is better option.
“Muhammadu Buhari was the better of the two evils as the incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan had been an unmitigated disaster and failure,” he said.
“It was a painful decision to tell people to vote Buhari, but the country needed a new beginning. I was more against Jonathan, than I was pro-Buhari.
The literary icon expressed optimism that the election of Gen Muhammadu Buhari will open a new chapter in the history of Nigeria.
Soyinka, also said that the election has laid to rest the existing prejudices distrust and feelings of marginalization in all forms as well as inspire the confidence and strength in adverse Nigerian society.
“And this will certainly imbue his actions with legitimacy and acceptability.
“This is how, in the final analysis, a new Nigeria which is the dream of all will be born”, he said..
Soyinka also condemned former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s quest for tenure elongation.
According to him, “ No thanks to Obasanjo, who decided to convict legality and constitutionality in his quest for tenure elongation.
“Having directly handpicked his successors, and by defaut, responsible for the crisis of governance that ensured following the demise of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. It is difficult for Obasanjo to stand blameless in the ensuring breach of constitutional order”, he said.
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Fubara Hails Team Rivers For Winning Tinubu Inter-Schools Debate Championship …Describes Victory As Great Feat For Rivers
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has congratulated Team Rivers for emerging champions at the grand finale of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Inter-Senior Secondary Schools Debate Championship.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, described the students’ victory as “a great feat” and a clear demonstration of the intellectual capacity, brilliance, confidence, and preparedness of Rivers children to compete and excel at the national level.
The Tide reports that the finals of the Presidential Debate Championship held last Thursday at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Fubara commended the students for their eloquence, critical thinking, and teamwork, while also appreciating their teachers, coaches, and the Rivers State Ministry of Education for the guidance and support that led to the outstanding performance.
“This victory is a source of immense pride to all Rivers people. It shows that our investment in education and human capital development is yielding results. Our children have once again proven that they are among the best in the country.
“We are proud of you and we will continue to support programmes that build the minds of our young people,” he stated.
The governor assured that his administration would continue to create an enabling environment and provide necessary support for academic and extra-curricular activities in schools across the State to help the youths to excel in future competitions.
He further urged other students across the State to draw inspiration from Team Rivers and strive for excellence in all their endeavors.
Fubara expressed profound appreciation to the Grand Patron of the championship and Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her steadfast support and commitment to initiatives that promote education, youth development, and the empowerment of the Nigerian child.
?While congratulating Team Rivers for coming out on top, Fubara told the participants that they were all winners, irrespective of the outcome, stressing that their courage to stand before an audience and articulate their ideas demonstrated that the future of Nigeria remains intellectually vibrant and full of promise.
He also commended the organisers of the championship for creating a platform where young Nigerians could develop the confidence, discipline, critical thinking and communication skills required to participate meaningfully in national development.
?He reaffirmed the commitment of the State Government to supporting initiatives that advance academic excellence, innovation, discipline and opportunities for young people.
The governor dedicated an award presented to him to the people of Rivers State, the state’s education system, young Nigerians, and all those contributing to the development of the State.
?In his welcome address, the Chairman of the National Advisory Board, President’s Schools Debate, Hon. Usman Muhammed, said the championship was aimed at raising articulate, informed and responsible young Nigerians committed to democracy, good governance and nation-building.
?He commended the governor and the people of Rivers State for hosting the event, stressing that debate promotes critical thinking, tolerance and responsible citizenship.
?On his part, the State Commissioner for Education, Dr Peters Nwagor, explained that the essence of the championship was to train and develop youth, especially students, on how to get to leadership positions, saying it takes a sound mind to be able to come out to speak publicly and come to defend the opinion in a public setting.
?The Tide reports that while Team Rivers came first, Team Kwara emerged second, while Team Sokoto took the third position.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has unveiled the reconstructed Buguma-Degema-Abonnema Road, a major transport corridor linking communities across the Asari-Toru, Degema, and Akuku-Toru Local Government Areas of the State.
The project, a 19.79 kilometre road was executed by Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, brings to an end the nightmares of man-hour losses and insecurity associated with the route.
The long stretch of the road was in a very deplorable condition before the Fubara administration awarded the contract for its rehabilitation in September 2024.
Fubara disclosed that the completion of the project in record time was a fulfillment of a personal commitment made after witnessing the severe degradation of the road during a previous visit to the area.
“It is a road that you must pass if you’re going to Abonnema. It is a road that because of its state, a lot of evil activities was taking place there. But to the glory of God today, I don’t think those negative acts can even be imagined or be carried out along that corridor again.
“I made a promise to myself that day that even if it is remaining one week, we must make sure that we fix this road. Today, to the glory of God, the road has been fixed.
“I am happy that today, we are all here gathered happily that this particular dream has come to reality,” he said.
The governor reiterated that his desire for the State is not just about embarking on projects but in doing those things that will touch the lives of the people positively.
He reaffirmed the commitment of his administration to complete the Trans-Kalabari Highway, another major road project linking several coastal communities in the State.
He expressed appreciation to the people for their love and cooperation especially for allowing the contractors to do their jobs without hitches.
“You have shown me so much love. Nobody can take that away. One particular project that cannot be denied is the Trans- Kalabari Road that we are doing. I want to beg you that if I cannot meet all you requests today, don’t worry, my successor will continue from where I will stop,” he said.
Special Guest of Honour, the Amanyanabo of Abonnema Kingdom, King Desrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel, who officially commissioned the project, commended the state government for its rapid infrastructure development, noted that the rehabilitation of the roa has drastically improved travel time, safety and the living conditions of the people.
“In the past, for you to leave any of our communities to Port Harcourt, you must, as a matter of fact, go into a one-day fasting and prayers the previous day. Otherwise, you are not sure you will get to your destination.
“Today, I can leave my palace in Abonnema by 10:00 AM, and I will be wherever I want to be in Port Harcourt before 11:00 AM,” the royal father said.
King Bob-Manuel stated that the reconstructed road would not only enable the local fishermen to transport their catch directly to urban markets in Port Harcourt for better profit margins, but will open the riverine communities to new investments.
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Mr Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan as the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, effective August 27, 2026.
Enitan succeeds Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who will retire soon from the Federal Civil Service upon attaining the statutory retirement age of 60.
Mr Enitan, from Osun State, is the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service.
He has served as Permanent Secretary for seven years and seven months, working at the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Office of the Vice President. He is currently the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education.
Enitan, according to a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, brings considerable institutional experience and a deep understanding of how the Federal Civil Service works to his new responsibility.
Tinubu expressed his profound appreciation to Mrs Walson-Jack for her distinguished service to the nation and for the reforms, impact and innovations witnessed in the Civil Service during her tenure.
“The President wishes her a fulfilling and successful life after service and conveys the nation’s gratitude for her years of dedicated and impactful public service,” the statement added.
Tinubu charged the incoming Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to consolidate on the reforms and innovations already underway, deepen professionalism and efficiency across the service, and build a more effective and responsive Civil Service capable of delivering on the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The President further urged Enitan to lead a Civil Service that is professional, merit-driven, accountable, innovative, and responsive to Nigerians’ needs and aspirations.
Enitan was born on December 12, 1966. He had his secondary education at Ajibode Grammar School, Ibadan and the College of Arts and Science, Ile-Ife. He later attended the University of Lagos and graduated in 1988 with a B.Sc. in Finance and Banking.
In 2015, Enitan obtained an M.Sc. in Public Policy Analysis from Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
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