Soyinka Bursts, Tells Nigerians What Will Happen - Over Buhari's Comment On Rule Of Law

Professor Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate, has lambasted President Muhammadu Buhari for suggesting that National Security is superior to the rule of law.

The Nobel laureate, said Nigerians should expect certain actions that will justify the president’s declaration.

President Buhari made the comment at the opening ceremony of the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Monday.

Presfessor Soyinka in a statement Thursday, titled ‘Buhari’s Pernicious Doctrine”, said: “At his first coming, it was ‘I intend to tamper with Freedom of the Press,’ and Buhari did proceed to suit action to the words, sending two journalists – Irabor and Thompson – to prison as a reward for their professional integrity.

“Now, a vague, vaporous, but commodious concept dubbed “national interest” is being trotted out as alibi for flouting the decisions of the Nigerian judiciary. President Buhari has obviously given deep thought to his travails under a military dictatorship, and concluded that his incarceration was also in the ‘national interest.’

“We have cause to be thankful for the advance warning, since not all rulers actually make a declaration of intent, but simply proceed to degrade the authority of the law as part of the routine business of governance,” said Mr Soyinka.

“We have been there before. It should be of mere interest, not despondency, that this latest proclamation of dictatorial recidivism has also been made before an assembly of officers of the law, the Nigerian Bar Association. We expect a robust response from the NBA as part of its conclusions.”

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, noted that there is no shortcut to democracy and that the history of law, even where uncodified, is as old as humanity.

READ ALSO: "You Can't Honour Abiola And Admire His Tormentor Abacha" - Wole Soyinka Tell Buhari

“Numerous rulers have tried again and again to annul that institution,” he said.

“Sometimes, they appear to succeed, but in the end, they pay heavy forfeit. So does society.

“The rule of law, however, outlasts all subverters, however seemingly powerful. If the consequences for society in defence of the rule of law were not so costly, any new attempt would be merely banal and boring, hardly deserving of attention.

Related Topics: #Buhari, #WoleSoyinka, #NigeriaDecides2019, #Politics

Sharing is caring. Share this story