I’m pro-Biafra, Igbos have been brutalised – Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has, again, explained his
support for Biafra agitator adding that Igbos have been brutalized
in a way that justifies their feeling that they were not part of the
nation.
Soyinka said the Igbo people have been so wronged that they
have no choice than to consider opting out of Nigeria.
Prof. Soyinka spoke on Al Jazeera, yesterday where heshed light
on his support for Biafra agitators.

“I am very much pro- Biafra because I recognise that the Igbo
have been wronged desperately.

“They have been brutalised in a way that justifies their feeling that
they were not part of the nation.

“Let me also say this, Biafrans are not entirely innocent in this
affair. They were not, but the unleashing of such venom, such
devastation on them as a people, was sufficient to justify their
decision not to be part of the nation.
“I was pro-Biafran in the sense that I felt that they needed
justice.”

Soyinka denied he was a troublemaker, especially in the Biafran
crisis, but added, “I grew up in certain circumstances being very
conscious politically, in this very Abeokuta; my mother was
involved in the politics, my aunt, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti
was a leader.

“I grew up among political arguments on issues that concern
humanity and I find that basically gravitated towards recognising
the basic worth of human beings.
“Something I disagree when they call me a patriot because I don’t
agitate on some certain entity called a nation; I agitate on
humanity.”

He criticised the removal of History and teaching of the Biafran
crisis in schools.

“Officials do not want to confront their own history, especially the
history in the making of which they feel uncomfortable but, if you
do not confront your past, you are going to mess up your future.”
On Boko Haram and the breakup of Nigeria, he said ironically,
Boko Haram might be part of the reasons Nigeria may stay
together.

Soyinka said a few years ago, he would have agreed that Nigeria
would break, but, now that a section of the country is in trouble,
there is some kind of pulling together. He added that the
conscience of many Nigerian has been awakened such that they
cannot abandon that section of the country.

He urged Nigerians to recognise the plurality of Nigeria, how it
came together and begin to devise and adopt a method of
governance which cannot only be of massive decentralisation.
“That way, we can stay together. If we continue to have a
centralist government, then, Nigeria is on the Soyinka