Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Thursday said that the listing of Nigeria as a ‘security risk state’ by the United States amounted to an harassment of Nigerians.The US had on Sunday listed Nigeria among 10 countries classified as ‘security risk states.’
It said that passengers travelling to the US from the 10 countries and four others classified as ‘sponsors of terror’ would face tougher security screening.
The US decision came after an attempted terrorist attack by a 23-year-old Nigerian, Mr. Umar AbdulMutallab, on a Delta Airlines plane at Detroit International Airport, Detroit, Michigan on Christmas Day.
Speaking with journalists in Lagos, Soyinka also condemned in strong terms, President Umaru Yar’Adua’s failure to hand over to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan before embarking on his current medical trip to Saudi Arabia.
According to him, the decision of the US to include Nigeria on the list of countries whose citizens would undergo extra security screening at US airports is punishment to innocent Nigerians.
He said the extra security screening at the airports could make a lot of Nigerians having engagements in other countries, especially in the US, to cancel their trips, adding that he was already thinking along that direction.
While acknowledging that the Nigerian government may have its pitfalls, Soyinka said the decision of the US would affect the citizens more and not the government.
He said, “What the US did is a punishment to Nigerians, not the government. They are harassing the people by that decision. Agreed, we have our internal problems as a country, but they would have looked at other ways of dealing with the problem.
“Apart from harassment, many people may decide to cancel their trips. I am already revisiting my dairy to put off some trips. Travelling on its own is a burden; the situation at the moment has further been worsened by this restriction.
“Already, you can no longer check in on some airlines on the Internet. The moment the word Nigeria appears, you cannot go further, even though every other thing was done. These are consequences for us and this is what I want the US government to understand. They are harassing the people, not the government.”
While condemning in totality the terrorist attempt by AbdulMutallab, Soyinka said when faced with that kind of situation, leaders of both countries ought to have opened communications link.
He regretted that lack of communication between the leadership of both countries arose because of the vacuum created by Yar’Adua’s failure to constitutionally hand over power to Jonathan.
The playwright said, “When a situation like this arises, you have all the agencies discussing. But looking at a nation which has no head at the moment, this is what you get.
“We already have a sinking reputation, they see us as unpredictable. To worsen the matter, there is no head with whom President Barrack Obama could talk. This is what really the bottom of the issue is.”
Asked if it was possible for the US to rescind its decision on Nigeria, Soyinka said it was, but condemned the National Assembly for issuing a seven-day ultimatum to the US government.
He said such a decision was absurd, expressing hope that the National Assembly would see the absurdity in its action when it resumes sitting next week.
He said, “It is possible for the US to reverse the decision, but the National Assembly’s absurdity by the seven-day ultimatum is not it. I am convinced that they will see the absurdity of their action when they resume.”
On the medical trip by Yar’Adua without handing over power to Jonathan, Soyinka said the decision of the President was an insult on the 140 million Nigerians,
He argued that it was bad for a President to travel out of the country for one week without handing over to his deputy, let alone for about being absent for more than 40 days.
The respected playwright and social analyst also explained that the complexities arising from the alleged signing of the 2009 supplementary Appropriation bill by Yar’Adua in Saudi Arabia called for investigation.
But he expressed doubts over the ability of those in positions of authority to commence such an investigation.
Soyinka said, “There were complexities about Yar’Adua’s signature. There should be a commission of enquiry, but who will start it? Is it the Inspector-General of Police or members of the Federal Executive Council, among who are those who are too happy about the present situation?
“Each of them is doing what they want at the moment. Or, is it the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, who said Yar’Adua could rule from anywhere? What sort of a nation do we find ourselves?
“It is an insult on the intelligence of 140 million Nigerians that this situation continued for even more than one week, not to talk about over 40 days.”
On the way out of the present imbroglio, Soyinka called on Nigerians to demand the fulfillment of what is stated in the constitution.
He said, “Nigerians should go to the streets and demand for the fulfillment of the constitution; they should go to the National Assembly to make this demand.”
Asked if the current stalemate could lead to a disintegration of the country or military incursion into the political scene, Soyinka said the military should not be allowed or encouraged to solve the problem.
He, however, said that the country had started breaking apart since the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Soyinka said, “Unfortunately, this country began to break apart during the tenure of Obasanjo. When we look at the actions of Obasanjo, you will begin to know that he had programmed the country for disintegration.
“Obasanjo’s deliberate inactions for allowing the Sharia law run in a circular form was one instance. We had two different systems of government. That was one instance.”
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