Restructuring: Soyinka Tables Fresh Request Before National Assembly

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has urged the National Assembly to take responsibility as calls for the restructuring of Nigeria continues.

Wole Soyinka, a vocal critic of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, said this while speaking in an interview on AIT’s Kakaaki programme on Wednesday.

The Nobel laureate stated that if the Presidency is not doing anything about restructuring, the National Assembly has the powers and moral authority to act.

He said, “The Presidency is saying it’s not my responsibility. On the other hand, the National Assembly keeps saying it wants the President to take action. When that happens, why doesn’t the National Assembly say “fine, we take this as our responsibility, we are obliged to the people who elected us here, the shout is heard even by the deaf today that this nation must restructure, and if that has to be done through the constitution, we are now going to face this as one of our major tasks” and then lead the Presidency on its own?”

“If the Presidency is not responding, then the National Assembly has the powers and the moral authority to respond to the desire of the populace.”

Soyinka added, “Very often, they (National Assembly) are struggling for those various committees where I think all the goodies are shared, so they are compromised. But when I speak about this, I’m not speaking about the entirety. But unfortunately, there are those who are purely for their own interest and who make compromises with the Executives simply because they want to fulfil their own personal interest.”