The approach of Nigeria\u2019s president, Muhammadu Buhari to killings by
\nherdsmen has come under scrutiny from one of the country\u2019s leading light,
\nnoble laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka.<\/p>\n
Soyinka believes that Buhari\u2019s government has not shown the requisite will
\nneeded to end the violence perpetuated by the herdsmen across the country.<\/p>\n
In an address to the National Conference on Culture and Tourism on April
\n27, Soyinka urged the federal government to be more proactive in curbing
\nthe activities of herdsmen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have yet to hear this government articulate a firm policy of
\nnon-tolerance for the serial massacres have become the nation\u2019s
\nidentification stamp. I have not heard an order given that any cattle
\nherders caught with sophisticated firearms be instantly disarmed,
\narrested, placed on trial, and his cattle confiscated. The nation is
\ntreated to an eighteen-month optimistic plan which, to make matters worse,
\nsmacks of abject appeasement and encouragement of violence on innocents.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me repeat, and of course I only ask to be corrected if wrong: I have
\nyet to encounter a terse, rigorous, soldierly and uncompromising language
\nfrom this leadership, one that threatens a response to this unconscionable
\nblood-letting that would make even Boko Haram repudiate its founding
\nclerics,\u201d Soyinka said.<\/p>\n
Adding that, \u201cIt is now close to a year since I attempted to utilize the
\nOpen Forum platform of the Centre for Culture and International
\nUnderstanding, Oshogbo, to launch a national debate on the topic \u2013 SACRED
\nCOWS OR SACRED RIGHTS.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe signs were already clear and the rampage of impunity was already
\nmanifesting a cultic intensity of alarming proportions. For reasons which
\nare too distasteful to go into here, the forum did not take place. We were
\nalready agreed that General Buhari be invited to give a keynote address,
\nbased on his long experience in such matters as former head of state, and
\nas a cattle rearer himself who might be be able to penetrate the mentality
\nof this \u2018post-Boko Haram\u2019 pestilence\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat challenge remains open, but should now involve this gathering, which
\nsurely includes tourist and educational agencies. They should join hands
\nwith human rights organisations, the Ministry of Agriculture, Farming and
\nlocal Vigilante associations etc. It is a gauntlet thrown down to be
\npicked up, and urgently, by any of the affected or troubled sectors of
\nsociety, or indeed any capable and interested party at this conference.
\nThe CBCIU is prepared to collaborate,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The approach of Nigeria\u2019s president, Muhammadu Buhari to killings by herdsmen has come under scrutiny from one of the country\u2019s leading light, noble laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka. Soyinka believes that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n