Prof. Wole Soyinka, a Nobel winner, has commented on the general elections of 2023 and the language used by political figures.
The Nobel winner said the elections were “not exactly the most edifying exercise that we’ve been through” on Monday’s episode of Channels Television’s Roadmap 2023.
The literary giant stated that, while he claims to not have been unaware of domestic events, he chose not to comment on the election process while he was abroad.
In his opinion, the country was on its way to a scenario, which he claims was not premeditated but occurred by chance, in which the current mould would be broken.
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Thus, Soyinka said: “On arriving, I came in for the World Poetry Day, and immediately, I was bombarded by the most horrendous narratives both pre and after the elections,” he said.
“Since then, I’ve also read columns; I’ve seen Nigerian papers for the first time in months and I didn’t like what I read at all.
“My trust has broken down completely and even the minimum restraint that we’ve learnt to expect from seasoned politicians have been jettisoned completely.”
“And the signs were there that there would be die-hard opposition to the breaking of that mould,” he said. “Elections should be keenly contested. But I still believe very much in what I call the Fashola Dictum.”
“They should be yet another aspect of the festive spirit of humanity – and this was anything but festive,” he said.
