Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, yesterday
said the continued existence of Nigeria as a country was negotiable, as most
nations of the world came to be through negotiations.
The literary icon, who spoke at a colloquium
in Kaima, Bayelsa State, with students of the Ijaw National Academy, said it
was wrong for anyone to thinks that Nigeria’s existence was not negotiable
At an event organised by the Bayelsa State
Government to honour Nigeria's literary icons, Profs John Pepper Clark, Gabriel
Okara and historian icon, Prof Joe Alagoa, Soyinka noted that most Nigerians
are missing the arguments.
He said: "We are mixing up the argument.
When people say, especially former leaders and especially those who bear
enormous responsibility for the question of breaking up or not breaking up, our
role in the first place it always sounds hypocritical, dogmatic and
dictatorial, and that statement is that the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable.
"That, for me, is a falsity. Anything is
negotiable. The right of people to determine their future is what is
non-negotiable. Most nations came to be through negotiations.
"Sometimes when people say negotiate,
what they really mean is restructure. What the argument should be, what the
question should be, is should Nigeria break up? And my answer to that is, no!
"But please, don’t tell me that Nigeria,
as it stands, is not negotiable. It is a fallacy. The nation has got to be
negotiated. Negotiation includes ensuring that there is no
marginalisation."
Soyinka said negotiation has to do with the
issues of resource control and restructuring the country in a way that
components and constituents would not be feeding an over-bloated centre to the
detriment of their own development.
"So, Nigeria is negotiable. What we
should say, the language we should use is, what are you willing to sacrifice,
what efforts are you willing to make to ensure that Nigeria remains intact.
That is the citizen question," he insisted.
Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, while
aligning with Soyinka, said there was everything to negotiate for, especially
with the marginalisation of the region, which lays the golden eggs, but yet
suffers more.
According to Dickson, though the continuous
existence of the country was desirable, even among many citizens, Nigerians
have issues to bring on the table for amicable resolution.
He said: "The continuous existence of
Nigeria is desirable, but Nigerians, all of us, have issues to bring to the
table for an amicable resolution so that we can make our union more perfect,
enduring and sustainable.
“There is no crime, no shame in saying that
and feel free to question any notion about our country. After all, our people
have been funding the Nigeria experiment for the last 61 years.
“From our backyards, they carve out portions
of lands and call it oil blocs from Abuja and Lagos and other capitals of the
world. I have said it severally, what they sit down in cosy offices and call
oil blocs and give to whoever they choose to give is actually your ancestors'
properties.
“Questions continue to be raised about
environmental injustice. What is going on in all our communities, I describe as
environmental terrorism. “So, nobody should tell us that there is nothing to
negotiate about; there are several things, too many things to negotiate about,”
he stated.
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