Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has condemned the high level of impunity in Nigeria, pointing out that individuals who should be facing trial for various corruption charges are now prominent figures in the nation’s political scene.
In an interview with Noble Nigeria, the 89-year-old Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist emphasized that for Nigeria to progress, the Constitution must be rewritten to tackle these and other issues threatening the nation’s stability.
When asked about solutions to the current economic, socio-political, and socio-cultural problems, Soyinka stated that Nigerians need to come together and draft a new constitution to ensure peaceful coexistence.
He said: “First thing if we got to cure the culture of impunity, there are people in high positions today, in the legislative houses that are holding key positions in the committees of the legislative houses who are supposed to be on trial.
“Even the judiciary which comes under criticism as well; even the judiciary is often hampered by the technicalities which are used to postpone the day of judgement. This is a fact and that gives these criminals the opportunity to aspire and to obtain high positions of protection or immunity from prosecution and so we have a backlog of reckoning.
“Those who are supposed to be going to court on serious charges that have been levelled against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), they are dominating the political scene.”
He insisted that “we got to find a way of dealing with them critically and rigorously.”
Follow the Parallel Facts channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
