Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Stop Using Security Agencies to Silence Nigerians, Soyinka Tells FG

Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has asked the Federal Government and the security agencies to stop trying to muzzle Nigerians anytime they come together to exchange ideas.

He stated that such a step could signal fear on the part of government and that such reduces the people and the government itself.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that Soyinka spoke in Badagry on Saturday at the unveiling of an art gallery in commemoration of his 85th birthday.

The police, Nigerian Army and the Department of State Services on Monday in Lagos sealed off the venue for a symposium where Soyinka, rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, and others were to speak on the security issues in the country.

Police vehicles were positioned around the venue located at Oregun, Lagos. The programme tagged ‘Democracy, state repression and the state of insecurity in Nigeria’, was organised by Coalition for Revolution.

But speaking on Saturday, Soyinka, who thanked Femi Coker Art Gallery in Badagry for organising the event, said, “It is important to send strong message to this government and to the security services to stop trying to muzzle people when they come together to exchange ideas.

“You’re reducing them as human beings and you’re also reducing yourselves as human beings, because it means you’re afraid to listen.”

Soyinka also cautioned Nigerians not to believe everything they read on social media. He said they should instead take such online materials “with a pinch of salt.

He said, ““Be very, very careful what you believe even when you read such materials in social media or sometimes in newspapers because in this country, we have a most fertile multiplier effect.

“When somebody hears something, he puts it on the Internet, it spreads and an industry begins as people start commenting on things which never existed.

“Sometimes on social media, you’ll even see trending quotes supposedly from me, with my name, my photograph, with statements which represents what those people want to say but lacked the courage to say it.”

_____

Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng

Copyright 2019 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant source.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Related

News

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has questioned the Federal Government’s handling of the farmer-herder crisis. Speaking exclusively to Channels Television’s NewsNight, a pre-recorded program which...

News

The Federal Government’s total borrowing from the Central Bank of Nigeria through Ways and Means Advances rose from N17.46tn in December 2021 to N19.91tn...

News

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has disowned a social media post which claimed he was endorsing All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Asiwaju Bola...

News

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has said that religion was not allowing Nigerians think like rational humans. Soyinka made the remarks on Saturday during...

Copyright ©