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Soyinka faults Buhari’s govt on anti-corruption war, says it has run out of steam

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Soyinka warns Nigerian government against muzzling dissenting voices

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Wednesday said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has run out of steam in its fight against corruption in the country.

Soyinka, who spoke as a guest on Africa Independent Television (AIT) early morning show, Kakaaki, said this had resulted in the judiciary being manipulated by powerful people in the country.

According to him, the system had become so badly corrupted that court cases were being stretched out through technicalities.

He said: “There are so many people who should be in prison if this government had not run out of steam, and so the system is being manipulated. There are cases where the prosecution had reached the level where evidence had been given on governors who had been stealing and depositing in bits and pieces so as not to flout a certain regulation. I mean cases have been taken to that level and suddenly, silence. The EFCC, which I back solidly ever since the days of (Nuhu) Ribadu, in all kinds of ways, we no longer know the distinguishing from rights and left.”

Read also: Soyinka celebrates Trump’s exit, brands ex-US president a racist

Speaking on the issue of restructuring which has been on the front burner of national discourse, the playwright faulted the National Assembly, querying why they have refused to take responsibility since the executive had been foot dragging on the issues.

According to him, the struggle of some selfish lawmakers for committee positions where the “goodies are shared” made them accomplices of the executive.

“And it is the responsibility of the constituency to remind them of these derelictions, these failures to come up to scratch as expected when they come round next for elections,” he said.

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