Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka on Tuesday tackled former Kaduna State Governor Balarabe Musa over his remarks on the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), code-named Operation Amotekun.
The literary giant said the former governor erred in his conclusion that the security outfit would lead to the declaration of Oduduwa Republic by the Yoruba.
In a statement he personally signed, Soyinka said the former Kaduna State governor was leaving in the fear of the harmless since the promoters of the outfit have consistently described it as their contribution to secure the society.
He said the elder statesman was wrong in his judgment and urged Nigeria to avoid such blunder.
The statement reads: “Balarabe is sadly, but I hope not tragically wrong. I invoke the tragic dimension here because the making of tragedy, especially for nations, often begins when fears are mistaken, or promoted as facts, and governments either by themselves, or together with interest groups, are enticed by fears into embarking on precipitate, irrational, and irreversible acts. Such acts turn out tin the end to be based on nothing but fears, sometimes generated by guilt over past injustices, such as inequitable dealing.
“That is the basis of tragedy, towards which nations are propelled by a partial or wrongful reading of socio-political realities and – history. I would like to see this nation avoid such a blunder. So, I am certain, would Balarabe Musa.
“Raising the spectre of secession is a facile approach to the dangerous, self-evident lapses in governance which Balarabe himself acknowledges in his response to the Amotekun principle made flesh.
“The midwives of Amotekun have repeatedly acknowledged that theirs is only a contribution towards a crisis of escalating proportions.
“Other states should be encouraged to emulate, not misread such initiatives, then demonise them by false attributions. That is the certain recipe for tragedy.”
