Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has explained that religion or tribe doesn’t matter in the leadership and governance of the country.
Soyinka also said that the same faith ticket won’t be a problem in a “normal society” and that Nigeria has not attained such a “norm”.
Soyinka made this statement while featuring on a program on Channels TV Newsnight on Monday night.
The author of the text Lion and the Jewel posited that he doesn’t care if Nigeria’s next president, vice-president, and Speaker of the House of Representatives are all from the same religion and village.
He said: “I don’t give a damn if the president, the vice-President, the speaker, etc. all come from the same village, they have the same religion, they belong to the same tribe,” Soyinka said when asked about his thoughts on the controversy that has trailed the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He added, “If, however, it is transparently, absolutely, unarguable that is a kind of genius breed that has been donated to the nation and the world, as long as the capability of the individuals who are into governance is proven, and it is quite clear that there is no alternative, that is my position.”
“Now, we are talking about a normal society, which institutions are normal…Is Nigeria normal?” he asked.
Soyinka’s comments came months after APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, had announced former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, as his running mate.
Recall that comments and counter comments have continued to trail the Muslim-Muslim ticket Tinubu and Shettima are flying under the auspices of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the forthcoming 2023 general elections in the country.