NASS should respond to calls for restructuring — Soyinka

*Says many people would have been in prison for corruption if Buhari’s govt hadn’t run out of steam

Nobel Laureate,  Prof. Wole Soyinka, yesterday urged the National Assembly to listen to the calls for the restructuring of Nigeria and take responsibility towards the effect.

His call is in consonance with the Presidency which had repeatedly asked agitators for restructuring to channel their clamour to the National Assembly, being the representatives of the people.

Such regional groups as the Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, its counterparts in Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, and the Middle-Belt Forum have been very vociferous in the call for the nation’s restructuring.

They had often argued that the National Assembly was not better placed to restructure the country, since the 1999 constitution currently in operation and which the lawmakers are applying, was not written by the people but a select few.

However, Soyinka, who spoke on AIT’s Kakaaki programme yesterday, said the National Assembly had the powers and moral authority to respond to the calls, if the Presidency was not doing so.

He said: “The Presidency is saying it’s not my responsibility. On the other hand, the National Assembly keeps saying it wants the President to take action. 

‘’When that happens, why doesn’t the National Assembly say ‘fine, we take this as our responsibility, we are obliged to the people who elected us here, the shout is heard, even by the deaf today that this nation must restructure, and if that has to be done through the constitution, we are now going to face this as one of our major tasks’ and then lead the Presidency on its own?

“If the Presidency is not responding, then the National Assembly has the powers and the moral authority to respond to the desire of the populace.”

On why the National Assembly has been reluctant to take up the leadership opportunity, Soyinka said: “Very often, they are struggling for those various committees where I think all the goodies are shared, so they are compromised. 

‘’But when I speak about this, I’m not speaking about the entirety. But unfortunately, there are those who are purely for their own interest and who make compromises with the Executives simply because they want to fulfil’ their own personal interest.” 

Soyinka also said  the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari lacked the steam to fight corruption.  

He said so many people ought to be in prison if the government was serious about the fight against corruption.

“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,’’ he said.

NANS backs NDLEA’s drug test proposal for students 

NATIONAL Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, yesterday, backed the policy proposal by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, for students to undergo drug integrity tests before admission into the universities.

President of NANS, Asefon Sunday, expressed support for the initiative during a solidarity visit to the new Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), in Abuja.

The NANS president said: “We support the drug test policy. Drugs have done more harm than good to the Nigerian students. We do not want Nigerian students to continue to die of drugs.  

“We are here to congratulate you and declare our support for your nascent administration. From your antecedents, we can now go home to sleep with our two eyes closed with the assurance that Nigeria is in safe hands, on drug control issues”, President of NANS noted adding that most of the drug problems ravaging the students are when they leave their homes and start schooling.”

In his response, Marwa commended NANS for the show of solidarity.  

The new NDLEA boss said: “I am particularly delighted by your promise to cleanse our campuses of drugs. Your buying into our drug testing among students is equally encouraging.” Marwa noted. He further called on them to strengthen Drug-Free Clubs on campuses.

“There have been some objections to the drug testing initiative. But we cannot watch our students taking drugs and jumping into the well thinking it is a swimming pool. The testing of students is to determine their status early enough and decide the form of intervention to deploy. It is by no means punitive.”   Culled from Vanguard