Citing failure of leadership as his reason, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, on Thursday said that he will neither vote nor encourage anyone to vote for the current administration.
Soyinka made his position at the 2015 edition of the annual 'Vision of the Child (VOTC)', the children/student segment of the yearly Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF) held at the Freedom Park, Lagos.
Soyinka said: "I have 60 reasons not to vote for this government. Children who sat for examinations disappeared and the government of this nation failed to show leadership. So anybody who says that after that event that I will vote or cast my vote or encourage anyone to vote for this regime must be living in Sambisa forest. It has been a failure of leadership. Our children who you represent today have been betrayed. They were betrayed because no action, no appropriate action was taken to retrieve your colleagues who were stolen from under our noses. 10 days before this government accepted that you were missing, when I say you were missing, I know you are physically here, it could have been any one of you in Chibok who is kidnapped, disappeared, turned into all kinds of objects without this government lifting a finger at the appropriate time. One, two, three, four, 10 days before this regime even accepted that you were missing. After that dereliction of duty, after that failure of leadership, after that betrayal for our future, when you want to think or put words in my mouth suggesting that I would vote for such a regime, it's a travesty of intelligence."
Besides, 60 finalists have emerged at the VOTC that has 'The Road to Sambisa' as its theme. It was gathered that 250 students participated from 60 schools with Lagos State. The finalists will be invited on the 7th of March to National Conservative Foundation Park, Lekki, provided with brush, paint and easel and, will be required to illustrate their literary presentation in the complementary medium of painting. Foluke George is the Festival Secretary/program Manager for the 'Vision of the Child'.
Soyinka also said: "If you like, you can go and kill me off again on the internet but you must quote me correctly, if I see any mistake, I will rise from the dead and I will hunt you for the rest of your lives
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