Why Soyinka said Buhari had ‘mental’ problem

Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka just dealt President Muhammadu Buhari a hard one for the president’s determination to revive grazing routes and sustain open grazing—both rejected across the nation.

Sparing no harsh word to describe the president, the 87-year-old literary giant insisted there’s a problem.

“It’s like there’s some delusion about this thing, a kind of mental delusion about this thing. What is it?” he said while addressing a press conference in Lagos on August 28.

“Perhaps the sound, the noise of the wedding bells (Yusuf Buhari) has contributed to the possible impairment of the hearing of the president of this nation. Because he does not seem to hear anything.”

According to him, the open grazing Buhari is enforcing is unpopular—something which is being “rejected, right, left and centre.”

“Virtually the whole nation is screaming we do not want any open cattle grazing whether they go by the name cattle routes or grazing reserves,” he added.

“Even the all-powerful and untouchable Miyetti Allah, patrons of the murderous Fulani herdsmen, have gone on record that ranching is it.”

True Miyetti Allah—the dovish group—has given up on the policy.

But it is not entirely true the whole country rejects open grazing.

The National Daily reported how the Northern Elder Forum insist open grazing is the right of Fulani herdsmen to co-exist with others in Nigeria.