ABEOKUTA Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria is suffering greater carnage at the hands of Islamist group Boko Haram than it did during a secessionist civil war, yet this has ironically made the country's break-up less likely, Nigerian Nobel Literature Laureate Wole Soyinka said. Speaking to Reuters at his home surrounded by rainforest near the southwestern city of Abeokuta, Soyinka said the horrors inflicted by the militants had shown Nigerians across the mostly Muslim
north and Christian south that sticking together might be the only way to avoid even greater sectarian slaughter. The bloodshed was now worse than during the 1967-70 Biafra war when a secessionist attempt by the eastern Igbo people nearly tore Nigeria up into ethnic regions, he added. "We have never been confronted with butchery on this scale, even during the civil war, " Soyinka said in
his front room, surrounding by traditional wooden sculptures of Yoruba deities on Tuesday. "There were atrocities (during Biafra) but we never had such a near predictable level of carnage and this is what is horrifying," said the writer, who was imprisoned for two years in solitary confinement by the military regime during the war on charges of aiding the Biafrans. Soyinka, a playwright and one of Africa's leading intellectuals who still wears his distinctive white Afro hairstyle, turns 80 in two weeks. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, the first African writer to receive it. A million people died during the Biafra war, though mostly through starvation and illness, rather than violence. Boko Haram's five-year-old struggle to carve out an Islamic state from its bases in the remote northeast
has become increasingly bloody, with near daily attacks killing many thousands. The conflict's growing intensity has led Nigerian
commentators to predict it may split the country, 100 years after British colonial rulers cobbled Nigeria together from their northern and southern protectorates. "I think ironically it's less likely now," Soyinka said.
"For the first time, a sense of belonging is predominating. It's either we stick together now or we break up, and we know it would be not in a pleasant way." GOVERNMENTS LET IN RELIGION Boko Haram's abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in April drew unprecedented international attention to the insurgency and pledges of aid from Western powers, but violence has worsened. Boko Haram fighters frequently massacre whole
villages, gunning down fleeing residents and
burning their homes. Nigeria, amalgamated by the British in 1914, brought together often historically antagonistic peoples - principally the largely Muslim Fulani, Hausa and Kanuri of the North, and the Yoruba, Igbo and other peoples of the mostly Christian south. Several regional movements have launched low-
level independence campaigns that get little
national attention. But Soyinka said fewer people were shrugging off Boko Haram's menace. "It's almost unthinkable to say: 'well, let's leave them to their devices.' Very few people are thinking that way." Attacks spreading southwards, including three bombings in the capital since April, showed it was not a just a northern problem. "The (Boko Haram) forces that would like to see this nation break up are the very forces which will not be satisfied having their enclave," he said.
"(We) are confronted with an enemy that will never be satisfied with the space it has." Soyinka blamed successive governments for allowing religious fanaticism to undermine Nigeria's broadly secular constitution, starting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo allowing some states to declare Sharia law in the early 2000s. "When the spectre of Sharia first came up, for political reasons, this was allowed to hold, instead of the president defending the constitution," he said. Soyinka sees both Christianity and Islam as foreign
impositions. "We cannot ignore the negative impact which both have had on African society," he told Reuters.
"They are imperialist forces: intervening,arrogant.
Modern Africa has been distorted." He added that while the leadership of Boko Haram
needed to be "decapitated completely", little had been done to present an alternative ideological vision to their "deluded" followers, driven largely by economic destitution and despair.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/boko-haram-carnage-making-nigeria-break-less-likely-120706464.html

Soyinka's logic applies to northern Christians and Yorubas only.
Northern christians because ''one Nigeria'' is the only thing saving them from a total genocide or forced conversion to Islam.
Yorubas because the North is the true definition of being land locked and they will not want to lose their ports in Lagos amongst other things without a fight.

sCun: Soyinka's logic applies to northern Christians and Yorubas only.
Northern christians because ''one Nigeria'' is the only thing saving them from a total genocide or forced conversion to Islam.
Yorubas because the North is the true definition of being land locked and they will not want to lose their ports in Lagos among without a fight.

And when they are done with Yoruba and northern Christians they will leave you in peace out of the goodness of their hearts.

Aigbofa:

And when they are done with Yoruba and northern Christians they will leave you in peace out of the goodness of their hearts.

They know their boundaries and those who have sworn to remain their slaves.

sCun:
They know their boundaries and those who have sworn to remain their slaves.

Unfortunately, jihad doesn't recognize your man-made "boundaries". Their goal is nothing short of a global caliphate. We need to join hands to stop this nonsense here. We have lost enough of our beautiful continent to Arab imperialists and their local agents.

Curlieweed:

[s]Unfortunately, jihad doesn't recognize your man-made "boundaries". Their goal is nothing short of a global caliphate. We need to join hands to stop this nonsense here. We have lost enough of our beautiful continent to Arab imperialists and their local agents.[/s]

Nonsense!
I don't do continental crap.

Obasanjo the cause of our problems can't we see ?that man destroyed nigeria for personal gains.

I think the reserve of what soyinka said is true. Boko haram carnage has not made this country more united, rather it has made division more likely than ever before. What periscope is this man looking at?

Apparently, Soyinka has aged and so has his brains.

Soyinka is escalating the situation by saying that the bloodshed has exceeded that of the civil war. What does he mean by daily attacks killing thousands? where does that happen? This man has gone mad o. Haba Soyinka. its a lie o. BH insurgency has claimed less than 15000 lives while the civil war over a million. It's unfortunate that ppl like this that are supposed to protect the image of our country go around the world to rubbish us just because the govt. of the day is not listening to them or just to gain cheap popularity. This is really disgusting.smh

He's obviously right. Anyone who believes that Nigeria divided into largely ethnic enclaves would bring about end to exploitation, suffering,violence and usher in an era of posterity for all, is delusional. Although, i personally believe that many separatist are driven more by hatred, a need for vengeance as well as outright sulking than a belief in what comes after, therefor,viable Ethnic lands better than what we have now as Nigerians. It is hard to envisage that the vile Islamist and their masters in Arabia will stop short of driving salafism south. We're all being overtaken by a grander evil than our local rivalries.

With all due respect,. I totally disagree with you sir ¤ ¤

Soyinka used to be very reasonable, what happened? How can Boko haram bombing us makes us wanna stay together, history would prove otherwise. Left for me alone I want nothing to do with Muslims shikena, let them govern themselves with 2000 years old constitution called sharia.

Litmus: [s]He's obviously right. Anyone who believes that Nigeria divided into largely ethnic enclaves would bring about end to exploitation, suffering,violence and usher in an era of posterity for all, is delusional. Although, i personally believe that many separatist are driven more by hatred, a need for vengeance as well as outright sulking than a belief in what comes after, therefor,viable Ethnic lands better than what we have now as Nigerians. It is hard to envisage that the vile Islamist and their masters in Arabia will stop short of driving salafism south. We're all being overtaken by a grander evil than our local rivalries.[/s]

This Islamist, middle east and Arabian crap is really really boring now, Boko Haram will not thrive without the support of the locals, quote me anywhere. Their fighters are not Arabs, but northern Hausas, Fulanis and Kanuris.
Stop blaming foreigners for your local problems.

KwoiZabo: Soyinka is escalating the situation by saying that the killing has exceeded that of the civil war. Haba Soyinka. its a lie o

He didn't say that. He talked about the way these acts are carried out by the Boko Haram Islamists as gravely beyond the Nigerian civil war.

sCun:
This Islamist, middle east and Arabian crap is really really boring now, Boko Haram will not thrive without the support of the locals, quote me anywhere. Their fighters are not Arabs, but northern Hausas, Fulanis and Kanuris.
Stop blaming foreigners for your local problems.

They were linked to the Al Qaeda in Maghreb. So, they are in a broader network. Many information from the past suggested some of their recruits were trained in Mali and Niger.

all4naija: [s]They were linked to the Al Qaeda in Maghreb. So, they are in a broader network. Many information from the past suggested some of their recruits were trained in Mali and Niger.[/s]

Another trash.
Are they Nigerians or not?
You guys will blame anyone but yourselves for your problems.
Boko haram wouldn't be what it is today if it didn't have local support.
Take it or leave it.

sCun:
Another trash.
Are they Nigerians or not?
You guys will blame anyone but yourselves for your problems.
Boko haram wouldn't be what it is today if it didn't have local support.
Take it or leave it.

Stop asking me a meaningless question. I have read about that in the past in this forum. Please, just Google on 'boko haram link to al-qaeda'. It would do you good to do that than strike-through my post.

Prof when BH bombs Lagos continuously, your stand After several attacks is what I will take.

United ko Unity ni

sCun:
Nonsense!
I don't do continental crap.

No wahala. Just sit down and wait until the black flag of Jihad is flying over your state capital then you will start fighting them. You don't think it's better to confront an enemy that's still far away than wait for him to come knocking at your door (potentially turning your home into a battle field) before you know what to do?

If the Hausa Kings had shelved their petty differences and stuck together we won't have a Fulani Sultan in Sokoto or even an emir in Illorin today.

Curlieweed:


No wahala. Just sit down and wait until the black flag of Jihad is flying over your state capital then you will start fighting them. You don't think it's better to confront an enemy that's still far away than wait for him to come knocking at your door (potentially turning your home into a battle field) before you know what to do?

If the Hausa Kings had shelved their petty differences and stuck together we won't have a Fulani Sultan in Sokoto or even an emir in Illorin today.

Your comments are normally very interesting to read, so far on this thread, you are off the mark. I hope you are still talking about 2014?

Is this Prof just arriving from the moon?

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Nigeria shall not break like A RAW EGG! Amen

Francis-1:
Apparently, Soyinka has aged and so has his brains.

What's this one saying

Less likely?
Let's keep on watching

Can somebody just summarise wat op just said

D lion'sheart:
Is this Prof just arriving from the moon?

Seun, ban this E-goat.

Soyinka