Prof Wole Soyinka, has lambasted the United States of America government for its ‘half-hearted’ gesture in helping Nigeria in the war against the Boko Haram insurgency.
The Professor also urged the US government to stop giving excuses over its attitude to Nigeria’s war against terrorism, ThisDay reports.
Soyinka while delivering a speech in Lagos titled: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, The Reign of Impunity,’ called on the US to stop giving excuses over its refusal to sell cobra helicopters to Nigeria, insisting that the excuses were baseless.
The Nobel Laureate’s assertions synchronises with that of the former military head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, who also accused the United States government of not being friendly to Nigeria.
“I want to appeal to the Americans to please stop laughing at us. They should stop ridiculing this nation. The government claimed that it asked for cobra helicopters. The government of Jonathan asked for little weapons to destroy the enemies. We are in a situation of destroy or to be destroyed. They asked for the weapons even for self defence, I think the Americans should not boast of what they have done to supply assistance to vulnerable affected households. All are laudable and nobody is in disagreement with them.
“These are necessities. But this is not the response I expect to the situation of war. This nation is at war. And this nation is asking for certain forms of assistance. Please United States of America, could you please overlook the arithmetical deficiency of governance and stop giving an excuse to this government for failing to protect us. Please just say that you will not supply arms to Nigeria and leave it at that. Don’t say that you sent other things, that are not the issue at this critical time in Nigeria,” Soyinka said.
It would be recalled that a former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), has recently explained why the United States of America should not been seen as Nigeria’s partner in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has cancelled an agreement it had with the US for American security officials to train a Nigerian Army Battalion, this is according to a statement released on Monday by the US Embassy in Abuja.
However, the United States government had initially revealed that it would not sell cobra helicopters to the Nigerian Government to help fight the Boko Haram insurgency ravaging the North-eastern part of the country
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