Jonathan is Nigeria’s Nebuchadnezzar – Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Tuesday likened President Goodluck Jonathan to the Biblical Babylonian autocrat, King Nebuchadnezzar.

He said Nigerians have been cast into a “furnace” in the manner of Shedrack, Mishak and Abednego.

Unfortunately for the citizens, no divine miracle appears to be at hand for a last-minute rescue, Soyinka said.

The three biblical characters where cast into a fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to an image made by the despotic king, but they were miraculously rescued.

Soyinka while speaking at a media briefing at the Freedom Park in Lagos, with the theme: “King Nebuchadnezzar – the reign of impunity,” said Jonathan’s administration has become known for lawlessness.

“You should easily recall why I opted for King Nebu – the figure that currently sits on the top of our political pile himself evoked it, albeit in a context that virtuously disclaimed any similarities, even tendencies.

“Perhaps he meant it at the time when he claimed: ‘I am not Nebuchadnezzar.’ Perhaps not. One judges leaders on acts however, not pronouncements, which are often as reliable as electoral promises.

“King Nebu remains relevant – and not only for leadership. We, the citizens, are beginning to feel the heat. We wake up each morning to a sensation that we have been cast into the furnace together with those who at least committed the crime of dissent or criticism,” he said

Soyinka praised the House of Representatives members who scaled the fence into the National Assembly on November 20 when the police shut the gate and teargassed them.

He said it was wrong for the media to describe their action as a “show of shame,” saying it was rather the lawmakers’ “finest moment.”

Soyinka said the police action is like a declaration of war on Nigerians. He criticized the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, for exercising what he called “brutish power.”

According to him, it is left for Nigerians to either resist such abuse of power or accept it.