You form small caucus among yourselves. You manipulate elections. You steal elections. You cheat the electorate of their rights. You disenfranchise them. And then you just announce to them power must go to the same direction. These are the issues the nation should be concerned with," he added.
He also described the death of eminent lawyer, Chief Debo Akande (SAN) as shocking. "I am in a state of shock," was all he could say on that.
The playwright, who flew back to the United States (U.S.) last night after a month-long 70th birthday anniversary packaged for him by his friends, however, commended President Olusegun Obasanjo's handling of the Sudanese Darfur crisis.
However, Soyinka said it speaks ill of government to treat Slok Airline the way it has done. The action, he went on, looks like a political vendetta.
In other parts of the world, Soyinka explained that the pilots of the airline would have been withdrawn and not to hammer the airline out of existence.
But government suspension of the airline, in his view, "represents the meanness of spirit," adding that if government wants to create employment, then its action is a reversal of that plan.
Soyinka, however, denied asking former President Ibrahim Babangida to apologise and rule Nigeria.
The apology, he explained, was only one of the issues the former president would deal with before he can even walk the streets without being bullied. He added that the action is not an automatic ticket to rule but to rehabilitate himself.
He said he took exception to people saying that he said once Babaginda apologises, then he can rule the country.
Soyinka was also not happy with the statement by the General Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Joe Achuzie, on the discovery at Okija shrine.
He added that the former soldier should know that there exist criminal and beautification shrines.
Describing Achuzie's statement as shocking, Soyinka cited as among such beautification shrines as the Osun shrine, which he said is noted for tourism.
"How can you compare Osun shrine with what is being done over there" he queried.
On the order given to police to march on other shrines in the country, Soyinka said that "but government has a way of over-reacting. Okay, let's deal with the shrines once and for all... forgetting that Roman Catholic has shrines... Shrine is a generic word, and people should know how they should treat the dead."
Withholding further words on the matter, Soyinka urged the police to do a thorough forensic work on the dead. And until they are through with their work, "People like Achuzie should not pre-empt the result," he added.
Wondering why the various arms of governments - state, federal and local government - should clash, the playwright said it is important to find out whether what Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe, the Works Minister is doing is what he is also doing in other parts of the country.
Soyinka said if he is not, then Nigerians should ask why he is then concentrating on Lagos.
He also wondered whether before Ogunlewe became Minister of Works, such kind of fight between Lagos and the Federal Government existed, and that if it is no, then "there is something basically wrong somewhere."
