Nobel Laureate, Mr Wole Soyinka Soyinka, yesterday, called for declaration of state of emergency due to the security challenges in Southwest.

Soyinka spoke in Akure, Ondo State, on the sidelines of the D. O. Fagunwa Study Group International Conference  to celebrate his 85th birthday.

The conference had as theme: “Wole Soyinka, D. O. Fagunwa and the Yoruba Artistic Heritage.”

The literary giant said the most appropriate measure to take in view of the insecurity that had pervaded the whole of Southwest was to declare a state of emergency across the region.

“As regards the insecurity in the Southwest, there is an emergency. There should be a declaration of security emergency through out the land and measures taken accordingly.

“There are many directions of security lapses, you know it here, especially in Ondo State, it is a calamity through out the whole nation. There is an emergency,” he said.

The first African Nobel Laureate said the governors, especially those in the Southwest geo-political zone, must work assiduously toward tackling the menace of insecurity.

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu said the nation had allowed unreasonable competition, tribalism, corruption, political and economic ownership of the nation to slow down the pace of self-realisation.

Akeredolu said in Africa, the challenge has moved largely from the legitimacy of governance institutions to its responsiveness to the need for a coordinated plan for cultural integration, economic development and general human capital development.

The governor was, however, excited at the 85th birthday celebration of Soyinka, whom he described as his mentor and supporter.

Akeredolu described Soyinka as a first class academic, playwright, poet, novelist, and great human condition activist.

Sun