Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, believes the Muhammadu Buhari-led government inherited a burden that may take a while to lessen but it must sustain efforts at improving the economy.
This comes as Nigeria assesses the Buhari administration after one year in office.
He was speaking to Channels TV in Johannesburg where he is expected to speak at a public lecture entitled Politics, Culture and the New Africa.
“This administration has inherited a heavy baggage. While I am critical in some aspects of the priority, I think that to clear up the mess left by previous administrations is going to take quite a while especially in the sector of economy.
“So I don’t use words like optimism or pessimism, I’m just pragmatic. I look at what there is on the ground and of course wherever I can intervene, I do both privately and publicly,” he said.
Renowned Nigerian author and playwright, Professor Kole Omotoso, also said that the current administration has ticked a number of little things but there must be more effort to alleviate the sufferings of the people.
“We are going in the right direction but in the process, we need to do so many things. We need to look at not just the suffering of the people but the way people seem to indulge in bearing suffering.
“It is as if even if you try to solve the problem for them they will prefer to be suffering and smiling,” Prof. Omotoso said.
