Wole Soyinka made these statements while delivering a lecture titled, "Predicting Nigeria, Electoral Ironies" at the Harvard University Hutchins Centre for African and African American Research in the United States. according to a gazzette by the Institution.
Walter Carrington, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria had asked Soyinka if Buhari could reform Nigeria like the late Singaporean leader, Lee Kuan Yew.
Soyinka responded that he was optimistic and added that Buhari might deal ruthlessly with corrupt politicians.
In his words, Soyinka said, "Iam very very cautiously optimistic" and predicted Buhari will be influenced by those around him to ,"keep his nose to the letter of the law. In his zeal to absolutely eradicate corruption, he might take advantage of ambiguous areas i the law and the constitution to empower himself to deal with ruthlessly and quckly with those who have robbed the nation blind".
Buhari, he said is unlikely to do worse than past presidents.
"I think that Buhari has a sense of history. He knows that he must make a mark, a very positive mark, on Nigeria to be able to live with himself, or die with a clean conscience. We must make sure that Nigerians are not allowed to forget his past. They should not think that the messiah has finally arrive.", he said.
"I think we stay on guard and continue to do what has needed to be done for the past 20 years or so", Soyinka further said.
Soyinka aired his view also on the Insurgency going on in the north eastern part of Nigeria,
"We will never get rid of Boko Haram. They are jihadists who wish to impose Sharia Law and ban western learning across Nigeria as indoctrinated. They are fanatics who believe that if they die in the cause, they will go straight to heaven where they believe literally in the 77 virgins awaiting their arrival", he said.
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