Saturday, July 13, 2024 -President Bola Tinubu has described renowned playwright and novelist, Prof. Wole Soyinka, as a shining light of Nigeria whose influence transcends the Nigerian space.
Celebrating Soyinka’s 90th birthday, Tinubu
named the National Theatre in Iganmu, Surulere, Lagos after the Nobel Laurel
winner.
The theatre is now to be known as ‘Wole
Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts’.
In a congratulatory message personally
signed by the president on Thursday, Tinubu maintained that Soyinka deserves
celebration, noting that he has been taking risks for the country since he was
in his 20s.
Tinubu also recalled Soyinka’s contribution
to the restoration of democracy in Nigeria, noting that his international
influence made the essayist the face of the struggle to validate June 12, 1993
presidential election.
The President said, “Our paths crossed
during our just struggle for the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria following
the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election.
“When faced with a trial in absentia and
death sentence by the military regime at home, he galvanised opposition in
exile through NALICON and NADECO. His global stature made him the face of our
struggle to validate June 12 and restore democracy in Nigeria.
“Beginning from his 20s, he took personal
risks for the sake of our nation. His courage was evident when he attempted to
broker peace at the start of the civil war in 1967. Detained for two years for
his bravery, he narrated his experience in his prison memoir, “The Man Died.”
“Soyinka, the first African to win the Nobel
Literature Prize in 1986, deserves all the accolades as he marks the milestone
of 90 years on earth. Having beaten prostate cancer, this milestone is a
fitting testament to his ruggedness as a person and the significance of his
work.
“It is also fitting we celebrate this
national treasure while he is still with us.
“We do not only celebrate Soyinka’s
remarkable literary achievements but also his unwavering dedication to the
values of human dignity and justice.
“Soyinka is a colossus, a true renaissance
person blessed with innumerable talents. He is a playwright, actor, poet, human
rights and political activist, composer, and singer. He is a giant
bestriding not just the literary world but our nation, Africa, and the world.
“He remains the shining light of our nation,
the gadfly that pokes our national soul, decrying tyranny and oppression,
urging us to become better as a nation.”
Meanwhile, the President of the Centre for
Change, Dr Joe Odumakin, also paid tribute to Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka
on his 90th birthday
It read, “As our living legend, Soyinka’s
life is a testament of commitment to high ideals. He is honoured not only as
the epitome of the finest in the global community of letters but also as a
shining star in the Nigerian firmament. We wish to celebrate Prof Wole Soyinka
as he steps into the pantheon of nonagenarians today.
“Soyinka, revered for his profound impact on
literature and his unyielding stance against injustice, continues to inspire
both locally and internationally.
“We celebrate this ultimate icon who
will continue to receive accolades for centuries to come. We honour him for he
still stands as a bulwark against injustice and oppression.”
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