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.
In a statement obtained by Saturday PUNCH, she described Soyinka as a living legend.
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.”
PUNCH
