Tinubu celebrates Wole Soyinka, at 90

Juliet Eyong

President Tinubu has celebrated a Nigerian icon and a world-renowned Professor Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde, popularly called Wole Soyinka as he turned 90 today, July 13.

Tinubu's congratulatory message was sent in a statement shared on his X.com handle on Friday.

According to the president, Wole Soyinka deserves all the accolades as he marks the milestone of 90 years on earth.

He further stated that 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.

On Wole Soyinka's birthday,  on July 13th, a series of local and international activities will be held in his honour to underscore the literary giant's global relevance.

Also, a symposium and poetry reading was held in Rabat, Morocco, on 9 July, which was organised by the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA).

Professor Soyinka was the first African to win the Nobel Literature Prize in 1986.

THEWATCH AFRICA on Friday, reported that Tinubu named the National Arts Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, after Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka.

The statement read, "I am pleased to join admirers around the world in celebrating the 90th birthday of Nigeria's iconic son and the world-renowned Professor Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde, famously known as Wole Soyinka.

"I am, accordingly, delighted to have the honour to announce the decision of the Federal Government to rename the National Theatre in Iganmu, Surulere, as The Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts.

"We do not only celebrate Soyinka's remarkable literary achievements but also his unwavering dedication to the values of human dignity and justice.

"Our paths crossed during our just struggle for the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria following the annulment of the 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.

"Today, I join the world to celebrate his profound influence on generations of writers, scholars, and activists who have been inspired by his work. I celebrate him for giving us the spark to fight and confront military dictators in our country.

"I celebrate him for his enduring spirit and for teaching us that literature and drama can be used as a powerful tool to challenge the status quo.

"I wish Professor Soyinka an incredibly happy 90th birthday. May he continue in good health to find creative fulfilment in the next decade leading up to his centennial.

"May he continue to inspire us all to build a nation where people are free from oppression and our teeming youths can live up to their dreams without being a wasted generation."