By Amofokhai Williams
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu renamed the National Theatre in Lagos after literary icon and Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka on Friday to mark his 90th birthday.
Soyinka clocks 90 years on Saturday, 13 July, 2024.
Tinubu described Soyinka as a globally celebrated playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, actor, singer, composer, and documentarian.
The president, in a statement said Soyinka is a foremost advocate of good governance and of a fair and just society, saying he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1986 – the first African to win the Prize in that category.
Tinubu described Soyinka as one of the finest minds of his generation; conforming to the highest standards of human enlightenment, but unyielding to injustice, oppression, and base impulses.
The President saluted one of Nigeria’s living repositories of history, knowledge, and courage, and commends him for his valiant efforts in the trenches for the nation’s future both as a pro-democracy champion and as a trenchant voice against corruption and maladministration over several decades.
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“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 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,” the President states,” Tinubu said.
