By Gbenga Ojikutu
President Bola Tinubu has renamed the national theatre in Lagos after Wole Soyinka.
Tinubu made the announcement in a birthday message to the Nobel laureate who turns 90 on July 13.
“It is also fitting we celebrate this national treasure while he is still with us,” Tinubu said.
“I am, accordingly, delighted 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.
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“We do not only celebrate Soyinka’s remarkable literary achievements but also his unwavering dedication to the values of human dignity and justice.”
The president added that “Professor 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,” he said.
In 2005, the professor served on the Encyclopædia Britannica editorial board of advisors.
Soyinka was also in the proverbial trenches as activists battled the military to enthrone democracy.
“Beginning from his 20s, he took personal risks for the sake of our nation,” the president said.
“His courage was evident when he attempted to broker peace at the start of the civil war in 1967.
“Despite deprivation and solitary confinement, his resolve to speak truth to power and fight for the marginalized was further strengthened.
“His early writing, such as ‘The Lion and the Jewel,’ ’Death and the King’s Horseman’, not only testified to his mastery of language, his innovative storytelling, but also his unflinching commitment to enthroning a fair and just society.
“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 galvanized 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.”
Tinubu described Soyinka as a Nigerian whose influence transcends the country, noting his criticisms of the then-apartheid era in South Africa and racism in the US.
“I wish Professor Soyinka an incredibly happy 90th birthday,” Tinubu said.
“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
