EDUCATION

Tinubu names National Theatre after Wole Soyinka

President Bola Tinubu has named the National Arts Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, after Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka.

The president announced this in a tribute he wrote to celebrate the literary giant in commemoration of his 90th birthday.

The tribute themed: “Professor Wole Soyinka at 90: Tribute to a national treasure and global icon,” was personally signed by the president and made available to newsmen on Friday.

He expressed delight to join admirers around the world in celebrating the renowned poet, adding that July 13 would be the climax of the series of local and international activities held in his honour.

“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,” the president wrote.

“It is also fitting we celebrate this national treasure while he is still with us. I am, accordingly, delighted to announce the decision of the Federal Government to rename the National Theatre in Iganmu, Surulere, as Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts.”

The president noted that Nigeria did not only celebrate Soyinka’s remarkable literary achievements, but also his unwavering dedication to the values of human dignity and justice.

“When he turned 80, I struggled to find words to encapsulate his achievements because they were simply too vast. Since then, he has added to his corpus with his series of interventions, which have been published in many volumes.

“Professor 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 best riding not just the literary world but our nation, Africa, and the world,” the president said.

“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.”

“Despite deprivation and solitary confinement, his resolve to speak truth to power and fight for the marginalised was further strengthened.

“Our paths crossed during our struggle for the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election,” the president said.

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