President Bola Tinubu has named the National Arts Theatre in the Iganmu area of Lagos State after Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka in commemoration of the latter’s 90th birthday.
This was announced via a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Friday, July 12, 2024.
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 also commended Soyinka 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.”
He added: “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.
“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.”
President Tinubu, therefore, wished Soyinka “many more years in good health and creative fulfilment as a global force for change.”
Soyinka, who was born on July 13, 1934, won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1986 – the first African to win the Prize in that category.
The Nobel Prize Laureate is a recipient of many other reputable awards, such as the Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature; Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award; Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, (Lifetime Achievement); and the Europe Theatre Prize – (Special Prize).
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