Alake of Egbaland asks FG to bestow GCON on Wole Soyinka
From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Michael Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, has called on the Federal Government to bestow the second highest national honour in the country, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), on Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and adopt July 13 as Wole Soyinka Day to honour his contributions to the literary and education development in Nigeria.
The frontline monarch, who spoke during a Royal Press Conference and luncheon ahead of the 90th birthday of the literary icon said the people of Egbaland have resolved to organise a special birthday celebration for Professor Soyinka because of his global recognition and giant strides in the field of Literature.
Alake equally noted that the literary icon who is an indigene of Ake in Egbaland deserves to be celebrated elaborately during his forthcoming 90th birthday by his kinsmen for bringing international honour to Egbaland, Ogun State and Nigeria, as the first African to win a Nobel Prize in Literature.
Oba Gbadebo insisted that Soyinka has brought much honour to Nigeria through his literary works, hence, he should be celebrated not only by the Egba people but Nigeria as a nation.
The monarch said the July 13th birthday of the renowned novelist will henceforth be celebrated as Wole Soyinka Day in Egbaland to further amplify his uncommon achievements.
Oba Gbadebo added that Friday 12th and Saturday 13th of July have been set aside to stage a series of events as part of Soyinka At 90 celebration with the theme, âDefiance And Creativity – A Celebration of Soyinkaâs Artistic Ingenuity And Impact on Nigeria, Africa And The Entire Worldâ.
These events, according to Alake, include arts exhibition by pupils of Saint Peters Primary School, Ake, and Abeokuta Grammar School, primary and secondary school attended by Soyinka respectively; exhibitions by the Ogun State chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artistes; book exhibitions by Spectrum Publishing Company; documentaries; poetry recitals; cultural performances and hunting expedition by hunters in Egbaland.
While calling on the Federal Government to adopt July 13th as Wole Soyinka Day to honour his contributions to the literary and education development in Nigeria, the monarch also urged the FG to bestow the second highest national honour in the country, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on the literary icon, otherwise known as Kongi.
Convener of the Committee on Wole Soyinka at 90, Paul Segun Bankole, submitted that Soyinka deserves to be celebrated as he joins the nonagenarian club.
Recalling how he met Soyinka in 1964 in Ibadan as a young boy, Bankole disclosed that his literary journey started as a result of his encounter with him, noting that declaration of July 13th as Wole Soyinka Day in Egbaland by the Alake was in line with the declaration of November 1 as Wole Soyinka Day in New Orleans, USA.
