‘Soyinka deserves national honour’: Alake urges FG to honour Nobel laureate

From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta

The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Michael Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, on Monday, said that the people of Egbaland decided to organise a special 90th birthday celebration for the Nobel Prize winner in Literature and international playwright, Professor Wole Soyinka, because of his global recognition and giant strides in the field of literature.

The Alake also 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. He added that Soyinka brought international honour to Egbaland, Ogun State, and Nigeria as the first African to win a Nobel Prize in Literature.

Oba Gbadebo, who stated this while addressing journalists during a Royal Press Conference and Lunch to celebrate Wole Soyinka at 90, held at the Alake Palace, said Professor Soyinka had brought much honour to Nigeria through his literary works. Hence, he should be celebrated not only by the Egba people but by Nigeria as a nation.

Read also: 80 schools set to honour Soyinka @ 90

The monarch informed the journalists that the July 13th birthday of the renowned novelist would 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 had been set aside to stage a series of events as part of the “Soyinka At 90” celebration with the theme, “Defiance And Creativity – A Celebration of Soyinka’s Artistic Ingenuity And Impact on Nigeria, Africa And The Entire World”.

These events, according to the Alake, include art exhibitions by pupils of St Peter’s Primary School, Ake, and Abeokuta Grammar School (the primary and secondary schools attended by Soyinka respectively); exhibitions by the Ogun State chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artists; book exhibitions by Spectrum Publishing Company; documentaries; poetry recitals; cultural performances; and a 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 literary and education development in Nigeria, the monarch also urged the Federal Government 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.

Also speaking, the 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. He noted that the declaration of July 13th as Wole Soyinka Day in Egbaland by the Alake aligns with the declaration of November 1st as Wole Soyinka Day in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.