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Tinubu names National Theatre after Wole Soyinka
The National Arts Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, has been named in honour of Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka by President Bola Tinubu.
This was revealed by Tinubu in a letter he penned in honour of Soyinka on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
The President personally signed the homage, which was released to media on Friday and was titled "Professor Wole Soyinka at 90: Tribute to a National Treasure and Global Icon."
Tinubu said he was happy to celebrate Soyinka with fans everywhere, and he added that July 13 will be the culmination of a number of national and international events held in his honour.
According to Tinubu, "Professor Soyinka, the first African to win the Nobel Literature Prize in 1986, is deserving of all the recognition as he celebrates his 90th birthday on earth. Having beaten prostate cancer, this milestone is a fitting testament to his ruggedness as a person and the significance of his work.
"Celebrating this national treasure while he is still with us is also appropriate. As a result, I am happy to inform that the National Theatre in Iganmu, Surulere, has been renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts by the Federal Government.
According to Tinubu, Nigeria honours Soyinka's steadfast commitment to the principles of justice and human dignity in addition to his outstanding creative accomplishments.
"It was difficult for me to put his accomplishments into words when dad turned 80 because they were just too numerous. Since then, he has produced his series of Interventions, which have been collected into numerous volumes, adding to his corpus.
"Professor Soyinka is an enormously talented individual who embodies the essence of a Renaissance man. He is a composer, singer, dramatist, actor, poet, and political and human rights activist.
According to him, "He is a giant best riding not just the literary world but our country, Africa, and the world."
The President states that Soyinka is one Nigerian whose influence goes beyond Nigeria and who inspires people all over the world. He explains that since he was a young man, he has been an outspoken opponent of oppression and injustice everywhere it occurs, from racism in the US to apartheid in South Africa.
He started taking personal chances in his 20s for the benefit of our country. When he tried to mediate a peace agreement at the beginning of the civil war in 1967. Detained for two years for his bravery, he narrated his experience in his prison memoir, ‘The Man Died.’
His will to confront authority and stand up for the oppressed was further fortified in spite of hardship and isolation.
"Our paths crossed during our struggle to establish democracy in Nigeria after the June 12, 1993 presidential election was cancelled," Tinubu said.