Tag: Nobel Laureate

23Jan By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Former U.S. Officials urge Biden to Back WTO’s selection of Okonjo-Iweala

A cross-section of former senior U.S. government officials, including a Nobel Laureate, along with academicians and civil society leaders, have written to President Biden in support of the election of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General of the World Trade Organization. Opposition from the Trump administration has stalled her selection which requires consensus according to WTO procedures. Here is the text of the letter that was delivered after Biden took office on January 20. Dear President Biden, Congratulations on your resounding victory in the recent election. We are confident that as you assume the mantle of responsibility for America’s security, economy and overall well-being that promising days are ahead for our country and specifically for all Americans. You assu...

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21Jan By dthataNo Comments

News

I Have Forgiven Americans For Voting Racist Trump – Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says he has forgiven Americans for electing former President Donald Trump whom he described as a “racist” and a “xenophobe”. Soyinka said this during an interview with Arise Television on Wednesday. The Nobel Laureate, who had in 2016 torn his American immigrant visa to shreds for voting Trump, said he would not be renewing the green card since he usually visits the United States even without it. The playwright, who displayed pieces of his torn green card, stated that America had redeemed itself with the removal of Trump Soyinka said, “I feel honoured to be associated with the democratic forces of the United States for correcting the unbelievable error that they committed four years ago.” On the green card issue, he said, “I consider m...

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19Jan By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Religious Fanatics Twisting Kukah’s Statement To Divert Attention – Wole Soyinka

NOBEL laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has faulted critics of the Christmas speech of the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, saying they are religionists diverting attention from the cleric’s central theme. The playwright said he had studied the transcript as reported in the media and found nothing in the speech that denigrated Islam. He, however, noted that he was not among the most religion besotted inhabitants of the globe, saying that alone, he was told, disqualified him from commenting on the subject. Kukah in the speech summed up the country’s woes ranging from insecurity, poverty to citizens’ frustration under the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.). A Sokoto-based Muslim Solidarity Forum had called on Kukah to “quickly and qui...

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11Jan By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Soyinka Laments Insecurity, Says Nigeria’s Sovereignty Taken Over By Armed Group

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has condemned the insecurity across Nigeria, saying the nation’s sovereignty has been taken over by armed groups. He also said President Muhammadu Buhari needs to do more to stop Boko Haram terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements who threaten Nigeria’s security. Mr Soyinka said these during an interview on Arise Television programme on Saturday. “From a self-protective point of view, it is a common problem (insecurity); it is a national, collective issue. Don’t just sit there and think that you can solve it from Aso Rock, no. This now concerns even the lowest common citizens in this nation because that lowest, that most impotent individual has become a prime target. So, it’s a collective issue. “Instead of that, what do I hear? Somebody g...

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5Jan By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Talking About Buhari Not Good For My Sanity – Wole Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says for the sake of sanity, one must imagine that the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), does not exist. He, however, described the new Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan standard gauge train, describing it as marvellous and long overdue. Soyinka said this during a recent interview with Kaftan TV which was monitored by our correspondent. Speaking onboard the new train, the Nobel Laureate said he would not like to talk about Buhari’s government because he imagined the regime doesn’t exist. When asked whether the new train was a plus to Buhari’s regime, he said, “I don’t want to talk about Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. I think it is best for my sanity just to avoid that overall question. I can take bits and pieces o...

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22Oct By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Wole Soyinka reacts to shooting of peaceful protesters at Lekki toll gate, says “we are back to Abacha days, the army has replaced SARS”

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka has condemned the shooting of unarmed #EndSARS protesters at Lekki toll gate on the evening of Tuesday October 20.   Soyinka in a statement released on Wednesday October 21, said his enquiry so far has revealed that Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state did not invite in the Army and did not complain of a ‘breakdown in law and order’.   The Nobel Laureate stated that the federal government has chosen to act in an authoritarian manner and has inflicted a near incurable wound on the community psyche. Soyinka who raised an alarm of Nigeria being back to the "Abacha days", also alleged that the army has replaced the notorious SARS unit.   The statement read;   “It is absolutely essential to let this government know that the...

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5Jun By BobbyNo Comments

News

The President is not in Charge of this Nation – Wole Soyinka says

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, says he does not believe President Buhari is the one in charge of the affairs of the nation. Soyinka who has never hidden his displeasure about the Buhari-led government, said this when he spoke in a fresh interview with PlusTV Africa. While reacting to the open letter the former military administrator to Kano state, Umar Dangiwa, wrote to the president in which he accused him of appointing only persons from his region into his government, Soyinka said “First of all, I was appalled by the silence that followed this revelation. I think those who are responsible for this criminal lopsidedness should be punished. It is not sufficient just to discuss it. It’s criminal. I have said this before. I don’t believe there is really anybody in charge in Aso R...

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13May By dthataNo Comments

Crime

14 Boys Raped By Fake Pastor In DR Congo

Fourteen boys were raped by a man posing as a pastor in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the Panzi Foundation said Tuesday. The Bukavu charity hospital founded by Denis Mukwege, the Nobel laureate and gynaecologist hailed for his work with rape victims, said the children were admitted last month “in a state of suffering and psychological stress”. The 30-year-old alleged attacker was arrested in late April, civil activist Julien Namegabe told AFP. The victims came from different families and ranged in age from eight to 15. The suspect “bought their silence with small gifts for several weeks” according to the Panzi Foundation. Evariste Kajibwami, a clinical psychologist who has been following the boys since their admission to the hospital, said on the foundation’s website that...

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2Apr By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Garba Shehu Is A Paid Propagandist Hired To Distract Nigerians – Wole Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has responded to an attack on him by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu. Shehu, speaking on behalf of the Presidency, had urged Nigerians to ignore Soyinka's comments on the lockdown order declared by Buhari on Sunday during a broadcast. The lockdown to take place in Lagos, Ogun and FCT, was part of wider measures adopted by government to halt the spread of Coronavirus in the country. Shehu therefore said that Nigerians should ignore Soyinka for kicking against the move because he lacked knowledge on issues of health and science in general. But responding on Thursday morning, Soyinka described Shehu as a paid propagandist doing the bidding of a clueless administration. He said, "Mr...

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2Apr By dthataNo Comments

Politics

COVID-19: Presidency Mocks Soyinka Over Comments On Lockdown, Says He Is Fiction Writer Not Medical Professor

The presidency, on Wednesday, attacked Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, over his stance against the 14-day lockdown ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari, saying that he is not an expert in that area. A statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), Garba Shehu, in Abuja, observed that even though Soyinka was entitled to his opinions, there were mere semantics and not science. The statement reads: “Yesterday, the esteemed Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka made comments on the legal status and description of 14-day lockdown announced by President Muhammadu Buhari. “Professor Soyinka is not a medical professor. His qualifications are in English literature, and his prizes are for writing books and plays for theatres. He is of course entit...

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2Apr By BobbyNo Comments

News

Fani Kayode Slams Presidency For Saying Soyinka Is A Mere Writer

Femi Fani Kayode, a former minister for aviation has berated the presidency following its description of professor Wole Soyinka as a mere fiction writer following his criticism of the presidency’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking via his official Twitter handle, the former minister described the literature icon as one whose shoes the presidency is not worthy to lick. He wrote: “When he supported you in 2015 you hailed & praised him. Now that he has criticised you publicly about your handling of the COVID-19 pandemic you call him a “mere fiction writer” that “no-one should listen to”. That is a Nobel Laureate: a man whose shoes you are not fit to lick.” When he supported you in 2015 you hailed & praised him. Now that he has criticised you publicly about you...

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30Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

‘We Are Not In War Emergency’ – Soyinka Reacts To COVID-19 Lockdown

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has questioned the legality of the lockdown ordered by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.). The PUNCH reports that Buhari had on Sunday ordered the lockdown of Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country. But Soyinka in a statement on Monday wondered if the president has the power to order such lockdown. The Nobel laureate called on constitutional lawyers and lawmakers to clarify the legality or illegality of the lockdown. He also warned against “constitutional piracy” in the fight against coronavirus in the country. The statement, titled ‘Between COVID and Constitutional Encroachment’, read in part, “Constitutional lawyers and our elected representatives should kindly step i...

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17Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Jonathan, Anyaoku, Ooni Of Ife, Soyinka Join One United Africa 1000 Man March

Zambia President, Goodluck, Anyaoku, Ooni Of Ife, Soyinka, Join One United Africa 1000 Man March In the search for workable solutions to manage the extensive challenges faced in Africa, a non governmental organization called One United Africa Foundation has commenced the crusade of a Pan-African renaissance. In its envisioned prospects, the organizations has signed a partnership with one of Nigeria's leading PR agency, Amity Global Network, as the official Media Partner for the efficient promotion of its People to People Citizenry Engagement Initiative. This is in view of the One United Africa 1000Man March, holding in Abuja on the 31st of March 2020 and organized to promote unity, defined engagements that unites the collective exploration of our resources and productively channeli...

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19Feb By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Uzodinma Vs Ihedioha: I’m Not Part Of Supreme Court Review Team – Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has faulted a report by a newspaper of his purported selection to serve on a monitoring team for the forthcoming Supreme Court review of the case between Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress and Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party. The apex court on January 14, 2020, nullified the election of Ihedioha as the governor of the state and declared Uzodinma as the winner of the governorship election. Ihedioha subsequently filed an appeal, urging the Supreme Court to set aside the judgment. The hearing of the appeal has been fixed for March 2, 2020. The elder statesman, who said the online link of the newspaper’s report (not The Punch) was sent to him for perusal, noted in a statement on Tuesday night that h...

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23Jan By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Amotekun Comment: South-West Governors Back Tinubu

South -West governors and the apex Yoruba socio -political group, Afenifere, on Wednesday differed on the All Progressives Congress leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu ’ s position on the Western Nigerian Security Network, Operation Amotekun . The governors commended the former Lagos State governor and promised to look into the issues he raised , but Afenifere hit Tinubu hard , saying his statement lacked substance . After almost three weeks of silence on the launching of Amotekun, Tinubu on Wednesday made his position known on the security outfit, which was launched by the South- West governors in Ibadan on January 9. Afenifere chieftains , Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Senator Femi Okurounmu , had , in a report published by Sunday PUNCH on January 19, challenged Tinubu to speak on the security o...

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22Jan By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Soyinka Attack Musa Balarabe Over Comment On Amotekun

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has come down on ex-governor of the old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, over his comment that the Western Nigeria Security Network code-named Operation Amotekun would lead to the declaration of Oduduwa republic. Balarabe had said during an interview with a national daily (not The PUNCH) that Operation Amotekun would lead to the declaration of Oduduwa Republic. Soyinka said, "Balarabe is sadly but I hope not tragically wrong. I invoke the tragic dimension here because the making of tragedy, especially for nations, often begins when fears are mistaken or promoted as facts, and governments either by themselves, or together with interest groups, are enticed by fears into embarking on precipitate, irrational, and irreversible acts. “Such acts tur...

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15Jan By BobbyNo Comments

Politics

You Slept While Nigerians Were Killed – Soyinka Slams FG for Outlawing Amotekun

Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka has berated the Nigerian government for outlawing Amotekun few days after its launch in the South-West region. Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday January 15, Soyinka wondered why those who "slept, took belated actions and watched people being decimated" will suddenly wake to declare the initiative as illegal.  He further stated that a government that cares for the welfare of its citizens will never object to such initiative. The Nobel Laureate who insisted that the launch of Amotekun operation was not only necessary but long overdue, added that it is the fundamental right of the people to defend themselves against those who threaten their existence. He said; “I’ve always believed passionately in self-policing. If it is possible to el...

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7Dec By dthataNo Comments

Uncategorized

Soyinka Compares DSS With Dog, Says Dogs More Civilised

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says dogs act more civilised than the operatives of the Department of State Services that stormed the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, to re-arrest the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore. Soyinka said this in a statement titled, ‘Lessons from the African Wild Dog (Lycaeon Pictus)’ on Friday. He said, “A few years ago, I watched the video of a pack of the famed African wild dogs hunt, eventually bring down, and proceed to devour a quarry. “It was an impala, antelope family. The pack isolated the most vulnerable looking member of the herd – it was pregnant – pursued it, until it fled to a waterhole which, for such animals, is the nearest thing to a sanctuary. “A few minutes ago, almost as it was happening, I watched the video ...

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28Nov By dthataNo Comments

Lifestyle

Soyinka Reacts To Media Distortions Of His 2014 Experience With Cancer

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has lamented distortions and media misconception of a BBC feature programme in which his 2014 experience with cancer was featured. Soyinka, in a statement on Wednesday, said he had not seen the final presentation of a BBC feature programme on Health Awareness in which his 2014 experience with cancer was featured, but that he had been bombarded by narratives of the most disquieting nature, distortions through either misreporting or media misconceptions of what the BBC feature actually conveyed. “The first – and most urgent – correction of course is to re-state that this is an ancient tale that is firmly situated in the past tense. In other words, I have not been under any cancer related condition for over five years. Indeed, it was in order to av...

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26Nov By dthataNo Comments

Uncategorized

Wole Soyinka Battled With Prostate Cancer

Nobel laureate and renowned dramatist, Wole Soyinka has revealed that he was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer in 2014. Speaking to BBC, Soyinka revealed that he used an advanced technology, ‘proton therapy’ to treat it. According to the 85-year-old, the treatment was an ‘easy ride although uncomfortable. He said “It hadn’t yet gotten to the stage where it was non-reversible and so (the doctor) gave us a number of guidelines. I say us because he wanted to make sure that my wife made sure that I followed it. He sensed that I wasn’t going to be a very good patient. So he spoke to her most of the time rather than me,” he said. ”There is no disease in the world any human being needs to be ashamed. I don’t see why people need to go to Canada, Europe to receive tr...

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16Nov By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Hate Speech Bill: Wole Soyinka Writes Nigerian Senate

Prof Wole Soyinka has written a letter addressed to the senate over the introduction of the bill on hate speech which recently scaled its first reading. The Nobel Laureate who wondered why killing should be used to curb hate speech, stated that the motives are spectacularly dubious and aimed at silencing the voices of criticism. Soyinka stated that with the proposed penalty for hate speech, the national assembly is psyching its ranks to pronounce themselves affiliates of inhuman aberrations. His letter read; I hope you will excuse me for distracting you from your onerous duties, but I am a current sufferer – and I am not alone – from a persistent nightmare. That affliction has been induced by your most recent approach to addressing an acknowledged problem that affects, not onl...

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22Sep By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Charges Against Sowore Confirms Buhari Govt. Unprecedented Level Of Paranoia – Prof Wole Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka has described the charges against Omoyele Sowore as a confirmation of the Buhari-led administration's unprecedented level of paranoia. Revealing that he first dismissed the report as fake news, Soyinka added that 'Sowore's Issue' has moved beyond harassment and taken on a sinister direction. He further stated that the nation had failed to learn from past experiences. He said, “This is utterly depressing news. So, the Sowore affair has moved beyond harassment and taken on a sinister direction. Outside the country where I happened to be engaged at the moment, I can testify that the immediate reaction around me was to dismiss this as yet another grotesque product of fake news, of which Nigerians have become the greatest practitioners. I confess that...

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25Aug By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Stop Using Security Agencies To Silence Nigerians – Soyinka Tells Buhari

Prof. Wole Soyinka has alleged that the Buhari-led administration is using security agencies to silence Nigerians. The Nobel Laureate made this claim at the unveiling of an art gallery in commemoration of his 85th birthday. Insisting that such move only shows that the government is afraid, Soyinka added that it also reduces those running the government, Igbere TV reports. “It is important to send strong message to this government and to the security services to stop trying to muzzle people when they come together to exchange ideas. “You’re reducing them as human beings and you’re also reducing yourselves as human beings, because it means you’re afraid to listen" he said. Speaking further at the event held on Saturday August 24, Soyinka told Nigerians not to believe everythi...

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5Aug By dthataNo Comments

Politics

‘Buhari’s Govt Behaving Like Abacha’s’ – Wole Soyinka Reacts To Sowore’s Arrest

The Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, has condemned the arrest of activist Omoyele Sowore. Mr Sowore, a presidential candidate in the last election, was arrested on Saturday for calling for a revolution against poor governance. “Beyond the word ‘revolution, another much mis-used and misunderstood word, nothing that Sowore has uttered, written, or advocated suggests that he is embarking on, or urging the public to engage in a forceful overthrow of government,” Mr Soyinka said. He compared the actions of the security agencies that arrested Mr Sowore to what happended during the tenure of the late dictator, Sani Abacha. “We underwent identical cynical contrivances under the late, unlamented Sani Abacha, when he sent storm-troopers to disrupt a planning session for a similar across...

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17Jul By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Soyinka Denies Criticising Buhari’s Administration

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka on Tuesday denied comments attributed to him in a national Newspaper on the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Soyinka said he never uttered words attributed to him by the newspaper, which sought to cite the plague of violence by nomadic herdsmen for the “erosion of Buhari’s achievements.” The newspaper had reported that Soyinka lamented the growing challenges posed to the security of Nigerians by herdsmen, saying President Muhammadu Buhari’s failure to resolve them has eroded his administration’s achievements. Soyinka in his full rejoinder made available to journalists stated, ’’Re: Misrepresentation of Statement by The Nation’s Reporter. I denounce, in very strong terms, the report in THE NATION of July 15, 2019, regarding my...

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8Jul By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Soyinka, Falana, Others Lay Wreath On Abiola’s Grave

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says closure over the death of Chief MKO Abiola will be achieved when some of the challenges faced in the country are confronted and eliminated. Soyinka said this at a Wreath Laying Ceremony to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the death of Abiola, organised by Women Arise for Change Initiative (WA) at MKO Abiola’s graveside in Ikeja. He was charged for treason in 1994 by the Nigerian government, because he had declared himself the lawful President of Nigeria. He died in custody on the verge of being released in 1998. Soyinka said: “This is the first gathering in honour of MKO Abiola after the formal recognition by the federal government that he was duly elected, and that he is a past president of this nation. “And all we are waiting fo...

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2Jul By BobbyNo Comments

News

Wole Soyinka Reacts To Buhari’s Plan To Establish Ruga Settlements

Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has warned the Federal Government against the proposed establishment of Ruga settlements across the country for herdsmen. He warned that the move, if not checked will set the country on fire. Speaking in Lagos on Tuesday at the launch of United Nations’ Solutions 17 SDG programme, Soyinka berated the federal government for the idea, which will said can cause Nigeria to explode. According to him: “Ruga is going to be an explosion if not handled with care. But why do we not take our policies from good models? This is not the way people and countries deal with issues of cattle.   “I travel everywhere. It has to be handled in a way that is logical, comprehensible to the environment. When a cattle walks up to the window of my house in Abeokuta, a ho...

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30Jun By dthataNo Comments

Uncategorized

Wole Soyinka: Pa Ikhide Ikheloa Pays For 2 Seats On A Plane To Avoid An Angry Youth Palaver

Renowned Author, Ikhide Ikheloa Popularly known as Pa. Ikhide decide to buy the window seat and the aisle’s in order to avoid being rudely told to stand up by an angry tattooed young man like Prof Wole Soyinka has been told the week before He captioned on facebook ” Headed to our Pacl family reunion in Tennessee with #BigLion and my kids, Ominira and Fearless Fang. I bought both seats so that no yeye angry youth will be using my fame to gather fame, Mtscheeeeeewwwww! If y’all can do this to a whole Nobel Laureate, who am I, a failed writer! Una fear God sha, SMH!���‍♂️

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24Jun By dthataNo Comments

News

Young Man Tells Soyinka To Leave His Seat – Tonye Cole, Mo Abudu, Kate Henshaw React

Business executive, Tonye Cole narrated an incident he witnessed on a plane between renowned writer Wole Soyinka and a Nigerian man. Tonye Cole said Mr Wole Soyinka got on the plane and took the window seat. When the young man assigned the seat boarded, he insisted Mr Soyinka leaves his seat. Others on the plane, including the crew members, begged the young man to let the Nobel Laureate have his seat. But the man insisted on sitting where he was assigned. Mr Cole said this is an indication that our value system has been eroded and youths no longer have repect for elders. Ms Mo Abudu and Kate Henshaw commented, agreeing with him that the young man's behaviour was unacceptable.

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12Jun By BobbyNo Comments

News

Why I Won’t Participate In This Year’s Democracy Day Celebrations – Soyinka

Wole Soyinka, foremost playwright, says he will not participate in this year’s June 12 celebrations. In honour of MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election, President Muhammadu Buhari had signed into law, a bill to make June 12 replace May 29 as Democracy Day. In an essay made available to TheCable on Tuesday, Soyinka condemned the conduct of the 2019 elections. “This year’s recall of an uplifting day in the year 1993 comes up against a background of its most shameful disavowal: the 2019 elections – still under judicial contestation – an event that would be more accurately described as an exercise in body count rather than ballot count,” he said. “The elections however merely reflected a pattern of savagery and abandonment of human sensibilities that hav...

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15May By dthataNo Comments

Uncategorized

Wole Soyinka Pays Special Tribute To Leah Sharibu

Wole Soyinka who spoke at the prestigious Georgetown University in Washington, United States, paid a special tribute to Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi Christian schoolgirl who is still being held captive by Boko Haram. Soyinka in his tribute to Leah Sharibu, compared her to late South African iconic human rights champion and president, Nelson Mandela. He said at the event; “We must celebrate the exception who said ‘no’ “as it reminded me of Mandela who refused conditional release". Reciting the ode, “Mandela comes to Leah”, the renowned playwright clarified: “No”, she said, “Faith is not of compulsion. Her torch undimmed in the den of zealots.” The Nobel laureate also shut down claims made by a Georgetown professor, who alleged that poverty and desperation were behind the Boko Haram i...

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24Apr By dthataNo Comments

News

My Generation Has Failed Nigerians – Wole Soyinka

Wole Soyinka who spoke on Hard Talk, a BBC programme, stated that his generation has failed Nigerians as the dreams people of his generation had about the country had not materialised.Wole Soyinka gave the above response when he was asked by anchor of the programme, Zeinab Badawi “Has your generation of older Nigerians failed the people?” The Nobel laureate said; “Yes, I believe so. I compare today with dreams and aspirations we had when we all rushed home after studies abroad. We considered ourselves the renaissance people that were going to lift the continent to world standards, competitors anywhere. It hasn’t happened.” Asked to comment about the 2019 presidential election, he said, “The 2019 election is one of the most depressing elections we’ve been through. Talking for myse...

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9Feb By dthataNo Comments

Uncategorized

Amaechi, Amosun & Wole Soyinka On Train Ride From Lagos To Abeokuta

History was made on Friday as the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Ameachi, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Alake,the paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo and other dignitaries, joined to ride on the newly constructed Standard Guage rail line, from Iju in Lagos to Abeokuta.

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7Feb By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Obasanjo’s Govt Knew, Protected, Rewarded Those Who Murdered Bola Ige – Soyinka

Nigeria’s Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, on Tuesday alleged that the Olusegun Obasanjo administration ‘protected’ those who murdered Nigeria’s former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Bola Ige. Mr Soyinka, playwright and social critic, made this known in a statement on Tuesday titled “Trivialise Corruption, Neutralise Justice”, issued in his capacity as convener of Citizen Forum. The statement comes against the background of the crisis rocking the judiciary following the controversial suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, over his failure to declare his assets. Mr Soyinka, who said impunity reigns where there is no justice, expalined that the present crisis in the judiciary shows that the nation and its leaders did not learn ...

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31Jan By dthataNo Comments

Politics

‘I Wole Soyinka Will Not Be Voting For Either Buhari Or Atiku’

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka has said that: ‘I Wole Soyinka will not be voting for either the two so called contesting parties. I find both of them worthy of absolute rejection.’ Soyinka made this known in an ongoing interactive session tagged citizen forum 2019. He said “It is time for a totally new direction, and when an alternative emerges, we will give the candidate our backing,” “For the avoidance of doubt, let me make my position quite clear because I don’t want any ambiguity; I Wole Soyinka will not be voting for either the two so called contesting parties. I find both of them worthy of absolute rejection,” he said. “For a number of reasons which I will not go into here, I’m not interested in a comparative assessment. My position is simply that it is time...

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31Jan By BobbyNo Comments

News

Wole Soyinka Reveals Why He Won’t Vote For Buhari Nor Atiku

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka has stated that he will not vote for either of President Muhammad Buhari of the APC and former vice president Atiku Abubakar of the PDP in the presidential election of February 16, 2019. Woke Soyinka made this known in an ongoing interactive session tagged citizen forum 2019. He said: ‘‘I Wole Soyinka will not be voting for either the two so called contesting parties. I find both of them worthy of absolute rejection.’ “It is time for a totally new direction, and when an alternative emerges, we will give the candidate our backing,” “For the avoidance of doubt, let me make my position quite clear because I don’t want any ambiguity; I Wole Soyinka will not be voting for either the two so called contesting parties. I find both of them worthy of absolut...

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27Jan By BobbyNo Comments

Celebs

Chimamanda Adichie Showers Encomium On Wole Soyinka

Celebrated Nigerian author and feminism advocate, Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie has showered encomium on Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka Chimamanda Adichie expressed awe for and gratitude to Soyinka describing him as a “guiding light”, as she shared a picture of the pair on her Instagram page. Sharing the photo, Chimamanda Adichie wrote You are, for me, a guiding light: Your courage. The ease with which you inhabit your skin, speaking your mind, unburdened by apology. Your kindness and humour. Your utter coolness. The urgent, terse poetry of The Man Died, the exuberance of Ake; your faith in possibility, in adventure, in progress. Yes indeed, ‘the mindless ones are neither the total sum nor the true face of humanity.’ Thank you, Prof. CNA

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9Jan By dthataNo Comments

Celebs

Minister Didn’t Insult Buhari In Audio Tape – Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says he has read several reports of the trending audio clip depicting the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, insulting President Muhammadu Buhari but he has not been able to spot any insults as insinuated by the media. Soyinka said this in Abuja on Wednesday at a symposium on fake news organised by BBC News. The playwright, who was a panellist at the event tagged, ‘Nigeria 2019: Countering Fake News’, urged the traditional media not to act like the electronic media by spreading unfounded allegations. He said, “Just two or three days ago, I read an item where a minister was supposed to have insulted the President and it was carried in some media and I checked the statement and of course there was a video and so on and I looked throug...

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9Jan By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Soyinka Attacks A Former President For Supporting ‘A Devil’

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has asked Nigerians to be wary of a former president who pretends to be the conscience of the nation. Soyinka said this in Abuja on Wednesday at a symposium on fake news organised by BBC News. The playwright, who was a panelist at the event tagged, ‘Nigeria 2019: Countering Fake News’, urged the traditional media not to spread unfounded allegations as the electronic media sometimes do. The Nobel Laureate said if the former leader had been referring to a certain person for eight years as ‘a devil’ and is now telling Nigerians to vote for the devil, then there is a reason for Nigerians to express some doubt. Soyinka said, “We have got to develop a very healthy skepticism. If someone in a position of power for eight years has lectured a nati...

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24Nov By dthataNo Comments

Lifestyle

I Am Done With Honorary Awards, Says Soyinka

 The Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka on Friday said he was done with the conferment of Honorary  awards on him. He said this while receiving an Honorary Degree  of Doctor of Letters at the convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. “This is an institution where in the same town and state is where I took my first steps to learning. So it is symmetrical, it is a closure. I said this is symbolical way to end my teaching career. But there is one thing which I thought that suppose this is the last honorary degree I receive from anywhere, what a beautiful closure it is” he said. “The reason I am announcing it now is because I can always use you, this institution, this town, all the royalties present, the students will hear, as a witness to this day, that the ...

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20Nov By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Buhari: Failure To Obey Court Orders, National Embarrassment – Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s failure to obey court orders as a national embarrassment. It was also a day President General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, declared in Lagos that restructuring of Nigeria is now or never. They said this at the maiden Handshake Across Nigeria summit, with the theme: Nigeria beyond oil organised by Nzuko Umunna in partnership with The Core Federalists, which was held in Lagos, yesterday. Soyinka, who was the keynote speaker, also said present and past leaders have consistently abandoned recommendations made by Nigerians on different occasions on how to move the country forward and that restructuring the countr...

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30Aug By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Wole Soyinka Reacts To Buhari’s Rule Of Law Comment, Says ‘An Advance Warning’

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari over his comments at the opening ceremony of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference last Sunday. In a statement Thursday, Mr Soyinka mocked the president by saying Mr Buhari had obviously given a deep thought to his travails under a military dictatorship and concluded that his incarceration at that time was also in the ‘national interest.’ . Mr Buhari was imprisoned for years by the Ibrahim Babangida regime after his military dictatorship was overthrown in 1985. Since returning to power in 2015, Mr Buhari’s government has held some Nigerians for years without trial. High profile detainees have been denied freedom despite court orders. . “Here we go again,” Mr Soyinka said in the statement he titled...

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1Aug By dthataNo Comments

Education

UI Names Theater After Wole Soyinka

The University of Ibadan today renamed its Arts Theatre after Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka. The university also named the Practical Theatre as Geoffrey Axworthy studio. Axworthy was the founding Director of the School of Drama of the university in 1962. Soyinka was also the founding head when the school was transformed into a full Department of Theatre Arts in 1970. Speaking at the unveiling of the theatre, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, said the event marked a landmark in the history of the university. The vice-chancellor said the two iconic figures had played significant roles in the development of the department and the growth of performing arts in the country. According to him, the quest to rename the theatre after Soyinka recei...

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19Jun By Czar Owolabi MarcusNo Comments

News

Writer, Odega Shawa, Slams Gumsu Abacha For Insulting Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka

Last week, Gumsu took to her Facebook page to insult Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, who at the democracy day investiture on June 12th, questioned President Buhari's loyalty to her late father, military dictator, Sani Abacha. Soyinka said Buhari cannot be applauding Abiola and in the same vein be speaking good of Abacha who brought so much hardship on Nigerians. Writer, Odega Shawa in an open letter to Gumsu, slammed her for disrespecting Soyinka. Read below DEAR SAGESSE GUMSU SANI ABACHA, YOUR FATHER WAS A CRAZY MONSTER TOO Hajia SGSA, as-salaam alaikum. Peace be unto you and your house. I read your Facebook post where you slammed Professor Wole Soyinka for allegedly insinuating insult on the memory of your late father, Gen Sani Abacha, by questioning President Buhari’s double d...

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22Jan By raymonNo Comments

News

George Weah Sworn In As Liberian President

Former Libaria football star and a one-time World Footballer of the Year,George Weah, has been sworn in as Liberia’s new president. Weah took his oath of office at exactly noon inside the 35,000 capacity Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia. At least, eight African Heads of States, including President Muhammadu Buhari who was represented by Vice Present Yemi Osinbajo, and international soccer stars witnessed the ceremony. Weah, 51, took over from Nobel laureate, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who spent 12 years in office. Details later…

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3Jan By raymonNo Comments

News

Soyinka’s New Year Message: It’s Your Struggle Now, By Akin Adesokan

The harsh truth is also the opportunistic perspective of the champions of a carrier culture psychologically unwilling to hold itself to account. We might be lucky to have Soyinka the culture-hero, one of those rare gifts nature brought to us. We would be luckier, though, if we roused ourselves to the recognition that sentient beings like him are warning signs that we take control of our fate. In the final chapter of You Must Set Forth At Dawn, the fulsome account of his leading role in the struggle against the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha, the Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka constructs a detailed narrative of his return to Nigeria in 1998, following the tyrannical soldier’s death. Focusing on the manner that the crowd of admirers received him at the Lagos airport, he writes of...

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18Dec By raymonNo Comments

News

Nigeria Turns The Page On Literary Past

Lagos - Mention Nigerian literature and the first names likely to spring to mind are Chinua Achebe, the author of "Things Fall Apart", or the venerable Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka. But Africa's most populous nation has a new crop of writers whose work is a far cry from the post-colonial era of their esteemed predecessors. Olumide Popoola's novel "When We Speak Of Nothing", for example, tells the story of a gay teenager seeking the father he never knew in the southern oil city of Port Harcourt. The book, which was published earlier this year, is written in a language mixing African pidgin with London slang, and includes comical descriptions and textspeak. For Emeka Nwankwo, from Nigerian publisher Cassava Republic, breaking conventions and expectations about literature i...

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6Jul By Czar Owolabi Marcus1 Comment

News

Chinese Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo’s Health Deteriorates

Fears about the health of China’s cancer-stricken Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo rose on Thursday as the hospital treating him said the liver function of the country’s most prominent democracy advocate had deteriorated. Friends voiced concerns that Liu, 61, is now near death after it emerged last month that he had been transferred from prison to a hospital under medical parole due to terminal liver cancer. Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison in December 2009 for “subversion” after calling for democratic reform. He was awarded the Nobel in 2010, with an empty chair representing him at the ceremony in Oslo. Beijing has come under fire from human rights groups over its treatment of Liu and for waiting until he became so ill to take him out of prison, but authorities insist he has been...

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20Jun By Czar Owolabi Marcus1 Comment

News

Planning And Budgeting In Fantastically Corrupt Countries

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron infamously described Nigeria as “a fantastically corrupt country”. Many of us were incensed – even scandalised – by that classic English put-down. I wasn’t. This is what to expect when a civilised nation such as Great Britain is run by immature Old Etonian boys. I know them too well – I went to college with some of them. No wonder Britain seems to be going down these days. I once asked a German friend if she had ever been to a Third World country. After careful thought she said, “No, except Britain”! One of the most influential works in social science in the seventies and eighties was the book by Naomi Caiden and the late Aaron Wildavsky, Planning and Budgeting in Poor Countries (Wiley & Sons 1974). Their work was based on the impossibilit...

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26May By Czar Owolabi MarcusNo Comments

News

Wole Soyinka Warns Sahara Reporters, Says ‘Be Careful, They Know Your Location’

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, on Thursday warned citizen advocacy platforms Sahara Reporters and Budgit, to be more careful now that its location has been made public. The event was the launch of a citizen media lab, a collaborative project between Sahara Reporters and Budgit, located at 13B, Isaac John Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos. Sahara Reporters, a citizen advocacy platform, has for years operated out of New York in the United States. In his speech at the event, Mr. Soyinka said he was hopeful the media lab would be a genuine media centre. “Let me congratulate you once again on the launching of this media centre,” he said. “I hope it makes the media more careful, now that people know where to come and find you and to deal with you when you go wrong, and I hope it will be a genuine m...

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