Soyinka to Critics: I’ll Assess Tinubu’s Administration on My Own Term

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has defended his delay in assessing President Tinubu’s government, stating that he doesn’t have an alarm clock to remind him of timelines. Soyinka emphasized that he would only offer his evaluation when he deems it necessary and when he has substantive observations to share.

In the same, In December 2023, Soyinka visited Tinubu and reserved his comments about the administration until after one year, in May 2024. However, with Tinubu’s administration approaching its two-year mark, many had expected Soyinka to fulfill his promise.

Soyinka clarified that assessing any government is a collective responsibility of like-minded persons, and many conscientious individuals have been speaking out. He cited examples of people like Falanas, Baiyewus, and Sowores, who have been consistently speaking and leading demonstrations.

The Nobel laureate also noted that he wouldn’t be bound by external schedules, and his assessment would not be dictated by timelines. Soyinka questioned why he should be expected to make an assessment at a specific time, asking, “Did I do that with Jonathan? Did I do that with Buhari? Did I do that with Obasanjo?”.