On Tuesday, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, the paramount ruler of Egba land in Ogun State, called on the Federal Government to declare July 13 Wole Soyinka Day in honor of the Nobel laureate’s invaluable contributions to humanity both in Nigeria and around the world.
Oba Gbadebo further stated that the renowned playwright and social justice activist deserved the second highest national honor of Grand Commander of Order of Nigeria.
The esteemed monarch made these proposals during a press conference at his palace to announce several events planned to commemorate Soyinka’s 90th birthday. Oba Gbadebo said that Egba land had already set aside July 13 as a day to honor the literary icon.
“It will be appropriate for the Federal Government to adopt July 13 as a national day to celebrate Professor Wole Soyinka, given his global contributions to literature and humanity.
“It will be good to henceforth adopt his birthday, July 13, as Wole Soyinka Day. New Orleans in the United States of America has already adopted a day to celebrate him, so why can’t we do so to honor our own too?
“The Federal Government should also, in addition to this, confer on Wole Soyinka the second highest national honor of Grand Commander of Order of Niger because of his contributions, to register our dear nation on the global map,” the Alake said.
He clarified that on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, students from St. Peters Primary School in Ake and Abeokuta Grammer School, which Soyinka attended, would be showcasing their artwork in an art exhibition along with the Society of Nigerian Artists, Ogun State Chapter.
Cultural performances, book exhibitions, documentaries on Soyinka, poetry recitation, and a hunting expedition by the hunters in Egbaland are among the other events scheduled for the celebration.
Dr. Paul Bankole, the organizer of Soyinka’s 90th birthday celebration, stated that the main goal of the event was to recognize the Nobel Laureate’s significant contributions to academia and humanity at large.
Bankole claimed that when he was a young lad in Ibadan in 1964, he first met Soyinka, and that meeting Soyinka marked the beginning of his writing career.
He called the July 13 Wole Soyinka Day announcement in Egba land by the Alake a positive step, pointing out that it was consistent with the November 1 Wole Soyinka Day announcement in New Orleans, USA.
Bankole said, “I believe that people like Prof Soyinka should be celebrated while they are alive. We must not wait till they are gone before we begin to pour the accolades on them; let them understand that we value them and acknowledge their unique contribution towards having a better world.”
