Professor Wole Soyinka, a well-known playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist from Nigeria, has stated that he had no idea he would live to be ninety.
He continued by saying he became a writer in order to make up for some inconsistencies in the stories he had heard as a child.
The Nobel laureate made these remarks in response to queries from roughly 383 students. The students took part in the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange Program in its 2024 edition.
On Monday, July 14, the function took place at Prof. Soyinka’s ARI home in Ijegba, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
July 13, 1934, is Professor Soyinka’s birthday. He turned ninety on Saturday.
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“I never broke into a radio station, but sneaked in,” Soyinka stated when asked whether he broke into a radio station during the military era.
“The radio station was holding on to something that belonged to the people. And I decided to retrieve it. If that item had been played, it would have demoralised the people and established the culture of brutality.”
He also chastised Nigerians for constantly criticising the government but not looking inward.
He pointed out that poverty and inequality are not the source of crimes like kidnapping and robbery, among others. According to Soyinka, they resulted from egotism and the yearning for an opulent lifestyle.
While stressing that this is the reason he is staying in the nation, he praised Governor Dapo Abiodun for his contributions to the development of the area surrounding his home and kept it from deteriorating.
