Declare July 13 Wole Soyinka Day, Ogun monarch urges FG


The Alake of Egba Land, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare July 13 a national day dedicated to celebrating the contributions of Noble Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, to humanity both nationally and globally.

Gbadebo also said that the Federal Government should honour Soyinka with the second highest national honour of Grand Commander of Order of Niger as the Nobel laureate marks his 90th birthday.

The traditional ruler said that Egba land has already decided that July 13,which is the birthday of the Nobel laureate, would henceforth be celebrated as Wole Soyinka Day.

This, he said was to further promote his ideals and excellent scholarship disposition in the coming generation.

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The monarch said that Soyinka, being the first African Nobel Prize winner in Literature and an international playwright who is wanted in every part of the world, deserves to be so honoured back home.

Gbadebo made this call on Tuesday, at a press conference in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, to herald a series of events lined up to mark the 90th birthday of the first African Nobel Prize winner in Literature.

He described Soyinka as a global icon, a living legend, a playwright, actor, human rights and political activist, a hunter and a globally respected elder statesman with roots in Ake, Abeokuta.

This, he said was why the Egba land is rolling out the drums to celebrate the honour and glamour the famous poet has brought to his kith and kins in Ogun State.

He said that the theme for the 90th celebration of the Nobel Laureate fondly called, Kongi is “Defiance and Creativity: A Celebration of Soyinka’s Artistic Ingenuity and Impact on Nigeria, Africa and The Entire World”.

Gbadebo said, “It will be appropriate for the Federal Government to adopt July 13 as a national day to celebrate Prof Wole Soyinka given his contribution to literature and humanity globally.

“It will be good to henceforth adopt his birthday which is July 13 as Wole Soyinka Day. In fact, New Orleans in the United States of America has already adopted a day to celebrate him, so why can’t we do so to honour our own too?

“The Federal Government should also in addition to this confer on Wole Soyinka the second highest national honour of Grand Commander of Order of Niger because of his contribution to register our dear nation on the global map.”

The convener of Soyinka’s 90th birthday, Paul Bankole, said the essence of the celebration was to acknowledge Soyinka’s contributions both academically and to humanity as a whole.

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 accolades on them. Let them understand that we value them and acknowledge their unique contribution towards having a better world,”

Minime10:
Like confra day or what 🤷🤷🤷🤷

PressMyButton:
2nd highest award, fair enough but declaring a national holiday would be asking for too much. Probably have his face on the 500 naira note alongside Nnamdi Azikiwe, afterall we had two icons as the face of 1000 naira note.
The first Noble Laureate in Africa.

TouchNfollow:


https://punchng.com/declare-july-13-wole-soyinka-day-ogun-monarch-urges-fg/

RightChannel:
Check this man very well, he is on drugs. Not only July 13, make dem declare the whole July public holiday then. Nonsense king

Tjra:

If a riffraff like Nnamdi Kalu can have every Mondays in the South East declared as public holiday for him, then a legend like Soyinka deserves a special day in his honour.

Don't be sentimental bro

RightChannel:


One is freedom fighter, your riffraff papa was the founder of cultism in Nigeria tertiary institutions. Why would a cocaine addiction monarch be telling FG to be glorifying the founder of cultism. You and your monarch brains need to be adequately checked

sultanofpigs:
Just imagine the insult.

See they way these losers are gaslighting everywhere with generational foolishness.

Who is or what is Soyinka?

AqualinaXYZ:

001Lagos:
As what?

This Ogun elders are begining to talk like kids

Augustine2244:
Lol! Imagine the trash coming from a so called monarch.
The same Soyinka who brought the beginning of CULTISM to Nigerian higher educational institutions.
The FG might as well declare a day for Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of Boko Haram.
If a monarch doesn't have sense, then the concerned community is doomed.

RightChannel:


One is freedom fighter, your riffraff papa was the founder of cultism in Nigeria tertiary institutions. Why would a cocaine addiction monarch be telling FG to be glorifying the founder of cultism. You and your monarch brains need to be adequately checked