Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, the Alake and Paramount monarch of Egbaland, has urged President Bola Tinubu to make July 13 as a national day to commemorate Prof. Wole Soyinka’s significant contribution to humanity, both nationally and globally.
Oba Gbadebo also suggested that the federal government bestow the second highest national accolade, Grand Commander of the Order of Niger, on the Nobel Laureate to commemorate his 90th birthday.
According to Oba Gbadebo, the Egbaland has already determined that July 13th, the literary giant’s birthday, will now be honoured as Wole Soyinka Day to further promote his values and great scholarship temperament in the coming generation.
He stated that Soyinka, as the first African Nobel Prize winner in literature and a renowned dramatist sought after all over the world, deserved to be celebrated at home.
Oba Gbadebo made the call during a news conference to announce a series of festivities planned to commemorate the 90th birthday of the first African Nobel Prize recipient in literature.
Oba Gbadebo, speaking at the press briefing, described Soyinka as a global icon, a living legend, a playwright, actor, human rights and political activist, hunter, and a globally respected elder statesman with roots in Ake, Abeokuta, and stated that this is why the Egbaland is playing drums to celebrate the unquantifiable honour and glamour the famous poet has brought to his kith and kin in Ogun State.
He stated that the subject for the 90th commemoration of the Nobel Laureate, lovingly known as Kongi, is “Defiance and Creativity: A Celebration of Soyinka’s Artistic Ingenuity and Impact on Nigeria, Africa, and the Entire World.”.
To further recognise the dramatist, the royal father has declared July 13th Wole Soyinka Day, which will be celebrated by all sons and daughters of Egbaland, both at home and in the diaspora.
Oba Gbadebo stated that “it will be appropriate for the federal government to adopt July 13 as a national day to celebrate Prof. Wole Soyinka’s 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 the Order of Niger for his contribution to registering our dear nation on the global map.”.
Oba Gbadebo stated that the two-day celebration, scheduled for Friday, July 12th, and Saturday, July 13th, would include a series of events such as art exhibitions by students from the primary schools attended by Prof. Soyinka, St. Peters Primary School, Ake, Abeokuta Grammer School, and the Ogun State Chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artists.
Other events planned for the anniversary include cultural performances, book exhibitions, documentaries on Wole Soyinka, poetry recitals, and a shooting expedition by hunters from Egbaland, among others.
Dr. Paul Bankole, the organiser of Wole Soyinka’s 90th birthday celebration, stated that the purpose of the event was to recognise the Nobel Laureate’s significant contributions to both academia and mankind as a whole.
Dr. Bankole stated that he met Soyinka when he was a young lad in Ibadan in 1964 and that his literary career began as a result of that experience.
He stated that the Alake’s designation of July 13th as Wole Soyinka Day in Egbaland is a positive step, similar to the recognition of November 1st as Wole Soyinka Day 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.”.
