Alake asks Tinubu to declare July 13 ‘Wole Soyinka Day’

The Alake and Paramount ruler of Egba Land, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare July 13 a national day to celebrate Prof Wole Soyinka’s contribution to humanity.

The paramount ruler also said Soyinka should be honored with the second highest national honour of Grand Commander of Order of Niger as the Nobel Laureate marks his 90th birthday.

Oba Gbadebo made this call on Tuesday during a press conference held to herald events lined up to mark the 90th birthday of the first African Nobel Prize winner in Literature.

The royal father said as way to further honour the playwright, he is declaring July 13th ‘Wole Soyinka Day’ and this will be celebrated by all sons and daughters of Egba land both at home and in the Diaspora.

The two-day celebration slated for Friday 12th and Saturday 13th of July is themed, ‘Defiance and Creativity: A Celebration of Soyinka’s Artistic Ingenuity and Impact on Nigeria, Africa and The Entire World’.

According to the monarch, the event would feature series of events such as art exhibitions by the pupils of the primary school attended by Soyinka, St Peters Primary School, Ake, Abeokuta Grammer School as well as Ogun State Chapter of Society of Nigerian Artistes.

Oba 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 his contribution to register our dear nation on global map.”

Other programmes lined up for the celebration are cultural performances, books exhibition, documentaries on Wole Soyinka, poetry recitals as well as a hunting expedition by the hunters in Egbaland, among others.