NewStats: 3,263,788 , 8,181,398 topics. Date: Saturday, 07 June 2025 at 10:09 PM 444t3n

You Cannot Touch Wole Soyinka

I saw one "Gen-Z" on Facebook "dragging" Prof. Wole Soyinka. What was the lady's grouse? "Eh, Soyinka has kept mum over President Tinubu... He should be criticizing him... Soyinka has ed those people destroying Nigeria..." I engaged the lady on her wall to explain to her why Wole Soyinka is constrained on Tinubu matter. But since she appears not see my point, I have brought the matter to my wall.

First, Wole Soyinka, perhaps only after Obafemi Awolowo, should be considered the most accomplished Nigerian. The man, at his death, will conveniently occupy a space below the pantheons of Yoruba gods. Soyinka cannot be criticized; he must be revered for one reason alone - if you desire greatness, you make excuse for the great. The biggest tragedy of my generation is that we will uphold people like Oyedepo and Adeboye as role models, and know very little about the contributions of Wole Soyinka, Obafemi Awolowo, and folks like them to Nigeria.

Second. Bola Tinubu is in the mess he is today because he did not come into office prepared. He is not a philosopher king. He was more enamored with accomplishing a lifelong ambition, than serving people. That cannot be Soyinka's fault. Besides, the trouble with Nigeria is multifaceted, and solution will not come in one generation. It will require at least three generations of concerted and focused effort at governance before we can get things right.

Third. I told this lady that all of us have people we never criticize out of loyalty. Soyinka tells the story of how Bola Tinubu was his benefactor at a particularly low period in his life. Since that time, Soyinka will criticize everyone but Bola Tinubu. And he has his right to this.

Finally, Wole Soyinka is 90 years old. When the man was your age, dear lady, he took a gun, stuck up the announcing of polling results in 1965, and got the populace to stand against the brigandage that was occurring then by S.L.A Akintola and his political party. That event, added to others, led to the January 15th 1966 coup, that put Nigeria right back on track, despite plunging the country in a thirty month civil war.

Wole Soyinka has done his best for this country. When you do yours, we will listen to what you have to say him. This is a special message to keyboard protesters.

- Deji Yesufu

Source

On the Soyinka Debate, Oluseye Fatoyinbo writes:

"This is why I have very little hope in the so-called Gen Z. In fact, they scare me. A horde of humans with access to the most sophisticated gadgets ever known to mankind, vast sums of money and unfettered visibility but with no soul and no thoughts or respect for how sacred some things, ideas and people are is a group that will inevitably be the death of human civilization.

"I'm not speaking in hyperbole. These brats will end humanity through their stupidity and arrogant ignorance"

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AYsa4rtXU/

They know they cannot touch him.

Nonsense write up. But will sonyinka was quick to criticize Goodluck's Government, as far as calling his wife shepopotemus.
Does he choose to be vocal when it suits him?

Yorubas and their tribalistic and selective approach to things.
Second to Awolowo my foot.

Soyinika fought for tour grandfather, father and now you expect samean to fight for you.

Wole Soyinka is a national treasure.

Salewa97:
Wole Soyinka is a national treasure.

Precisely