Former Special Adviser to President Mohammadu Buhari on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has admonished the youths to stop criticising the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, for not fighting the current government of President Bola Tinubu.
Ojudu advised the young ones to go and fight because Soyinka started fighting for the betterment of Nigeria at about age 20.
“Why are you calling an old man to go and fight your battle for you? Take the mantle from him and go and fight.”
The Senator stated this at an event titled: Turning Pages @90- A Tribute to WS Art & Literary Legacies, which took place at the weekend at The Farm, Ojudu resident in Ado Ekiti, which he organised to celebrate Soyinka’s 90th birthday.
Ojudu in his welcome remarks, said, Soyinka took a lot of risks in the struggle to make Nigeria a better place. When the civil war was already raging, he went behind the line to the East to have a talk with Biafran warlord, Odumegwu Ojukwu, on his way back, he was arrested and detained in Kaduna.
“That detention itself produced the book “The Man Died”. He went through harrowing experiences in detention but he never gave up. He continued to fight for a better Nigeria.
“When in 1982, 83, the National Party became a monster, he went to the studio and did a song called: I No Go Lie. He titled it ‘Ethical Revolution ‘. Again that album was banned.
“He went on and then there was Babangida, Abacha and there was NADECO. He had to escape the country to go and organise NALINCON to collaborate with NADECO and those of us in the media to fight for the democracy we are enjoying today. For me, I do not think there is any other like him regarding the task he has given himself to make the country better.
“If at 90, Nigeria has not yet attained the country of his wish, he has done his best. When I heard some young men condemning him for not fighting the current government, I said to them, if you have a grandfather who is 90 years old will you want him to go to the street and be carrying placard?
“Let the young ones go and fight. Soyinka started fighting at about age 20. Why are you calling an old man to go and fight your battle for you? Take the mantle from him and go and fight.
“Don’t call a 90-year-old man to come and be running around. He has done his own, he has contributed his own quota. All that we can do is continue to celebrate him, ” he said.
Among the highlights of the event was reading of some of Soyinka’s works by the Association of Nigeria Authors (ANA), and traditional drums by the Theatre Student of the Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), among others.
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