Soyinka Makes Key Demands From President Tinubu Gov’t, Int’l Community

Nigerian Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has made three demands from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu‘s administration on the occasion of his 89th birthday celebration.

Naija News reports that Soyinka clocked 89th years of age on Thursday, July 13, 2023.

While featuring on a Channels Television programme during the weekend, Soyinka said his demands are directed to all the security agencies in Nigeria, the government itself, right from the President to the lowest individual.

The playwright stated that security agencies should reopen all unresolved cases of religious killings and a public holiday be created for traditionalists.

Soyinka expressed disappointment with how security officials have failed to prosecute the perpetrators of extrajudicial killings in the country.

Naija News understands that Soyinka’s appeal was underpinned by the case of late Deborah Samuel, a second-year student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto State, who was killed on May 12, 2022, over allegations of blasphemy.

Soyinka insists that the files “be opened beginning with Deborah Samuel and all those who have been killed extrajudicially in the name of religion.”

Soyinka directed his second demand at members of the diplomatic community. He noted that it is not enough for the international community to place travel restrictions on perpetrators of electoral violence in the 2023 general elections.

The Nobel Laureate asked that visa bans be extended to religious bigots.

Lastly, Soyinka decried the neglect faced by traditionalists in the country, declaring that they “We have had enough”.

He added: “It’s about time we demanded, on behalf of traditional religions, an annual holiday like Islam and Christianity. We’ve had enough.

“We’ve had enough of being second-class citizens in this nation. So, equal time, equal space, we demand public holidays. We demand it of state governments, local governments, and the Federal Government. We want an annual public holiday.”