Tinubu renames National Theatre Lagos after Wole Soyinka

President Bola Tinubu has renamed the National Theatre in Iganmu, Surulere, to The Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts. This decision was made in honor of Soyinka’s upcoming 90th birthday on July 13, 2024.

Wole Soyinka is a renowned playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, actor, singer, composer, and documentarian, recognized worldwide for his contributions to literature and advocacy for good governance and a just society. In 1986, he became the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Soyinka has also received numerous prestigious awards, including the Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature, the Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Europe Theatre Prize – Special Prize.

In a statement from his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu lauded Soyinka as one of the greatest minds of his generation, exemplifying human enlightenment and standing firm against injustice, oppression, and base impulses.

He praised Soyinka as a living repository of history, knowledge, and courage and acknowledged his unwavering efforts as a pro-democracy champion and vocal critic of corruption and maladministration over many decades.

President Tinubu expressed his delight in announcing the renaming of the National Theatre to honor Soyinka’s legacy, stating, “I am, accordingly, delighted to have the honor to announce the decision of the Federal Government to rename the National Theatre in Iganmu, Surulere, as The Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts.”

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