Gladness Gideon.
Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has dismissed attempts by Nigerians to dictate when he should evaluate President Bola Tinubu’s administration, reaffirming his independence in making political assessments.
Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘The Morning Brief’ on Monday, Soyinka stated that he would share his thoughts on Tinubu’s leadership only when he deemed it necessary, rejecting the idea of adhering to a fixed timeline, such as the president’s one-year mark in office.
“People should stop trying to work on my timetable for me,” Soyinka remarked, responding to those who reminded him of his earlier statement about assessing Tinubu after a year, which concluded on May 29, 2024.
Quipping that he had “not swallowed an alarm clock,” the literary icon insisted that he would not be pressured into making an evaluation simply because a year had passed.
“I don’t see why I should put my alarm on and say: ‘One year has passed, now I must make an assessment’ if there is nothing I feel like talking about and if I am busy elsewhere,” he added.
Soyinka had previously stated, during a December 24, 2023, visit to Tinubu’s residence in Lagos, that he would reserve judgment on the administration until after a full year in office.
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Critics have since accused Tinubu of economic mismanagement, citing record-high inflation and the rising cost of living, fueling public anticipation for Soyinka’s opinion. However, the playwright emphasized that governance should be scrutinized collectively, noting that activists and legal experts, such as Femi Falana and Omoyele Sowore, have consistently voiced their concerns.
“This business of ‘you haven’t come to do this,’ I don’t understand it. Other people are doing the same; this is a collective effort,” he said.
Soyinka further questioned why he was being singled out for a mandatory assessment, stating, “Did I do that with Jonathan? Did I do that with Buhari? Did I do that with Obasanjo? Did I do that with anybody? So, why is it expected of me?”
While acknowledging the public’s right to seek his perspective, he reiterated that he would only speak when he felt it was appropriate.