Soyinka breaks silence on claim he’s silent on Tinubu administration

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has rejected a claim in Head of State Yakubu Gowon’s memoir that he vowed not to criticise President Bola Tinubu until after his first year in office.

In an open letter published by SaharaReporters on Thursday, Soyinka said he had already spoken on issues concerning the administration and never made such a vow.

“The problem is – I have already spoken, so I do not know exactly where their problem lies,” he wrote.

Soyinka also defended his right to decide when and how to intervene in public affairs.

“I reserve for myself the fundamental right of judgement in choosing what, when, how, and where I disseminate my ideas, only ensuring their accessibility,” he said.

Reacting to the memoir’s claim that “The year has passed, and still, Nothing…,” Soyinka wrote: “Nothing? Repeated ad nauseam with smirking, magisterial variations!”

He added that silence on some issues should not be interpreted as endorsement, saying his public record showed otherwise.