Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate, says recipients of the recent national honours should be seen as representatives of a much larger group of individuals who contributed to the country’s democratic struggle.
Soyinka was among the 66 individuals honoured by President Bola Tinubu on June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day, for their roles in the struggle to restore democratic governance.
Speaking at a press conference, Soyinka expressed solidarity with those who were not named among the honourees, emphasising that the recognition could not possibly capture the contributions made by countless others across the country.
“There have been many great participants who are not on the list. I think we should accept the fact that it is inevitable, in any struggle so multidimensional, cutting across the entire swathe of the nation,” he said.
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“So, I want you all just to see those of us who are honoured as mere representatives of a vast movement.”
When asked whether the country had made meaningful democratic progress since the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election, Soyinka expressed concern about shrinking civic space and rising authoritarianism in the region.
“You know, sometimes one gets to a point where you feel that maybe there is a slave gene embedded in certain sections of humanity,” he said.
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“In other words, that some people, some kinds of people, some breed of people, feel happier being enslaved.”
He noted the growing wave of military takeovers across West Africa and the apparent public support they enjoy in some countries.
“Otherwise, how do you explain the spread of the state of military dictatorship just spreading across the West African sub-region to the acclaim of people,” he said.
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