Renowned Nigerian writer and Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, reveals his principle of giving a one-year grace period before assessing President Bola Tinubu’s government.
In a recent statement, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Africa’s first Nobel Laureate and a respected political commentator, shared his approach to evaluating newly elected leaders. Soyinka stated that it is his personal principle to refrain from commenting on their performance during the initial year in office, allowing them the necessary time to settle in and initiate their policies.
“Well, you know, something you may have noticed about me is that most heads of state, when they take office, I always leave them alone for about the first year…because they need time,” Soyinka said. “When you see me next year, ask the same question again and listen to my answer.”
Soyinka, a seasoned political activist, recently paid a courtesy visit to President Tinubu, a move he described as “embarrassing” due to his prior attempt to dissuade Tinubu from running for the presidency over five years ago. However, he clarified that the purpose of the recent visit was to check on the president and discuss a seven-point agenda.
“Actually, it’s an embarrassing visit because when I visited him the last time, it was to try and persuade him not to run for office. I told Atiku and himself to please leave the ground so young people could run. That’s the last time we met about five years ago,” Soyinka explained. “I came here with a seven-point agenda. And we had a very thorough discussion on those items.”
In February of the same year, Soyinka was in the news for seemingly endorsing Tinubu for the presidential elections. However, he later distanced himself from a social media post that also criticized the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and Nigeria’s former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
Soyinka, who often describes Tinubu as an “old friend,” reiterated that the visit was to assess how Tinubu and his wife were faring in the midst of Nigeria’s challenges and to wish them a Happy Christmas. The seven-point agenda, discussed during the visit, remains undisclosed to the public.
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