Wole Soyinka (full name Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka) is a Writer, Playwright, Poet, Professor, and Africa’s first Nobel Prize in Literature winner. Also called Kongi by friends and admirers, the 83 year-old octogenarian has lived most of his life being an activist, and for the purpose of this Listicle, we will be focusing on his activism, and all the times he fought for Nigeria and its people.
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Hijacking a Radio Station
In 1965, after the Regional Elections in Western Nigeria, Samuel Akintola was declared winner. Most people felt that the UPGA (led by Obafemi Awolowo, who was in prison at that time) was supposed to win, and the election was heavily rigged to favor Samuel who was the preferred candidate of the Central Government. As a result there was widespread tension and some violence. Then on the evening Akintola was supposed to broadcast his victory speech, someone got past the security at the Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service studio, held the crew hostage, seized Akintola’s speech and forced them to play his own tape – where he berated Akintola, called the election a sham and demanded fresh elections. Two days later, Wole Soyinka was accused of being the hijacker and declared wanted. He reported himself to the Police Station and was detained for two months, till a Judge acquitted him for lack of evidence.
After the July 1966 retaliatory coup that ousted Aguiyi Ironsi and installed Yakubu Gowon as Head of State, a massacre against Igbo people living in Northern Nigeria ensued. This led to millions of Easterners fleeing south, and calling for secession. Hoping to avoid further bloodshed, Wole Soyinka secretly met with General Ojukwu and urged a peaceful resolution. But Ojukwu declared an independent Republic of Biafra, and Soyinka was accused of collaborating with the Biafrans. He went into hiding, but was captured by Nigerian troops, and imprisoned for the rest of the war.
To reduce the outrageous rate of accidents on highways, Wole Soyinka led a campaign for road safety in Oyo State. This initiative was very successful and became a model of traffic safety for other states in Nigeria.
Wole Soyinka and a lot of other people agreed that President Shehu Shagari’s government was corrupt, and he led his criticisms. Shehu Shagari was then removed in a coup that installed Gen Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari banned his book
While Soyinka was in prison during the Civil War, he was denied access to writing materials but somehow had them smuggled in. He wrote a lot in that time, including his prison memoirs, The Man Died. When Buhari came into power, the book was banned after his anti-government rhetoric became unbearable.
Abacha sentenced him to death
In October 1994, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) named Wole Soyinka a Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of African Culture, Human Rights and Freedom of Expression. The next month, General Sani Abacha suspended all civil liberties, and people like Wole Soyinka who were vocally against the Military were targets. Fearing for his safety, Soyinka escaped from Nigeria on a motorcycle via the ‘NADECO Route’ – through Benin Republic. Abacha later sentenced him to death in absentia for the continued criticism of his government. Luckily, the general died in 1998, and Soyinka returned home.
In April 2007, when Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure was coming to an end, Wole Soyinka called for the cancellation of the presidential elections that were held two weeks earlier. This is because it was beset with widespread fraud and violence. The election stood though, and the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was sworn in and remained president, till …
Protest to install GEJ
After Yar’Adua became very ill, and was away from Nigeria for about 50 days, Prof. Wole Soyinka and prominent members of civil society groups took their protest to the National Assembly, and demanded an immediate commencement of the process of impeaching the president. This was so that then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan could ascend to th