Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has dismissed pressures from Nigerians urging him to evaluate President Bola Tinubu’s administration. He made it clear that he would share his views only when he finds it necessary, rather than following a fixed timeline dictated by others.
During an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Soyinka addressed those reminding him of his earlier statement about assessing Tinubu’s leadership after a year in office. The one-year mark passed on May 29, 2024, but the literary icon stated that he would speak on the administration only when he had something substantial to say.
“People should stop trying to work on my timetable for me,” Soyinka said in response to the calls for his assessment. He rejected the idea that he was obligated to speak simply because Tinubu had completed a year in office.
“I had not swallowed an alarm clock,” he quipped.
Soyinka explained that he would not automatically issue an assessment just because a specific period 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.”
His remarks come amid growing criticism of Tinubu’s administration, with many Nigerians blaming the government for economic hardships, rising inflation, and a soaring cost of living. However, Soyinka made it clear that he would not be pressured into making a statement simply to meet public expectations.
“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. The Falanas speak consistently. The Baiyewus speak consistently. The Sowores come out and try to lead demonstrations. It’s a collective effort,” he said.
Soyinka also pointed out that he had never followed a set timeline to evaluate past presidents and saw no reason to start now.
“The one year is up, which means you have a right and I have a responsibility to respond when you call me on certain issues. But if you are saying that I would call a press conference and say: ‘One year is up, let us now make an assessment’… The only question I’d ask you is: ‘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?”
