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President Bola Tinubu has named the Arterial Road N20 from Northern Parkway to Outer Northern Expressway in Abuja after playwright and Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka.
The highway’s naming follows the recommendation of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, led by the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike.
In a post via his X on Tuesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the highway will now be called Professor Wole Soyinka Highway.
Tinubu, in naming the road after Soyinka, who will be 90 on July 13, highlighted his contributions to literature and his role in elevating Nigeria’s global cultural standing.
The president also asserted that the novelist had brought honour and fame to Nigeria through his unparalleled contributions to literature and his unwavering commitment to human rights and social justice.
Tinubu added that the gesture is a fitting tribute to a man who has dedicated his life to the pursuit of truth, freedom, and artistic excellence.
“Naming this highway after him is a fitting tribute to a man who has dedicated his life to the pursuit of truth, freedom, and artistic excellence,” the president said.
Recall that Soyinka was under fire recently for saying that the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was unfit to lead the country.
The poet said this had become evident with the conduct of his supporters, popularly known as ‘Obidients’, during electioneering of the 2023 general elections.
Soyinka stated that Obi’s failure to intervene in his supporters’ attacks on others with opposing views online was a sign that he was unfit to become Nigerian president.