A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has described Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka as the conscience of the nation.
In a statement yesterday in Lagos by his Media Office to congratulate Soyinka as he joined the elite club of octogenarians, Tinubu said: “No word can describe what you have achieved as a professional and a patriot. You are one of a kind. You have become the conscience of our nation, pricking us and alerting us to the dangers ahead. You have not stopped there; you have gone further to proffer solutions in a timely and comprehensive manner on how to move things forward. Your words and interventions continue to resonate here at home and globally.
“You remain one of the few truly celebrated Nigerian icons and a solid and powerful voice. Indeed, one of the very few powerful voices who continue to speak up against injustice, inequality and creeping fascism. The more they try to diminish you, the more your status rise in distinction to their incoherence and verbiage. Each time they try to silence you, your voice rings out louder and clearer. You have always said: ‘The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism’. And you are being proved right with our experience. We take instruction in these words of yours.
“Nigeria’s search for true democracy remains on course because of your unrelenting and lucid interventions. Through the years, you have demonstrated a fierce commitment to the Nigerian project and worked assiduously with different groups and organisations in the singular effort to ensure that Nigeria’s democracy survives and we achieve an egalitarian society.
“I identify with you in this struggle for a better and greater Nigeria and stand side by side with you in your condemnation of the impunity of the present administration and the demand you have made that the current Nigerian government has a case to answer for all the unconstitutional acts it is perpetrating.
“I celebrate with you today. May you grow in wisdom and knowledge. May you find peace and remain in good health. Happy birthday”!
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