I Never Thought I Would Live Up To 90 – Wole Soyinka

Nigerian playwright and Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, has said that he never thought he would live to be 90.

CityNews reports that Soyinka, who was born on July 13, 1934, clocked 90 on Saturday.

Fielding questions from about 383 students who participated in the 2024 edition of the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange Programme held in Soyinka’s ARI residence, Ijegba, Abeokuta, the writer said he did not envisage living up to 90.

He explained that he decided to be a writer to correct some anomalies in stories he listened to while growing up.

On why he broke into a radio station during the military era, he said, “I never broke into a radio station, but sneaked in. The radio station was holding on to something that belonged to the people, and I decided to retrieve it. If that item had been played, it would have demoralised the people and established the culture of brutality.”

He chided Nigerians for always criticising the state but unwilling to examine themselves.

Soyinka said crimes like kidnapping and robbery, among others, could not be blamed on poverty or inequality, but on selfishness and the desire to live a life of luxury.

He praised the governor of Ogun state, Dapo Abiodun for helping to develop the environment around his abode and saving it from degradation.