Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has dismissed attempts by Nigerians to dictate when he should evaluate President Bola Tinubu’s administration, insisting that he will share his thoughts only when he deems it necessary.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, March 24, Soyinka rejected calls for him to deliver an assessment by Tinubu’s one-year mark on May 29, 2024, saying he would not be pressured into following a fixed timeline.
“People should stop trying to work on my timetable for me,” he stated in response to reminders about his past remark that he would assess Tinubu’s leadership after one year.
“I had not swallowed an alarm clock,” Soyinka quipped. “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.”
He recalled his December 24, 2023, visit to Tinubu in Ikoyi, where he had said he would wait for a full year before commenting. However, amid growing criticism of the administration’s economic policies, inflation, and rising cost of living, some Nigerians have demanded his views.
Soyinka dismissed the pressure, stating, “This business of ‘you haven’t come to do this’, I don’t understand it. Other people are speaking. The Falanas, the Baiyewus, the Sowores—this is a collective effort.”
He further questioned why people expected him to conduct a formal review of Tinubu’s administration, pointing out that he never did so for past leaders like Obasanjo, Jonathan, or Buhari.
“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 I must call a press conference and announce an assessment, I ask: Did I do that with Jonathan? Did I do that with Buhari? Did I do that with Obasanjo? So, why is it expected of me now?”
Soyinka concluded by reaffirming that he will speak on his own terms and when necessary, rather than bowing to public demands.