President, Women Arise (WA), Dr Joe Okei Odumakin, has felicitated with Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, as he clocks 87, describing him as a pathfinder for ages and as constant as the Northern star as well as being the conscience of the masses in service to fatherland.
This was just as the woman activist also described him as Africa’s first Nobel Laureate in the academic category, specifically in Literature, a tireless crusader for human rights; a voice that could not be silenced come what may and one who forever is found speaking truth to power.
Okei- Odumakin said this, on Monday, in a press release, signed by her, copy of which was made available to the Tribune Online, recalling the key roles the Nobel Laureate had played in the emancipation of the masses of the country, at the risk of his life.
According to the woman activist, Soyinka, who is popularly referred to as Kongi, filled the void acting as a one-man Riot Squad when there were no civil society groups to serve as the conscience of the masses, saying the regime of defunct Western Region led by the late Premier Ladoke Akintola could bear him witness.
Besides, Okei-Odumakin said Soyinka’s role in the 30-month long Nigerian Civil War and his epic novel, “The Man Died,” bear him witness, adding: “When the Nigerian Constitution was yet to assign the media the role of holding government accountable to the people, you had picked up the gauntlet and filled the gap.”
While saluting the Nobel Laureate and wishing him happy birthday, Okei- Odumakin prayed to God to grant him long life in the services to mankind.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state. Soyinka@87: A pathfinder for ages, tireless crusader for human rights
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report… Soyinka@87: A pathfinder for ages, tireless crusader for human rights
and then