Soyinka deserves greater national honour at 92, Moghalu hails Nobel Laureate

Former Nigerian Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Kingsley Moghalu, has lauded Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, describing him as a "national treasure and a global titan" on the occasion of the writer's 92nd birthday. Moghalu advocated for Nigeria to bestow greater national honors upon Soyinka, drawing parallels with how other countries recognize distinguished personalities and Nobel laureates.

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Wole Soyinka is a national treasure and a global titan of immense dimensions and proportions. In certain countries, individuals who achieve what he has are greatly honoured in many formal ways, including diplomatic passports (I hope he holds, at the very least, a Nigerian diplomatic passport), honorary citizenship and so on.

In a statement released Tuesday, Moghalu suggested formal recognitions such as diplomatic passports or honorary citizenship, noting that countries often provide lasting tributes to their Nobel laureates. He recalled that Nigeria's military government sent a high-powered delegation when Soyinka received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, an event widely covered on national television.

Moghalu welcomed the recent conferment of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Soyinka, calling it "fitting, even if long overdue." He also expressed personal gratitude for Soyinka's continued vitality and influence, recalling the literary icon's "detailed, explicit and well-argued endorsement" of his 2019 presidential candidacy.

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The national Honor of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) recently awarded to him was fitting, even if long overdue.

Soyinka, the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, is celebrated not only for his prolific literary works but also for his decades-long advocacy for democracy, human rights, and good governance.

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I am honoured to count Wole Soyinka as a senior friend, and thank God for giving him a long life, even as we pray for many more years to him. His travel and activity schedule at 92 will put many much younger people to shame! Few things have honoured me in my life as his detailed, explicit and well-argued endorsement of my presidential candidacy in Nigeria in 2019. I thank him – again.