Tinubu ignored my advice; I’ll assess his office after one year, says Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Monday, said he would assess President Tinubu’s administration after one year into his tenure after ignoring his advice not to run for presidency.

Soyinka stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to President Tinubu in Lagos.

The literary icon, who described this as a personal policy of his, said this one-year delay gives the President enough time to “make up” for lost grounds.

He said: “Well, you know, something you may have noticed about me is that most heads of state, when they take office, I always leave them alone for about the first year…because they need time.

“I know when they come in, they don’t start from ground zero. They often start even lower than ground zero and they have to make up.

“So, I’m adopting the same principle this time. When you see me next year, ask the same question again and listen to my answer,” he said.

According to Soyinka, he approached the President with a seven-point agenda which he declined to reveal.

“I came here with a seven-point agenda. And we had a very thorough discussion on those items.

“Actually, it’s an embarrassing visit because when I visited him the last time, it was to try and persuade him not to run for office. I told Atiku and himself to please leave the ground so young people could run. That’s the last time we met about five years ago.

“So I came to see how he was doing after ignoring my advice. I came to see how both he and his wife were weathering Nigeria, and to wish them a Happy Christmas,” he said.