Press Release
Prof. Wole Soyinka: You Had Transcended the Bar of a Legend, You Are a Deity, Says Ajiboye
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has been venerated by the Executive Secretary/CEO of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Otunba Biodun Ajiboye as symbolic deity and not just a mere legend.
Speaking at an event organized by Oduduwa Heritage Home in collaboration with Parliamentarian Gabriel Magno at the Legislative Chamber of the Federal District in Brazil, tagged “Brazil-Nigeria: Heritage, Dialogue and Future”, Otunba Ajiboye who is also the Secretary, World Orisha Congress (WOOCON), said Professor Wole Soyinka’s elevation to the status of a deity comes from his numerous contribution to humanity.
According to him, Soyinka, who is globally celebrated for his towering contributions to drama, poetry, and intellectual thought should not be referred to merely as a legend but as a timeless figure whose voice transcends generations, embodying both the conscience and creative spirit of Africa.
His words “When I was ten years old, my father told me a story. He said there was a man who spoke English so well that even if he spoke to a tree, the tree would obey him. That man was Wole Soyinka. From that moment, I promised my father that I would go to school and one day become a friend to that legend called Professor Wole Soyinka”.
“Twenty years ago, I was on a programme called the Nigeria Telecom Awards, and through that journey, I became friends with some of his children. I looked for him, and our relationship had blossomed from then”.
“I am an Orisa devotee. I was born into Orisa. My grandmother was an Orisa worshipper, and my grandfather was a Babalawo. I have no regrets about this heritage, and I stand proudly before the world to declare that I am an Orisa person”.
“A nation without a cultural identity is a nation without a future. A man without a cultural identity is like one hanging in the sky — his head not touching the heavens, and his feet not touching the earth. Sadly, that is the reality of many of my brothers and sisters here today”.
The World Orisha Congress (WOOCON) aims to gather over 5 million Orisha devotees around the world in Nigeria for a spiritual convergence with a view to reconnect with their ancestral roots.
Professor Wole Soyinka is currently a Patron to World Orisha Congress (WOOCON) alongside Professor Wande Abimbola with the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi as Chairman and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade as Co-Chairman. Otunba Francis Meshioye is the Vice Chairman while Oba Jacob Olobaleshin Oyetunji, the Ataoja of Oshogbo is the Deputy Chairman.
Caleb Nor
Media Assistant to Executive Secretary, NICO
