I tried to persuade Tinubu not to run for presidency but he didn’t listen – Soyinka

Renowned Nigerian playwright, Prof Wole Soyinka, revealed that President Bola Tinubu chose to disregard his counsel against running for the presidency.

Soyinka, who visited Tinubu and his wife at their Lagos residence as a courtesy, expressed his concern about the President’s decision during the visit. The literary icon disclosed that he presented a seven-point agenda to the President, characterizing the encounter as an “embarrassing” one.

“I came here with a seven-point agenda. And we had a very thorough discussion on those items,” Soyinka told reporters after the visit.

“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.