Why Prof. Wole Soyinka Thinks His Generation Has Failed Nigerians

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka is highly disappointed in his generation of older Nigerians and their dissatisfactory output that he said has failed the country.

During his interview on Hard Talk, a BBC programme yesterday, Wole Soyinka expressed his disappointment When he was asked by the anchor, Zeinab Badawi, “Has your generation of older Nigerians failed the people?”, the Nobel laureate replied

“Yes, I believe so. I compare today with dreams and aspirations we had when we all rushed home after studies abroad. We considered ourselves the renaissance people that were going to lift the continent to world standards, competitors anywhere. It hasn’t happened.”

He went on to describe the 2019 general election as the most depressing election Nigeria has ever had.

“The 2019 election is one of the most depressing elections we’ve been through. Talking for myself, it wasn’t possible for me to make a choice for the simple reason that both candidates (President Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar) had histories – one immediate, one past – which made one look for alternatives.” he said