Speaking at the closing ceremony of the CANEX Live Theatre during the 3rd Intra-African Trade Fair, IATF 2023, held in Cairo on Friday, Soyinka expressed his concerns about the evolving Internet culture.

While acknowledging the positive aspects of technology, including its role in movements like the Arab Spring, Soyinka cautioned against the emergence of what he referred to as the “new Internet culture.”

He described this culture as tyrannical, insolent, and abusive, downgrading real creativity in favor of cheap, populist, and subversive tendencies.

Soyinka emphasized that this Internet culture is contributing to the creation of new generations of illiterates who believe it is noble and progressive to disdain meaningful culture.

He highlighted the degradation of genuine cultural values and the prevalence of abuse facilitated by Internet technology, particularly in Nigerian society.

The Nobel laureate urged caution and a nuanced approach to addressing these issues, emphasizing the need to resist the degradation of meaningful culture and not let the “barbarians” succeed in their efforts to undermine the essence of culture in the digital age.

Recalls that the DSS had on Thursday invaded Igboho’s residence, killing two of his allies, based on intelligence it said it had received that he was stockpiling arms to cause chaos within the region.

Following this, the DSS, through its spokesman, Peter Afunanya, while addressing newsmen in Abuja, declared the activist wanted over alleged activities threatening the common existence of the country.

Soyinka, while reacting to the development in an interview with BBC on Monday advised the Federal Government to reverse its decision on arresting Igboho.

“My advise to the government is that they should stop pursuing Igboho as a criminal, because you have begun by acting in a criminal fashion against him,” he said.

“If and when Igboho comes to trial, I guarantee you the government will be very embarrassed.

“I think they should tell Igboho ‘we made a mistake’, ‘we should not have acted in this way’, ‘you are no longer wanted’, ‘go back to your home, in fact escort him to his home’ and let him resume his normal life.”

According to Soyinka, Igboho’s fight for freedom was preceded by criminal acts of enemies of Nigeria who “appear to be supported by the force of the State.”

The DSS invaded Igboho’s house in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday, July 1, and two of his associates were killed during the invasion.

In an interview with BBC Pidgin published on Monday, July 5, Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, said the government’s actions and rationale for invading Igboho’s home “stinks.”

He said “My advice to the government is that they should stop pursuing Igboho as a criminal because you have begun by acting in a criminal fashion against him. If and when Igboho comes to trial, I guarantee you the government will be very embarrassed. I think they should tell Igboho ‘we made a mistake, ‘we should not have acted in this way, ‘you are no longer wanted’, ‘go back to your home. In fact, escort him to his home and let him resume his normal life”

While Soyinka added that he doesn’t “like the sound of a Yoruba Nation” any more than he likes the sound of a Tiv or Igbo nation, but he said the country must be restructured through the decentralisation of power.

Soyinka, who spoke in Abuja at a summit to mark the United Nations International Anti- Corruption Day, said he will be the last person to support any idea terminating a recourse to information even though he has been a victim of hate news and fake news.

He said “We all are disgusted with fake news, hate news, destabilising and toxic news, but let’s ask ourselves seriously what we think we are doing if we start chopping off the heads of those whom we considered to have offended our sensibilities, either as individuals or as institutions, especially if such actions terminate the possibility of free expression, even though sometimes there is abuse of that expression. I stand here as one of those individuals who have been most affected by hate news, fake news, even to the extent that I had my identity stolen, abused and used in all kinds of ways, against what I really believe in. But I’ll be the last person to support any idea of terminating a recourse to information simply because some people abuse the means of that and the answer to that is people or put them before a firing squad. When you take a combination, therefore, of a major principle, almost core security institution, you take that side by side with that of a legislative house, it curtails the possibility of an opened society and looks as if we have all been put in a slave plantation. For instance, if the DSS is accused tomorrow of corruption, the DSS will say this is hate speech, off with its head and then maybe when we get to court and the judge grants the poor felon a temporary reprieve to bail, any security agency can then jump in the court, re-arrest the felon, break into the citadel of justice and say ‘we are re-arresting this individual because he’s indulged in hate speech. Let us be careful in our responses to failures of society and make sure that we are not cutting off our noses to spite our faces”.

In the letter released by Laolu Akande, Osinbajo’s spokesman, the vice-president said it would be insensitive for him to attend the award ceremony in the light of the travails of Omoyele Sowore, convener of RevolutionNow movement.

The letter reads:

”I am extremely grateful for the recognition and award of the “Integrity Specialty of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism’s Anti-corruption Defender Award of 2019” to me. The award, I note, is for our Justice reform efforts in Lagos State. I had accepted the award with pride on behalf of the excellent Justice Sector team we had. However, two reasons explain my absence. First is that I am currently in Abu Dhabi for an international meeting under the auspices of the government of the UAE where I am the keynote speaker.  Second, in view of the development on Friday in the Sowore case, I think it would be insensitive and inappropriate to attend the ceremony. Please accept my heartfelt apologies and extend the same to the other members of the organizing team. God bless you.”

Soyinka, in a statement he personally issued late Tuesday night said it should become abundantly clear by now that Civil Society Organisations, committed to the entrenchment of the Rule of Law and the defence of fundamental human rights must come together.

Read the statement below
“This is not a new cry. They must meet, debate, and embark on a binding pact of tactical responses whenever these two pillars of civilized society are besieged by the demolition engines of state security agencies. The sporadic, uncoordinated responses as in the case of Omoyele Sowore, the absence of a solid strategy, ready to be activated against any threat these continue to enable these agencies in their mission to enthrone a pattern of conduct that openly scoffs at the role of the judiciary in national life. Result? A steady entrenchment of the cult of impunity in the dealings of state with the citizenry both individuals and organizations. The level of arrogance has crossed even the most permissive thresholds. It is heart-warming to witness the determined efforts of “Concerned Nigerians” in defence of these rights. Why the desperation? The answer is straightforward: the government never imagined that the bail conditions for Sowore would ever be met. Even Sowore’s supporters despaired. The bail test was clearly set to fail! It took a while for the projection to be reversed, and it left the DSS floundering. That agency then resorted to childish, cynical lies. It claimed that the ordered release was no longer in their hands, but in Sowore’s end of the transfer. The lie being exploded, what next? Bullets of course. As I remarked from the onset, this is an act of government insecurity and paranoia that merely defeats its real purpose. And now – bullets? This is no longer comical. Perhaps it is necessary to remind this government of precedents in other lands where, even years after the event, those who trampled on established human rights that generate homicidal impunity are called to account for abuse of power and crimes against humanity. The protests for Sowore’s release go beyond only acts of solidarity, they are manifestations of the judgment and authority of courts of law, under which this nation is supposedly governed. Either it is, or it isn’t. The answer stares us all in the face. The principles that now fall under threat implicate more than one individual under travail. They involve the very entitlement of a nation to lay claim to membership of any democratic, humanized union. Enough of this charade, nothing more than a display of crude, naked power. Release Omoyele Sowore and save us further embarrassment in the regard of the world. An apology to the nation by the DSS and the judiciary would also not be out of place. It would go some distance in redeeming the image of an increasingly fascistic agency and reduce the swelling tide of public disillusionment. Let the rule of law reign. Failing that, have the honesty to proclaim the death of ordered society. Then we’ll all know just where we stand.

Ezekwesili said this in an interview with journalists after speaking as a panelist in the 11th Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture series.

She said “I think that the President is Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. If security is failing in the country, that is the fastest way to assess the incompetence that the president has shown so far to an issue that affects the majority of his citizens. I do not think we should mince words and that is why I am not mincing words. We cannot have a president who is comfortable to be in the office and spend the night at the Villa unconcerned by the type of challenges that we the citizens are facing. The truth is that a government that cannot guaranty the security and safety of the citizens and the government that would not immediately ensure that there is a consequence for the kind of killings that we have seen around the country, but would rather inflame the passions of the people negatively by introducing a matter that is divisive, that government needs to be called to scrutiny and interrogation. So, for me, the security issue in our society today says to President Buhari: You are not commanding the Nigerian Armed forces in the way that you should. The safety of the citizens of this country should above every other issue because after all when the dignity of the human life is held in contempt, what else it is in governance.”