The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has celebrated Nobel laureate Professor Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka, CFR, GCON, describing him as a “living legend” and “guiding light” as he marks his 92nd birthday.
In a statement was signed by Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, National Publicity Secretary of the SDP, the party said its members joined the playwright’s family, friends, and admirers around the world in celebrating what it called a momentous occasion in the life of a global icon.
The SDP described Professor Soyinka as a moral compass whose commitment to truth has remained steady through Nigeria’s turbulent political history. The party credited him with serving as a source of hope for Nigerians during difficult national moments, pointing to his intellect, integrity, and decades of contribution to nation-building.
“He has consistently been a radiant star and a burning constancy in the chaotic Nigerian sky,” the party said, adding that his writing and activism have long provided direction during periods of social and political uncertainty.
Recalling his place in literary history, the SDP noted that Professor Soyinka became the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded to him in 1986. The Nobel committee recognized him for a body of work shaped by wide cultural perspective and poetic depth in dramatizing human existence.
The party also referenced commentary from American literary scholar Reed Way Dasenbrock, a professor of English, who described the award as thoroughly deserved and historic — the first Nobel Prize in Literature given to an African writer, and the first awarded to any writer from the new literatures in English that emerged from Britain’s former colonies.
The SDP highlighted its own ties to the Nobel laureate, noting that its National Secretary, Dr. Olu Agunloye, is a longtime protégé of Professor Soyinka. The party said it continues to draw inspiration from his life and legacy in its own political work, describing him as a democratic icon whose example strengthens its pursuit of a better Nigerian society.
Marking the birthday, the SDP extended wishes for continued good health and fulfilment to Professor Soyinka, whom it called an uncommon wordsmith, and expressed hope that Nigeria, Africa, and the wider world would continue to benefit from his knowledge and example for years to come.
