The Theatre Arts And Motion Pictures Practitioners Association Of Nigeria (TAMPAN) on Friday said renaming the National Arts Theatre after Prof. Wole Soyinka would inspire the younger generation to thirst after excellence.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Bola Tinubu in a tribute to the Nobel Laureate, in commemoration of his 90th birthday on Friday, said the National Arts Theatre in Lagos will henceforth be known as Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts.
The President said this was in appreciation for Soyinka’s remarkable contributions toward the growth of the literary industry.
Mr Bolaji Amusan, National President of TAMPAN, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said “this is a reward for excellence long overdue”.
Amusan congratulated Soyinka, urging Nigerian youth to emulate his virtues to attain success.
“This is a reward for excellence for Wole Soyinka. When things like this happen, it will inspire the younger generation to do more.
“For us at TAMPAN, it is an honour long overdue. We congratulate him and wish him sound health, more achievements even after 90,” he said
NAN reports that Soyinka is a playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist.
He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature for his wide cultural perspective and poetic overtones fashioning the drama of existence, the first sub-Saharan African to win the prize in literature.