Otunba Gbenga Daniel, former Governor of Ogun State and current senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, revealed the numerous ways Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, whose 90th birthday is being celebrated globally, supported him throughout his career.
Daniel shared these insights during his keynote address at an event organized by the Isara community, where Soyinka hails from, to celebrate the literary icon’s milestone. The celebration, tagged “Celebrating the Illustrious Son of Isara-Remo, Prof. Wole Soyinka at 90,” took place on Monday, July 15, at Afotamodi Town Hall, Isara-Remo, Ogun State, facilitated by Kunle Awobodu.
As chairman of the occasion, Daniel recounted how Soyinka inspired and encouraged him in various modernization efforts, including the installation of an elevator at Olumo Rock, a popular tourist destination in Abeokuta. He detailed his encounter with Soyinka in America, where the Nobel Laureate was a visiting lecturer at Emory University, and how their discussions on tourism led to the project at Olumo Rock.
Daniel also highlighted Soyinka’s pivotal role as an ambassador for the Gateway Games, the National Sports Festival held in Ogun State in 2006. Soyinka’s involvement lent credibility to the event, helping the state raise the necessary funds despite initial financial constraints.
Daniel expressed profound gratitude for Soyinka’s support, noting that the modernization of Olumo Rock and the success of the Gateway Games would not have been possible without his guidance and influence.
Reflecting on Soyinka’s contributions, Daniel said, “Prof. Soyinka was in exile. And I went to America. I was looking for him. I think he was a visiting lecturer at Emory University in Atlanta. So I went to Emory. And I said I was looking for Prof. Wole Soyinka. First, they were looking at me, to see whether I was a secret agent. But later on when they interviewed me, they now said ‘Okay.’ They made it possible for me to see him.
“I then told him that I had an ambition to be governor of Ogun State. And we did start talking. One of the places he took me to was a sight that had a high mountain. And in that mountain, they had ways and means of climbing to the top. They had an elevator and escalators.
“I then started talking to him about tourism, what we can do to improve tourism in Nigeria and in Ogun State. When I became governor, I went to Olumo Rock and saw the challenge old people were facing, how dangerous it was to go to the top of that hill.
‘Based on the fact that I am an engineer, I said I was going to install an elevator at Olumo Rock. And that was how we went into Olumo Rock and installed the elevator, which is still there today.
“So if somebody is 70 years old, 80 years old, instead of climbing that rock in the most dangerous manner, they are able to reach the pinnacle of that rock. That was what I learnt from Prof. Wole Soyinka.
“The second thing that he did for us which we are not going to forget in a hurry was when we wanted to host the Gateway Games. When we got the approval to do that games in 2006, the government told us bluntly that we have no money to give you. So, if you want to do the games, go and find money to run the games.
“We ran to Prof. Wole Soyinka. I said, ‘Prof, this is a challenge that we have. How do we go about it?’ Somebody then suggested that we should make Prof. the ambassador of the Gateway Games.
“We suggested the idea to him and happily he agreed to be the ambassador of the Gateway Games. So we went and celebrated him in a most dramatic manner. And once everybody that we talked to discovered that Wole Soyinka was our ambassador, they started giving us money.
“Because they felt what we were doing had credibility. That Gateway Games which we held in 2006 remains the best National Sports festival till today. I am told that our state is going to host another one next year. So I am hoping the state is going to host the one that will beat what we did in 2006.”
The event celebrated Soyinka’s enduring legacy and his significant impact on Ogun State and beyond.
Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.
