Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has warned against attributing Nigeria’s democratic achievements to single individuals, insisting that the country’s democracy was built on the collective sacrifices of many men and women whose contributions may never be fully documented.
Soyinka made the remarks this week at the NADECO Awards ceremony and the launch of a book chronicling the organization’s history, written by former NADECO General Secretary Ayo Opadokun.
“I am very sure that no one here can single out any particular political figure as solely responsible for the achievements recorded. Many people contributed, often suddenly and unexpectedly, in ways history may never fully capture,” he said.
Soyinka praised Opadokun’s book describing it as a timely and necessary intervention that corrects distorted narratives around the lives of key figures in the pro-democracy movement. He said the publication would serve not just as a historical record, but as a tool for better governance by reminding those in power of the ideals the struggle was built upon.
“It reflects participation, documentation, and determination. It also challenges those who are expected to act on issues to put the country on the right path through the desired results,” he said.
He expressed appreciation for the book’s treatment of activists who played pivotal roles in the democracy struggle but later withdrew entirely from public life while their contributions went unacknowledged. Soyinka recalled the difficult years he and fellow NADECO members spent abroad, particularly in Paris, where the movement operated under severe financial strain.
“We were permanently short of resources in France, and we had to manage whatever little assistance we could get. The support and encouragement from friends and associates were very crucial in keeping us going,” he said.
Despite those hardships, he said the group was sustained by faith and an unshakeable belief in the eventual triumph of truth. “We prayed constantly that our country would not collapse and that better days would eventually come,” he added.
While welcoming the renewed interest in documenting NADECO’s story, Soyinka urged all those engaged in retelling Nigeria’s democratic history to do so with care and a sense of responsibility, given the sensitivity of the subject matter and its implications for living individuals.
He then urged President Bola Tinubu to regard the democratic structures bequeathed by the struggle generation in trust, saying, “The request I want to make is that the President should continue to build on the foundations already laid by those who fought for democracy and national stability. One of the greatest responsibilities before this nation today is to preserve the structures that sustain peace, justice, and democratic governance.”