Soyinka visits UNIZIK, urges Nigerian government to protect her citizens

A Noble Laureate, Wole Soyinka, Friday, on Friday visited the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Unizik, Awka, Anambra.

During the visit, Mr. Soyinka had a brief chat with the university vice chancellor, Joseph Ahaneku, in his office and was also later briefly interviewed at the university FM radio station, UNIZIK 94.1 FM, Awka.

Mr. Soyinka proceeded to the university auditorium and delivered a lecture on Magic Lantern: Excursions in the Creative Realm at the 3rd Ziks Lecture Series organized by the Faculty of Social Sciences of the university.

While delivering the lecture, Mr. Soyinka condemned the high rate of insecurity in Nigeria and the poor attitude of successive governments towards the development of the education sector. He urged the government to see the security of lives of her citizens as a priority and also give more necessary assistance to the betterment of the education sector.

In his opening remarks, the chairman of the occasion and also the former secretary general of the Commonwealth, Emeka Anyaoku, expressed his appreciation to the university for organizing the event because it would serve as an intellectual booster. Mr. Anyaoku also pledged his support to the future editions of the event.

In his remarks, Mr. Ahaneku thanked the Noble Laureate for honoring his invitation to the event despite his tight schedules and promised that the university would always support such good gesture in the future.

Mr. Ahaneku also restated the willingness of his administration to move the university to a higher level.

In his remarks, the executive Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, pledged that his government would always support all programmes that would promote education in the state.

Represented by the state Commissioner of Education, Kate Omenugha, Mr. Obiano disclosed that Anambra state has emerged as the best in various national educational competitions organized for primary and secondary schools across Nigeria and attributed the success to the love and tireless efforts of the state government on the development of education in the state and urged all to join hands with the government to do more as the government cannot do all alone.

Majority of the students interviewed expressed joy for the event as it gave them the opportunity to physically meet Mr. Soyinka.

However, the students lamented that they found it difficult to understand the lecture due to the high level grammar employed in almost all paragraphs of the lecture by Mr. Soyinka and prayed the Nobel Laureate and other scholars to always employ simpler English whenever they address audiences in order to achieve effective communication.

Other dignitaries at the event were the Eze-Uzu of Awka, Obi Nwosu, lecturers, students and journalists.