It was a night of audacious declarations and glittering culture as President Bola Tinubu stormed the reopening of the renovated Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Lagos, vowing that Nigeria will never fall apart under his leadership.
The President, flanked by the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and even the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, declared, “This is the giant of Africa, it won’t fall on you, it won’t disintegrate in my hand.”
Tinubu urged Nigerians to stop speaking ill of their country and instead lift its spirit:
“Stop talking about Nigeria in the negative tone. This is a country of very proud people. Let’s build it together… Believe in Nigeria, put Nigeria first.”
The glittering event, which turned the once-neglected National Theatre into a world-class arts hub, was also a grand homage to Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka. Tinubu insisted the name change was non-negotiable, quipping:
“I know definitely you will not disobey this president. I said it has to be Wole Soyinka Centre.”
CBN Governor Yemi Cardoso hailed the ₦68 billion project as a “rebirth” for Nigerian culture, declaring the Centre a beacon of heritage that will once again host African creativity at its peak.
And in typical Soyinka wit, the man of the hour responded with thanks, and a jab, saying, “Your president is a great conspirator… he knows how to lay ambush. It’s okay. This netted yet another victim, and I want to thank you.”
The night was a cultural carnival of music, dance, and history, but it was Tinubu’s thunderous vow that stole the spotlight: Nigeria will not break. Not now, not ever.
