"There Was a Time He Was a Voice For The Voiceless, But Today, He Appears Deaf And Dumb" - Fr. Kelvin Blasts Soyinka For Silence Under Tinubu’s Govt

By: Israel Adeleke

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that a Catholic missionary priest serving in The Gambia, Rev. Fr. Kelvin Ugwu, while reminiscing on how Nigeria transformed drastically, strongly criticized Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, accusing him of maintaining a deliberate silence in the face of worsening economic hardship and political decline under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

OTN News further reports that Fr. Ugwu who disclosed this in a Facebook post titled “Prof. Soyinka Then vs. Prof. Soyinka Now,” expressed disappointment that the once-vocal literary icon and social critic has seemingly withdrawn from public engagement since the emergence of Tinubu’s administration.

According to the priest, Soyinka, who was once regarded as the moral conscience of Nigeria gradually became less outspoken during President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime and has now gone completely quiet under Tinubu’s leadership.

He wrote, “there was a time when Prof. Soyinka was more than a man—he was a movement, a voice for the voiceless, a fearless crusader who challenged the powerful and defended the oppressed." 

“But today, that same Soyinka appears deaf and dumb in the face of the suffering that millions of Nigerians endure.” he added.

Furthermore, Fr. Ugwu recalled that during the administrations of Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, Soyinka was a prominent critic who never hesitated to call out corruption, abuse of power, or social injustice. 

He noted that the Nobel laureate had built a reputation as a fearless intellectual whose interventions shaped national discourse.

However, Ugwu lamented that the same energy has vanished under Tinubu, whom he described as “a man with questionable credentials and no clear identity.” 

He accused the current administration of driving Nigeria deeper into economic crisis and unprecedented levels of poverty within just two years in office.

“In barely two years, Tinubu has buried Nigeria in more debt and inflicted multidimensional poverty on the people,” the priest said, wondering aloud what could have silenced Soyinka so completely.

Addressing claims that ethnic loyalty might explain Soyinka’s restraint, Ugwu rejected the argument, noting that the Nobel laureate had in the past criticized Yoruba leaders such as Obasanjo without hesitation.

He added in a tone of irony that the only possible explanation for the sudden silence might be the mysterious power of influence surrounding the current government.

“If this is what people mean by juju, then that juju must be very powerful indeed,” he quipped.

Fr. Ugwu’s remarks have, however, since generated wide debate on social media, with many Nigerians echoing his sentiments about the decline of once-respected public voices who have gone quiet amid growing hardship and political disillusionment.