OWN CORRESPONDENT, Lagos | Wednesday 10.00pm.
NIGERIAN Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka arrived back in Nigeria on Wednesday to a tumultuous welcome, greeted by thousands of friends supporters as he ended almost four years in exile. Soyinka, the most prominent critic of the late dictator General Sani Abacha, flew into Lagos from London.
Thousands turned out to welcome the celebrated author, chanting, dancing and singing his name as he was carried through the crowds shoulder high to a convoy that sped him into the city.
His first stop was to pay a visit to the family of the late opposition leader Moshood Abiola, who died in jail in July. Soyinka, who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1986, eight years later fled the country after Abacha ordered his arrest and only agreed to return to Nigeria after Abacha died in June and was replaced by General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
The way was opened for his return when Abubakar agreed to hold elections and return Nigeria to a civilian regime and police withdrew treason charges against Soyinka and other pro-democracy activists.
Speaking to reporters, he said he would be staying in Nigeria for around one week and said he would give a speech Friday to set out his vision for the country. He applauded Abubakar’s commitment to reform and said he would return to the country “soon”. — AFP