You Are Suddenly Deaf And Dumb – Fr. Kelvin Ugwu Blasts Wole Soyinka For His Silence Under Tinubu’s Govt

Catholic missionary priest serving in Gambia, Rev. Fr. Kelvin Ugwu, has criticized renowned writer Wole Soyinka for what he described as the playwright’s silence under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Speaking via a Facebook post, titled ‘Prof Soyinka then vs Prof Soyinka now’, he accused the Nobel laureate of becoming less vocal when President Muhammadu Buhari came into power and becoming totally silent under Tinubu’s government.

Ugwu recalled that during the administrations of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, Soyinka was outspoken, describing him as a “movement” and “social crusader” who openly challenged government excesses

He said, “Then came Tinubu, a man with no clear identity and whose academic records are in question. In just two years in office, he has plunged Nigeria into deeper debt and Nigerians into multidimensional poverty.” 

He lamented that Soyinka, once a prominent voice for the masses, had “suddenly become deaf and dumb” under Tinubu’s administration, questioning what may have caused the change.

Ugwu also dismissed suggestions that ethnic loyalty was behind Soyinka’s silence, saying the Nobel laureate had criticised past Yoruba leaders, including Obasanjo.

He further insinuated that Tinubu’s influence over critics might be inexplicable, adding humorously that “if this is what people mean by juju, then juju is powerful.”