I will politely decline any honorary degree, Soyinka

The Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has said that the next time he is invited to accept any honorary degree, he will politely decline.

Soyinka speaking at the convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State where he was conferred with the Doctor of Letters honours yesterday, said he was done with the conferment of honorary degrees on him.

He said : “This is an institution, where in the same town and state, is where I took my first steps to learning. So it is symmetrical, it is a closure. I said this is symbolical way to end my teaching career. But there is one thing which I thought, that, suppose this is the last honorary degree, I receive from anywhere, what a beautiful closure it is.

“The reason I am announcing it now is because I can always use you, this institution, this town, all the royalties present, the students, as witnesses to this day, that the next time I am invited to accept any honorary degree, I will politely decline.