I didn’t graduate with third class – Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, on Sunday, said he graduated with Second Class Upper Division and not Third Class Honour from the University College, Ibadan, as widely believed.

He said this while fielding questions from 79 secondary school students drawn from different parts of the country, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, as part of 2013 Open Door Series project, “Memoirs of Our Future,” an international cultural exchange programme organised to mark his 79th birthday.

The programme was organised by a Lagos-based multi-media company, Zmirage, in collaboration with the Ogun State government.

Soyinka told the students that he decided to open up on the matter as a mark of respect for

them, while urging the students, especially those living in violence-prone areas of the North, not to be discouraged by the activities of Boko Haram.

He admonished the students not to be satisfied with failure, but to strive to be the best in all their undertakings, while tasking President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government and state governors to eliminate barriers and create conducive environment for Nigerians to access qualitative education.