Soyinka, who spoke in a keynote address at the grand finale of the Lafarge National Literacy Competition (LNLC) held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos yesterday, said he was glad seeing pupils from some northern states in the finals of the competition.
He urged the teachers to keep doing their best to educate children in their care, calling for support from other parts of the country.
Soyinka said: “I was so delighted as I moved up here and I saw representatives of the beleaguered states in this nation. I saw Nasarawa; I saw Gombe and I saw Kano. These states and others, including Kaduna and Benue, are at the forefront of the literacy struggle because they confront one of the most determined enemies of reading; of literacy; of enlightenment that we have ever experienced in this nation. And it is a battle, which is still ongoing. And when I see representatives, especially young representatives of those states in a kind of event that has to do with literature, literacy, education generally, I say to myself the battle not only is not lost but will be won.