Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has lambasted President Muhammadu Buhari’s order to lock down states in the nation by describing it as “unconstitutional and a political virus for the future.”
Speaking via a statement he titled, “Wole Soyinka from Self-Quarantine, ” he further queried if the president has the power to shut down state borders.
Statement below:
“Constitutional lawyers and our elected representatives should kindly step into this and educate us, mere lay minds. The worst development I can conceive of us is to have a situation where rational measures for the containment of the coronavirus pandemic are rejected on account of their questionable genesis.
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“This is a time for unity of purpose, not nitpicking dissensions. So, before this becomes a habit, a question: does President Buhari have the powers to close down state borders? We want clear answers.
“We are not in a war emergency. Appropriately focussed on measures for the saving lives, and committed to making sacrifices for the preservation of our communities, we should nonetheless remain alert to any encroachment on constitutionally demarcated powers.
“We need to exercise collective vigilance, and not compromise the future by submitting to interventions that are not backed by law and constitution.
