Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has attacked President
Muhammadu Buhari for ordering a total lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States.
Soyinka said that Buhari had no constitutional backing to
make the declaration and called on state governors not to allow the usurpation
of their powers.
The Nobel Laureate completed his 14-day self-isolation on
Monday, having returned from the United States of America recently.
In a statement he signed and made available to reporters in
reaction to the President’s nationwide broadcast on Sunday, Soyinka said State
Houses of Assembly should determine whether the President acted under the law.
President Buhari had on Sunday declared a curfew in Lagos,
Ogun and Abuja from 11:00pm on Monday for 14 days. This ihe said is to enable
authorities contain the spread of coronavirus.
But novelist, Soyinka called on constitutional lawyers and
elected representatives to step into the matter and educate Nigerians on the
powers of the President.
“The worst development I can conceive is to have a situation
where rational measures for the containment of coronavirus pandemic are
rejected on account of their questionable genesis,” Soyinka added.
“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.
”Despite the focus on saving lives and sacrifices for the
preservation of our communities, we should remain alert to any encroachment on
constitutionally demarcated powers.”
He said Nigerians need to exercise collective vigilance, and
not compromise the future by submitting to interventions that are not backed by
law and constitution.
“A President who has been conspicuously AWOL is now alleged
to have woken up after a prolonged siesta, and began to issue orders,” the
Playwright said.
“Who instigated these orders anyway? From where do they
emerge? What happens when the orders conflict with state measures, the product
of a systematic containment strategy – `including even trial-and-error and
hiccups – undertaken without let or leave of the centre.
“So far, the anti-COVID19 measures have proceeded along the rails
of decentralised thinking, multilateral collaboration and technical exchanges
between states.
“I urge governors and legislators to be especially watchful.
No epidemic is ever cured with constitutional piracy. It only lays down new
political viruses for the future,” he said.
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