Vice president Yemi Osibanjo Clashes with Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka over COVID-19 Lockdown after the Award winning Literate Spoke against President Buhari on Restricting Movement in the country.
The COVID-19 Lockdown was also faulted by some other Nigerian lawyers including Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa and Femi Falana who were not in support of the Restricting on Movement on citizens and bussiness shutdown in the States where the coronavirus is at its peak.
The Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osibanjo speaking said “I am not so sure some of the people who have commented on the issue have come across the Quarantine Act. There is a Quarantine Act of 1926. It’s been published in all of the Laws of Nigeria, every edition of the Laws of Nigeria, it is there.”
While referring directly to the part of the Law that Rightly judges the president has the power to give restrictions in any local area of a country, then Nigeria won’t be different as the Quarantine measures are taken to ensure stability in the system.
For Example, the President can give an order that there would be no movement, buying and selling or other activities of the nation he added because it’s a law in the house of Assembly.
The vice president made the disclosure in Abuja on Monday while responding to questions at the Google Hangout programme organised by HACK COVID-19 Call Centre, a private sector initiative supporting Nigeria’s battle against the pandemic.
The worst development I can conceive is to have a situation where rational measures for the containment of the Corona pandemic are rejected on account of their questionable genesis. 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 – Soyinka
“The president has extensive powers under the Quarantine Act of 1926. Also, governors have extensive powers under the same Quarantine Act,” Osinbajo said.
