Professor and esteemed Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka made comments on the legal status and description of the 14-day Lockdown announced by President Mohammadu Buhari.
After reviewing what the African award winning writer said, the President through its media arm revealed that Professor wole soyainka is not a medical professor there bye saying that he was ignorant of any fact on Covid-19 (Coronavirus).
Continuing, his qualifications are in English literature and his prizes are for writing books and plays for theartres. His is of course entitled to his opinions but that is exactly all they are : Semantics, not science.They cannot and should not therefore be judged as a professional expertise in this manner in any shape or form.
Across the world, from parts of the United States and China to countries including the UK ( United Kingdom and France, Government mandated lockdowns are in place to slow and defeat the spread of coronavirus.
All have been declared and all have been made necessary based on medical scientific and evidence, the guidance of Nigerian Governments medical specialists are to advise the same.
“Professor Wole Soyinka has also declared, doubtless based on his specialism as a playwright that :” We are not In a war emergency ” therefore there is no need to limit citizens right to free sense of movement.
” Dr Richard Hatchet, a head of the international Coalition of Epidemic preparedness innovations and former director of the US Biomedical Advanced Research and development Authority has sad, War Is an appropriate analogy”.
Professor Anthony Fauci, Director of the United States National Institute of Allerg and infectious Diseases and member of the white house coronavirus task force has said of the battle against the pandemic :’it’ s almost like the fog of war’.
As for legality of the lockdown, the government of Nigerians primary duty in law and action is the defense of the people of Nigeria. We face a global pandemic, Nigeria is now affected, the scientific and medical guidance the world over is clear, the sole way to defeat Coronavirus is to halt the spread of the virus by limiting the movement of people.
“Perherps, Wole Soyinka may write a play on the coronavirus pandemic after this emergency lockdown is over. In the mean time, we ask the people of Nigeria to trust the words of our doctors and scientists and not fiction writers – at this time of National crises “Senior special assistant to the president ( media and publicity)
