While there's no time
to throw tantrums as the world battles a more bigger problem known as COVID-19,
it does appears however, that the Buhari administration and nobel Laureate,
Prof Wole
Soyinka, aren't on the same page in terms of the approach employed
towards addressing the spread of coronavirus in the country.
Soyinka had questioned
the legality of Buhari's 14-day lockdown which was announced last Sunday in a
7pm COVID-19 address by the president.
However, spokesman to the president,
mallam Garba Shehu, said the literary icon, should stick to Literature where
he's good at, instead of involving himself on issues he knows little or nothing
about.
But Soyinka isn't letting it get away without a proper response, although he said he won't take issues with a 'propagandist' like Mr Garba.
But Soyinka isn't letting it get away without a proper response, although he said he won't take issues with a 'propagandist' like Mr Garba.
Responding on Thursday
morning, Soyinka described Shehu as a paid propagandist doing the bidding of a
clueless administration.
He said, "Mr,
Garba Shehu failed to mention a most important profession in which I am
confirmed: Alarmist. Unpaid. It's a universal function of humanity even in the
midst of the worst of cris*s.
"To save me the trouble of responding to the mind boggling irrelevances of paid errand voices, a professional colleague kindly sent me an affirmative article in the New York Times.
"To save me the trouble of responding to the mind boggling irrelevances of paid errand voices, a professional colleague kindly sent me an affirmative article in the New York Times.
"You will understand that I
cannot take issues with a propagandist whose clear mission is to distract
public attention from the complex issues of health - both the physiological and
the mental."
The New
York Times article referred to by Soyinka raises concern on how the global
health cris*s was creating an avenue for political leaders to exhibit
dictatorial tendencies.
The article went on to
express fear over whether the new powers acquired by heads of governments in
many countries of the world including in Nigeria will be relinquished by the
end of the Coronavirus pandemic.
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