Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has said that he was ‘banished’ from entering Nigeria, his fatherland.
The elder statesman who spoke at a press conference which held at Freedom Park in Lagos explained that he was denied his right to movement by immigration officers during his recent trip to Nigeria from France.
Soyinka who decried his ordeals with the immigration officials demanded that the officials should stop making Nigerians feel like they are from exile when returning to their country.
The Professor of Literature who recounted his trip to Nigeria from France few months ago said he was denied movement to his country by officials because he failed to produce his Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. He lamented that he was told he couldn’t get on board despite tendering other required documents.
“I had my vaccination, I have taken the 72-hour covid test, I was negative but there was one more, there was a new one called PCR which the Nigerian government had begun to insist on,” he said.
PCR is a test to detect genetic material from a specific organism, such as a virus. It is a covid-19 travel test requirement for travelers coming in and out of the country.
Speaking further, Soyinka said he believed it was his fault, so he went back to Paris with his luggage to undergo the PCR test. However, despite following all travel protocols and having the required documents, Soyinka said he was denied movement for the second time.
He continued, “This time I had my PCR and of course it did not happen to me alone, there were other Nigerians who had a similar scenario, they couldn’t leave because they had already passed the immigration,” he said.
According to him, banishment occurs when there is any attempt to make movement — either going out of the country or coming in, difficult.
“Not being able to return to your own country is banishment.” Soyinka added.
