Infectious Diseases Bill : Gbajabiamila bows to public pressure

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has bowed to public pressure over the controversial Infectious Diseases Control Bill

Instead, he announced that the proposal would be subjected to public hearing, to gather stakeholders’ inputs.
The bill sponsored by Gbajabiamila and two of his colleagues, which was intended to repeal the Nigeria quarantine law, was last Tuesday hurriedly passed for first and second reading, and subsequently referred to the committee of the whole House, thereby skipping the usual public hearing stage before the final passage of such proposals, a development that sparked serious debate on the intention behind the speedy move.

At the resumption of the ongoing phased plenary of the House on Tuesday the Speaker however, said, “The Control of Infectious Diseases Bill will be put forward to a public hearing where stakeholder contributions will be sought to make improvements to the Bill before it is reviewed and debated by the Committee of the whole”, adding that the accumulation of myriad views, suggestions and good faith critiques from within and outside the House, “we will arrive at final legislation that meets the present and future needs of our country…”.

He expressed doubts on the possibility of holding the usual pattern of public hearing in view of the social distancing order currently in place over the spread of coronavirus. “The social distancing guidelines under which this House and the whole country operates for the time being means that the usual format of public hearings is not tenable. If a socially distant public hearing becomes workable, we will certainly explore that option.

“Nonetheless, the House will provide alternative platforms for all Nigerians who desire, to send in written documents that articulate their concerns, make recommendations on amendments and perhaps present other formulations for a new framework for managing infectious diseases in Nigeria. All the contributions we receive will be considered and aggregated to improve the proposed legislation”, Gbajabiamila said in a message read to his colleagues.

He also expressed regrets that the real intention behind the bill was misconstrued by some Nigerians, and tagged a product of some underhand dealings. “Since then (last Tuesday), there has been a barrage of criticisms and accusations, including allegations that the proposed Bill is a product of inducement by foreign interests.

The Bill, which is still a proposal subject to consideration, amendment and improvement has been assailed as a sinister attempt to turn Nigerians into guinea pigs for medical research while taking away their fundamental human rights.

“I disagree wholeheartedly with the suggestion that this is not the ideal time to seek reforms of the infectious diseases and public health emergency framework in the country. The weaknesses of the present system have already manifested in the inability of the government to hold to proper account those whose refusal to adhere with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) guidelines led to the further spread of the coronavirus in Nigeria. We have had people break out from isolation centres, and others, who fully aware of their status chose to travel across state lines on public transport”, he said.

The speaker cautioned that even though the House would be committed to public inputs on the bill, note must be taken that such must be based on truth and facts.
“The commitment to informed public debate is a legacy we must all seek to leave behind,” he said.

Culled from Blueprint