By Chimezie Godfrey
Coalition of 36 Civil Society Organizations have demanded that the House of Representatives should subject to public scrutiny the proposed control of infectious diseases bill.
The Coalition in a statement on Monday, said that this is necessary due to inconsistencies in the bill and also the processes of its passage, among other irregularities.
Recall that On Tuesday, April 28, 2020, the National Assembly resumed legislative activities after one month of recess, following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon resumption, the House of Representatives considered a Bill titled ‘Control of Infectious Diseases Bill’ co-sponsored by Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker, House of Reps; Rep. Pascal Obi; and Rep. Tanko Sununu.
The Bill, which seeks to repeal the obsolete Quarantine Act of 1929 and enact the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill, makes provisions relating to quarantine and regulations for preventing the introduction into and spread of dangerous infectious diseases in Nigeria, and for other related matters.
The Bill has passed first and second reading at plenary under controversial circumstances. We also learnt that the bill was slated for a record third reading that same day, before it was resisted by some vigilant members.
The civil society community said that they are alarmed by the House of Representatives’ attempt to give accelerated passage to such a critical legislation like the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill without consultation and input from relevant stakeholders and the public.
The Coalition revealed that the House is resolute to pass the Bill and it has fixed Tuesday, May 5, 2020 for presentation of the report of the committee of the whole and clause by clause voting on the Bill without public hearing or consultation with relevant stakeholders, adding that this runs contrary to the principles of effective and inclusive lawmaking.
In the light of the foregoing, the coalition deemed it expedient to call on the house of representative to urgently review the bill and allow the inputs of critical stakeholders before its passage.
“We demand as a matter of urgency that, the House of Representatives subject the Bill to public scrutiny by embarking on stakeholder consultations and a public hearing to harness public inputs into the legislation.
“The House should utilize the opportunity provided by the reviewed lockdown policy to consult with relevant stakeholders and the people.
“And review provisions of the Bill that foster inter-agency conflicts and abuse of power and undermine constitutionally guaranteed rights and are contrary to the rule of law and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
“It is important to note that while we understand the importance of a legislative framework that guarantees effective response to pandemic/public health crises, we must do so within the rule of law and in conformity with the Constitution and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations and democratic principles.
The group pointed out that the bill contains irregularities which should be expurnged from it before the house takes any further action on it.
According to the coalition, some of the said irregularities and inconsistencies in the proposed bill include, threats to human rights and abuse of power, ambiguity and lack of clarity.
Others are inter-agency conflicts and jurisdictional rivalries, lack of public scrutiny, stakeholders review and engagement.
The group urged the National Assembly to refrain from vesting powers beyond the remit of institutions.
It further urged them to avoid the temptation of vesting absolute powers in public officials as this could be abused and misused to undermine constitutionally guaranteed rights.
The group reiterated that laws must be made for the people and any law that fails to protect the human rights of the people as guaranteed in the Constitution must be rejected in its entirety.
The CSOs involved in this agitation include,Girl Child Africa, Center For Liberty, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Say No Campaign, Amnesty International, Yiaga Africa, Global Rights, African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL).
Others are Lawyers Alert, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Enough is Enough, Community Life Project, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Centre for Impact Advocacy, and Concerned Nigerians, among others.
