The controversial bill, “Control of Infectious Diseases Bill 2020” was sponsored by the Speaker of the House of Representative, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, and two of his colleagues, Pascal Obi and Tanko Sununu on Tuesday.
The bill had been tagged controversial by the Nigerian public. Today, the West African Pilot News highlights some arguments about the bill and the public reactions to the bill for you.
The Bill passed the second reading in a day
The bill passed first and second readings on the day it was proposed.
Members of the legislature have protested that they did not serve copies of the bill while it was read at a plenary on Tuesday. Members of the Nigerian public have also argued that it is unusual for the Nigerian legislative arms to pass a bill in a day and the bill got to second reading that same day. This is suspicious.
The Bill Empowered FG to Convert Any Property in the Country into Isolation Centre
The bill empowered the Federal Government to convert any property, including the private own property into isolation centers.
This proposition of the bill had attracted a lot of criticism from many Nigerians. Many have argued that the Buhari government might start using it to witch-hunt opposition members by acquiring their private properties.
Before now, it was reported that Abuja and Lagos Hotels closed their doors to Nigerians returning home from other countries. As the FG prepared to evacuate over 2000 Nigerians from abroad, they have declined to make their rooms available for isolation centers.
This might have necessitated the bill. Thus, if the bill is passed and signed into law, hotels, houses under the sealed of Economic and Financial Crime Commission could be used for isolation centers pending the end of the coronavirus. Some countries have also evacuated their citizens from Nigeria.
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, said on Thursday at the Presidential Task Force for COVID-19 briefing that “Concerning the availability of bed spaces for the management of patients, there is no doubt that we are struggling in certain places especially in Lagos State, and to an extent Kano State and Abuja. But the biggest challenge right now is in Lagos where bed spaces are really tight.
The Bill is to Control the Entering of Disease Outbreak in Nigeria as well as Quarantine Related Issues
The bill had been described as “A bill for an act to repeal the Quarantine Act (1926) and enact the Control of Infectious Disease Act, make provisions relating to quarantine and make regulations for preventing the introduction into and spread in Nigeria of dangerous infectious diseases, and for other related matters.”
Many Nigerians have blamed the spread of the disease in Nigeria as a result of the late closure of the Nigerian borders, both air, land, and sea.
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu also echoed this criticism recently.
The Bill Empowered Police to Arrest Without Warrant as well as Quarantine
If the bill is passed into Law by the two Legislative arms, it will empower the Police to arrest violators without a warrant. It will allow the police to also quarantine violators. This is clearly stated under sections four, six, and seven of the bill.
This position of the bill had made many Lawyers and human rights activists to describe the bill as draconian. Some Nigerians had argued that the Nigerian police officers will abuse such right if when given power.
However, many Nigerians have not been adhering to the stay at home order. In Lagos for instance, many still go out for daily survival means. Some residents were not cooperating with the Lagos house to house check, although effective in some elite areas.
The Bill is 90% Plagiarized
The International Center for Investigative Reporting had alleged that the bill is 90% plagiarized from Singapore’s law.
The investigative journalism center published on its website on Friday with the title “Nigeria’s proposed Infectious Disease Act is over 90 percent Plagiarised from Singapore’s Law”.
The report is read in part, “Aside from the title of the draft legislation: Infectious Disease Act, which was copied verbatim, Parts One to Five of the Nigerian Act containing 63 sections were all lifted from the Singaporean law word-for-word. The exception was the use of ‘Director’ which is replaced with ‘Director-General’ and mentioned over 100 times throughout the document.”
Although, no official reaction from the legislative arm to this allegation but people have commented that the Nigerian legislature lacks innovation and creativity is truly the law is 90% copied.
