CSOs In Delta Fault Proposed Infectious Disease Bill, 2020

A coalition of Civil Societies in Delta State, have faulted the proposed Infectious Disease Bill, 2020 currently on the floor of the National Assembly.

The bill is being proposed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Addressing the media in Asaba, the CSOs, stated that there was no need for the new bill as Nigeria has existing laws like the Quarantine Act and the Nigeria Center for Disease Control Law, covering such eventualities.

On the proposed Public Hearing for the proposed Infectious Disease Bill, they called on the Parliament to make it open after the lockdown, so that Nigerians including the CSO could make their voices heard as there was no need for hurried consideration and passage.

The positions were contained in a press statement signed by some CSOs including, Mr Sylvester Itimi for Civil Society Advance Forum on Sustainable Development, Mr Chiedozie Onyeukwu for Karachi-Urban Development Initiative, Juliet Chibogu for Noble Delta Women for Peace and Development, R.O Ughere for Human Rights and Good Governance Initiative and Deacon Okezi Odugala for Delta State Civil Society Community and read during the short briefing.

According to the CSOs, the proposed bill was a plagiarized copy of Singapore’s Infectious Disease Act of 1977 which was not in tandem with modern Democratic reality as Singapore was a one party state at the time that law was passed.

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They argued that the bill as proposed gave too much power to the Director General of the NCDC as it permitted him ‘to declare any house an isolation area or order the arrest of any person attempting to leave such area’.

“Section 16 of the bill is a very dubious instrument against religious and social organizations. It says if in the opinion of the DG any building is deemed overcrowded, the DG can make an order dispersing the crowd and anybody who goes in, commits an offence. How do you opine or conclude that the gathering is likely to expose occupants to infectious diseases? This is worrisome”, the statement read.

The CSOs argued against Section 24 which they said, gave the police power to arrest anyone who is suffering from an infectious disease. “The ambiguity of this section gives police the right to arrest you even if the infectious disease one may have is not easily communicable or peradventure are merely symptoms of flu, which is pretty common in Nigeria.”

The argument faulted out Sections 20, 30, 46, 47, 53, 55, 71 and others, which they described as critically infringing on the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.