Gbajabiamila dismisses fears about Infectious Diseases bill

…Denies allegation of bribery to pass legislation

House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila has dismissed fears that Nigerians would be used as guinea pigs in the testing of vaccines by foreign interest following the uproar that has trailed the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill being considered by the House in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

In his opening speech at Tuesday’s plenary, the speaker also denied allegations of financial inducement of the House leadership and members by either global or local groups to facilitate the passage of the now contentious bill.

Reacting to the criticisms and accusations generated by the bill, the speaker described them as false and misleading, asserting that the legislation is still a proposal that is subject to consideration, amendment and improvement in consonance to legislative norms before it eventually becomes a law.

According to him, the nation now lives in an era when conspiracy theories have gained such currency that genuine endeavours in the public interest can quickly become mischaracterised and misconstrued to raise the spectre of sinister intent and ominous possibility.

“This House of Representatives will never, take any action that purposes to bring harm to any Nigerian here at home or abroad, as we have thus far shown by our conduct.

“The resolutions and actions we take in this 9th House of Representatives will always be in the best interests of the Nigerian people who elected us and no one else,” he assured.

Gbajabiamila declared that in the uproar that the bill generated, certain fundamental truths have been lost considering that the current framework for the prevention and management of infectious diseases is obsolete and untenable.

The current law, he submitted severely constrains the ability of the federal government and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to take proactive action (s) to prevent the entry of Infectious diseases into the country, including the management of public health emergencies when they occur.

“Even now, the government remains vulnerable to claims that some directives already being implemented to manage the present crisis do not have the backing of the law and therefore, cannot withstand judicial scrutiny.

“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.

“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.

“The number of those currently infected by the coronavirus continues to rise alongside the number of those who have died. There is no timeline for when this disease will pass and nobody can predict when the next public health crisis will occur, just as nobody predicted the present predicament.

“It bears restating that we do not have in our country, a healthcare system or for that matter, a national economy that is sufficiently robust to withstand the dire consequences of a sustained infectious disease pandemic. We cannot tie our own hands in the fight against this disease.

“Whether we choose to accept it or not, the world we live in has changed irretrievably. There is no normal to return to as this present crisis has laid bare the fundamental weaknesses in our systems of law and policy and left our nation at risk of devastating outcomes on all sides.

“Our current task is first to survive and then to set about building a new world. Inevitably, this demands that we should be willing to consider new ideas, explore novel possibilities, rejecting those ancient shibboleths we have long adhered to without benefit.

“We may sometimes disagree with the how and the why of policy proposals. The parliament of the people is not an echo chamber. It is a marketplace of ideas where only those proposals that gain currency with the majority should carry the day.

“However, our disagreements must be grounded in a shared recognition that our present travails demand urgent interventions.

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“And we must not allow ourselves to become victims of the cynical assumption that every policy proposal or response is a result of personal inducement or a grand conspiracy to bring harm to the people on whose behalf we hold political office,” Gbajabiamila stated.

He assured that a public hearing on the bill would be held where stakeholders will ventilate their contributions to make improvements to the bill before it is reviewed and debated by the Committee of the Whole.

“It is from the accumulation of these myriad views, suggestions and good faith critiques from within and outside the House that we will arrive at a final legislation that meets the present and future needs of our country, and which we all can support in good conscience.

“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,” the speaker said, adding that the House will provide alternative platforms for Nigerians to send in written documents, make recommendations or amendments and present a new framework for managing infectious disease outbreaks.