Reps plan new law to tackle infectious disease outbreak
.To engage PTF on COVID-19 over Kano deaths
The House of Representatives on Tuesday commenced the process of stepping up the country’s fight and contain the future outbreak of infectious disease by enacting the Infectious Disease Control Bill to replace the Quarantine Act.
To this end, the House passed for second reading the bill for an Act to repeal the Quarantine Act, 2004 and enact the Control of Infectious Disease Bill.
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The new piece of legislation will make provisions relating to the quarantine and make regulations for preventing the introduction into and spread in Nigeria of infectious diseases and for other related matters.
The bill is sponsored by the Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and two others.
Debating the bill, Gbajabiamila said it seeks to empower the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and allow it to do its job effectively.
According to the speaker, the bill will improve on the previous legislation and assist the nation be more proactive in dealing with the future outbreak of any new infectious disease.
Also speaking in favour of the bill, Rep. Ossai Nicholas noted that passing the legislation for second reading, captures the need to treat and handle disease outbreaks urgently.
He explained that Section 47 and other sub -sections of the bill makes it mandatory at a time when there is an outbreak for the NCDC to swing into action.
Despite scaling second reading, there were opposing views to the bill.
Rep. Sergius Ogun warned the House to think twice and avoid giving so much powers to the NCDC.
He said that “we must be careful with vaccines and avoid any conspiracy.”
Also, Rep. Nkem Abonta, who canvassed a contrary view, warned that the direction is superior than the speed, adding that “I have seen the title of the bill and I have not seen the bill.
“We are all aware of what is awash in the social media. Why am l saying this? I have seen the Quarantine Act, something bigger than disease control.
“We need a bill for control and prevention of diseases,” he noted, adding that “what l am trying to say is, we should not because of what we are trying to do, make big errors.”
When the question was put by the Deputy Speaker, Wase, lawmakers in support of the bill carried the day and the bill was thereafter, referred to the committee of the whole.
In another development, the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, directed the committee on Health to engage the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 over the strange deaths in Kano.
Debating a motion sponsored by the Majority Leader, Rep. Alhassan Ado- Doguwa, the House also urged the Federal Government to establish testing centres in each of the 774 local government areas in the country.
The House appealed to the Federal Government to urgently incorporate traditional rulers and religious leaders into the fight against the pandemic, while tasking the administration to provide COVID-19 intervention funds to states according to their needs and devastation caused by the disease.
The lawmakers charged the Kano State government to conclude investigation into the cause of deaths in the state and urged the National Orientation Agency in the state to step up enlightenment campaigns to sensitise the people.
Moving the motion, Rep. Ado-Doguwa appealed to the Federal Government and the President to come to the aid of the state in order to arrest the deteriorating situation in the state.
According to him, the state was not only densely populated because of the high number of local governments it has, it was also the commmercail nerve centre of the north and home to several Nigerians from other parts of the country.
Rep. Ado-Doguwa said members from the state in the House of Representatives at the onset of the outbreak of COVID-19, deployed time and resources to sensitise their constituents on the need to observe the NCDC guidelines towards staying safe.
