The proposed Infectious Diseases Bill in truth poses a lot of concerns. Its tone and clumsiness of the wordings make the bill very dangerous if passed.
The Director-General of NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, has pointed out that he wasn’t involved in the drafting of the bill and that it requires further consultation. He also added that he is not in favour of drafting a bill at this time.
“I’m personally not in favor of drafting a bill in the middle of a crisis,”
Chikwe Ihekweazu, the director general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control,
However, if this bill gets enough votes during voting next week, it will come very close to being approved and forwarded to the Senate. Although the DG may not want the nightmarish power the bill entails, if passed, it will give anyone who ever becomes DG Presidential powers.
In the past Nigerians have been able to stall unwanted bills like the Social media bill and Hate speech bill. With education already building on the potential danger of the bill, there is good hope that Nigerians will stall this bill too.
Please contribute to the debate by submitting your comment below.