Reps In U-Turn, To Hold Hearing On Infectious Diseases Bill

By Ayodele Oluwafemi

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Tuesday, said the House would hold a public hearing before the final passage of the controversial Infectious Diseases Control Bill, 2020.

His assertion was a turnaround following earlier proposal to fast-track the controversial legislation without public hearing as is required of bills.

Gbajabiamila made the declaration in his opening speech of the plenary session of the house on Tuesday.

The Infectious Diseases Control Bill, 2020 has sparked controversy since its introduction in the House, as it was viewed as dictatorial.

He said, “The Control of Infectious Diseases Bill will be put forward to a public hearing where stakeholder contributions will be sought 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 final legislation that meets the present and future needs of our country, and which we all can support in good conscience.”

He affirmed that the usual format of public hearing is untenable, due to the social distancing guidelines.

“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.

“Nonetheless, the House will provide alternative platforms for all Nigerians who desire, to send in written documents that articulate their concerns, make recommendations on amendments and perhaps present other formulations for a new framework for managing infectious diseases in Nigeria.

“All the contributions we receive will be considered and aggregated to improve the proposed legislation,” the speaker said.

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