It's important to build on this thread and talk about this new law that @HouseNGR is trying to ram through...
The Infectious Diseases Act is meant to replace the National Quarantine Act of 2004, and it was mainly sponsored by @femigbaja.
According to its sponsors, it seeks to provide a legal framework for relevant authorities to manage disease outbreaks.
According to its sponsors, it seeks to provide a legal framework for relevant authorities to manage disease outbreaks.
The bill has been found to be problematic however, close scrutiny by @DavidHundeyin showed that it was plagiarised from #Singapore's Infectious Diseases Act of 1977 bit.ly/3flv0WX.
Amongst other things, the bill grants enormous powers to the DG of @NCDCgov and the Minister of Health.
It grants, in Section 15, powers to the Minister to arrest without warrant anybody suspected of leaving an isolation centre without permission.
It grants, in Section 15, powers to the Minister to arrest without warrant anybody suspected of leaving an isolation centre without permission.
It goes further to grant @PoliceNG the right to "apprehend or take" anyone in a public place who they suspect of suffering from an infectious disease in Section 24.
Section 55 of the bill requires any person to provide any book, document, correspondence or information requested by the DG @NCDCgov and also gives him the power to enter and search any premise without court orders or a warrant.
That is an abuse of due process.
That is an abuse of due process.
In the worst section of the draft legislation, Section 71 states that the DG of the NCDC and state security officers who enforce his orders cannot be held accountable.
I'll quote that next...
I'll quote that next...
"No liability shall lie personally against d Director-General, any health officer or Port Health Officer, any police officer or any authorised person who, acting in good faith, with reasonable care, does or omits to do anything in the execution or purported execution of this Act"
Does this remind you of the social media bill that thankfully appears to be lost in limbo?
How can you have people in a democracy, who cannot be held accountable for their actions? Does it make sense?
If passed into law, this law is prone to all sorts of abuse.
How can you have people in a democracy, who cannot be held accountable for their actions? Does it make sense?
If passed into law, this law is prone to all sorts of abuse.
It would exacerbate the existing mistrust between #Nigeria's leadership and its polity.
Then there are other implications...
Then there are other implications...
First, we did not know that there were anti-vaxxers in #Nigeria until this #coronavirus #COVID19 pandemic brought theories by people like @PastorChrisLive and others who believe in the 5G conspiracy theories and its purported relationship with a vaccine.
Granting such extensive powers to the DG @NCDCgov as well as the health minister may guide gullible people into thinking that if they're arrested, they will be used for vaccine trials against their wish.
This will have the reverse effect of hampering vaccination efforts.
This will have the reverse effect of hampering vaccination efforts.
Just this Saturday, a cultural festival turned deadly in Taraba after soldiers sent to enforce a lockdown allegedly shot 4 residents dead and injured 16 others in Jen community in Karim-Lamido LGA.
There are many more examples from Ohafia to Sapele to Kaduna.
There are many more examples from Ohafia to Sapele to Kaduna.
State-sponsored violence is a constant feature of our everyday life.
Granting our badly trained security personnel more power to arrest without warrant and absolving them of any responsibility if things go south will only serve to fuel the existing oppression in #Nigeria.
Granting our badly trained security personnel more power to arrest without warrant and absolving them of any responsibility if things go south will only serve to fuel the existing oppression in #Nigeria.
It is important to point out that changing the guiding law for @NCDCgov in the middle of a pandemic is akin to changing the rules of football in the middle of the World Cup final.
This is not the time to make changes, but to take note of stuff and learn, so that AFTER the pandemic, we analyse the lessons learned, and make corrections where applicable.
