Fayemi Faults Infectious Disease Bill, Says Proposal Makes NCDC More Powerful

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has faulted the Control of the Infectious Disease Bill before the House of Representatives.

Speaking on Wednesday during the opening session of the public hearing on the proposed bill by the House, Governor Fayemi said the proposal will give too many powers to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The governor explained that a governor who is also the Chief Executive Officer of a state should be able to use his powers to declare a place to be an infectious area and to make regulations without seeking permission from the NCDC.

According to him, a situation whereby state governors do not have any power to make regulations in their states in the event of any outbreak of an infectious disease is inimical to the nation’s federalism.

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“A situation where state governors do not have any power to make regulations in their states in the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease or to declare any part of the state an infectious area is not only inimical to the nation’s federalism but also a recipe for disaster which cannot be managed by NCDC.

“This bill appears to vest overbearing discretionary powers on NCDC Director-General. So for us, we believe that there are a lot of provisions in the bill that must be reviewed.

“Provisions along the lines of Section 8 of the Quarantine Act should be inserted in the bill to allow state governors and Local Government Chairmen the powers to declare a place to be an infectious area and to make regulations,” he said.

Governor Fayemi’s remarks come two days after the Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, said there is no going back on the Health Emergency Bill in the National Assembly.

Utazi, who is also the Sponsor of the National Health Emergency Bill, noted that the National Assembly is legislating on the bill in order to fill what he described as gaps in the health sector.