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Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Lawyer, businessman and a chieftain in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Ike Oligbo has cautioned the National Assembly not to rush through a controversial legislation on the control of the infectious diseases, otherwise known as the NCDC Bill.
The partyman emphasised that the consent of the governed is highly crucial to the enactment and enforcement of any legislation.
Oligbo, in a chat with Daily Sun, said that although the Bill seeks to repeal the obsolete Quarantine Act of 1926 and to enact a new one to address contemporary challenges on the control and prevention of infectious diseases in the country, public confidence in the country’s legislature must first be regained considering conspiracy theories surrounding the Bill.
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He urged the National Assembly not to rush into making a law that might have unintended consequences that could turn out to be catastrophic for Nigerians.
The Anambra State governorship aspirant further stressed that rather than dissipating energy and resources on this controversial Bill, the Madagascar approach of a homegrown solution to the COVID-19 crisis should be considered and other preventative and treatment options pursued, advocating for a public-private partnership in this regard.
Oligbo commended the Nigerian Senate for suspending the deployment of the 5G technology network in the country pending proper investigation to ensure that the health of Nigerians is not compromised.
He said that he expects that the National Assembly would toe the same line with respect to the Control of Infectious Diseases legislation in order to avoid a negative effect.
