NASS, kill that monstrous, satanic bill

I HAVE said again and again that the
COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has
changed the world as we know it forever.
Conspiracy theories are rife. Assumed
or presumed rivalry between America
and China, leading to the latter allegedly
manufacturing COVID-19 disease in a
Wuhan laboratory to enable it hoard the
vaccine, export it and profit thereby. This
theory does not care that the Chinese
themselves are on the front burner. Different “discovered cure” by scientists,
doctors, pharmacists, traditional healers,
and even by quacks, resonate daily. Some
are outrightly laughable.
Conspiracy theories
More worrisome is the conspiracy
theory of a vaccine being introduced that
would force people to be implanted with
a microchip, thus fulfilling the Biblical
“mark of the beast” in Revelation 11:7, 13:
1-18, 17: 7-18, 19:18-20; and its number
666 or 616. Here, Bill Gates features
prominently. Multi-billionaire [full name,
William Henry Gates III], 64, a renowned
investor, philanthropist, software developer, business mogul and co-founder of
Microsoft, has a net worth of $113 billion,
nearly four times the combined wealth of
Nigeria’s five richest men ($29.9 billion).
Bill Gates is only outstripped by Jeff Bezos
(founder of Amazon), the current richest
man in the world, with a net worth of
$115 billion. Bezos, Gates and French
business magnate, Benard Arnault (net
worth, $97.9 billion) are the only three
billionaires in the world with a net worth
exceeding or nearly $100 billion.
Et tu, Bill Gates?
The question many people are asking is,
what does Bill Gates, the second richest
man in the entire face of the earth, still
want, at only 64? More money? Power?
Influence? To rule the world? Just what?
For over 10 years, Bill Gates is on record
to have severally warned about a possible
outbreak of a pandemic, and bemoaned
the lack of preparation and systems in
place to confront any infectious disease
plagues. He had worked tirelessly with his
wife, under the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, to work on sensitization,
prevention and control of outbreak of infectious disease such as the present severe
acute respiratory syndrome – coronavirus
2 (SARS-CoV2). He has criss-crossed the
world, providing vaccines against polio,
measles, tuberculosis, lassa/yellow fever,
typhoid, small pox, malaria, etc. He even
donated to the World Health Organization
(WHO).
Curiously and ironically, the frontline
soldier against infectious disease is being accused worldwide of attempting to
manufacture a vaccine that will be used on
people with a view to reducing world population. They even suggested that Gates
desired to implant people with microchips, so as to track them. They wondered
why he should not start with vaccinating
his own children. Some point accusatory
fingers at him, that he already owns the
“patent” for COVID-19, even when the
virus did not manifest till late 2019. He
is said to won it through the Pirbright
Institute, based in Surrey, England (an
institute that only has the patent for virus
that affects chickens). They said he wants
to make profit from vaccines. However, a
vaccine must first undergo intensive and
extensive tests, regulations, production,
before sale.
Some Christians even believe Gates
is the forerunner of the Antichrist, with
many apocalypticists warning of the “mark
of the beast” (Rev 13: 16-18). With Gates
saying on March 18, 2020, that “digital
certificates” could trace who has recently
been tested or vaccinated, a bedlam was
unleashed that this digital certificate must
include micro-chipping. Christians believe
that this will all lead to the second beast
in Revelation 13:16-18, which “causeth all,
both small and great, rich and poor, free
and bond, to receive a mark in their right
hand, or in their foreheads. And that no
man might buy or sell, save he that had
the mark, or the name of the beast, or the
number of his name…his number is six
hundred threescore and six”.
Has the forceful vaccine finally
landed in Nigeria?
It is in the midst of these global worries
and conspiracy theories that the Quarantine Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill,
2020, which hurriedly passed through
the first and second reading in just one
day in the House of Representatives, was
introduced. Aside from accusations that
the Bill is literally copied word-for-word
from a Singaporean Act, the Bill sponsored
by House Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila,
chairman, House Committee on Health
Instructions, Pascal Obi, and chairman of
the House Committee on Health Services, Tanko Sanunu, soon ran into more
troubled waters.
Many Nigerians wondered why the
rush, for a vaccine not yet discovered?
Why, even when the NCDC had denied
contributing to the Bill? Must parents be
forced to vaccinate their children at birth,
when China, America and other Western
nations more affected by COVID-19 have
not done so? Are the sponsors playing
the card of foreign interest groups to the
detriment of Nigerians, some wonder?
Why the unusual speed when the same
legislators have not sponsored and pushed
forward bills to force DISCOs to compulsorily install pre-paid metres across Nigeria; to unbundle NNPC; to end gas flaring;
to compel the Federal Government to fund
research into local production of drugs
and vaccines to tackle infectious diseases;
to grow the economy and reduce hunger;
to create jobs; to locally produce vaccine,
drugs, face masks, hand gloves, sanitizers,
ventilators? Why use Nigerians as guinea
pigs? The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has frontally accused Speaker
Gbajabiamila and others of allegedly
collecting $10 million from Bill Gates to
influence speedy passage of the Bill, after
“wishy-washy public hearing”. Is this true?
Speak up, please, Mr. Speaker and others.
Satanic verses in most sections of the
bill
There are so many satanic, fiendish and
demoniacal verses (provisions) in the bill
that call for its total murder and interment.
The sweeping powers given to the Minister of Health and the Nigerian Centre
for Disease Control (NCDC) in the Bill,
within the environment of an intolerant
government, are frightening, to say the
least. If signed into law, the Minister of
Health is empowered by Section 15 of the
Bill to declare as and convert any premises
(whether public or private) into an “isolation centre.” Without his authorisation, no
one would be able to enter or leave such
premises. Section 3(8) aids this by empowering the DG, NCDC, his officers or
police, to barge into any premises declared
by the President to be a public health
restricted zone without any warrant. This
section runs violently foul of the provisions of Section 43 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that ‘every citizen
of Nigeria shall have the right to acquire
and own immovable property anywhere in
Nigeria’. See the case of OKON V. ENYIEFEM & ORS (2016) LPELR-41168 (CA),
pp. 20-21, paras. D-A, where Otisi, J.C.A.
pronounced thus:
“Sections 43 and 44 of the 1999
Constitution, as amended…guarantee
the right of every citizen to acquire and
own immovable (and movable) property
anywhere in Nigeria. And in the event that
the State compulsorily acquires such property or interest in such property for lawful
purposes provided, prompt payment of
compensation shall be made.”
In TEUMPENKENSO V. RIBADU &
ANOR (2017) LPELR-42984 (CA) pp. 12-
15, paras. C-C, Husaini J.C.A. held:
“The right to own property is a feature
of the Nigerian Constitution and by this
provision, every Nigerian citizen has a
right to acquire and own immovable properties anywhere in Nigeria without being
discriminated upon or molested except as
the Constitution provides. If for any reason
the property whose interest is vested in
the citizen was acquired for any purpose,
the law makes adequate provisions for
compensation for such acquisition.”
See also the cases of DANGABAR V.
FRN (2012) LPELR-19732 (CA); COP V.
IBRAHIM (2016) LPELR-41319 (CA).
Where there exists such a law that appropriates citizens’ rights over property,
whether movable or immovable, such a
law would be unconstitutional and repugnant to natural justice. In TIMOTHY V.
OFORKA (2008) 9 NWLR (Pt. 1091) 204
at 216, Demton-West J.C.A. held thus:
“By virtue of section 43 of the 1999
Constitution, every citizen of Nigeria shall
have the right to acquire and own immovable property anywhere in Nigeria. In the
instant case, the Oraifite native law and
HARD FACTS
WITH MIKE OZEKHOME, OFR, SAN
08094777755 (SMS ONLY) EmaiL: [email protected]
“WHATEVER the human law may
be, neither an individual nor a nation
can commit the least act of injustice
against the obscurest individual without having to pay the penalty for it.”
– Thoreau
Thought for the week
custom which (prevented some persons)
to deal in land was not only unconstitu- tional but repugnant to natural justice,
equity and good conscience.”
The law further provides for remedies
to citizens whose properties have been
forcefully and compulsorily acquired. See
AG, LAGOS STATE & ORS V. ZANEN
VERSTOEP & CO (NIG) LTD & ORS
(2016) LPELR-41402 (CA), where Oseji,
J.C.A. held:
“Section 44(1) of the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria provides…
among other things…for the prompt payment of compensation therefore; and gives
to any person claiming such compensation
right of access for the determination of his
interest in the property and the amount
of compensation to a Court of law or Tribunal or body having jurisdiction in that
part of Nigeria. The wordings of the above
set out provision is clear and unambiguous and gives every citizen of this country,
including legal entities the right to seek
redress in Court by way of fundamental
right where their property whether mov- able or immovable is taken possession of
compulsorily and without due process of
the law being adhered to.”
Freedom from unlawful arrest and
detention
Sections 16 and 17 of the satanic Bill
empower the DG, NCDC, to forcefully
disperse any group from an overcrowded
place, and even close down the premises.
This, without any court order. This is a
country where millions of Nigerians live in
cramped and dingy hovels called houses.
The new sheriff-in-town DG, can also,
under Section 19, close down any event,
meeting or public gathering and even
accost and seize any person, by himself or
police officer, found walking on the street,
once he suspects (mere suspicion) that
the person has an infectious disease. The
illegality of the arrest of a citizen without
reasonable grounds was pronounced upon
in ALABOH V BOYES (1984) 5 NCLR
830 and JIMOH V A-G, FEDERATION
(1998) 7 HRLR A 513, where the court
held that:
“Any violation of a citizen’s guaranteed
fundamental right (right to liberty and
freedom of movement), however short
a period, must attract penalty under the
law.”
The unconstitutionality of a citizen’s
arrest, once carried out, cannot subsequently be made legal under the law. See
ABIOLA V ABACHA (1998) 7 HRLRA
458 (p. 16, paras. A-D), where Abiriyi,
J.C.A. held thus:
“Where the arrest and detention of
a person are unlawful and unconstitutional, any subsequent arraignment of that
person before a Court of law cannot and
would not cure the illegality and unconstitutionality.”
(To be concluded next week)