Th Senate has lectured the Governors of the 36 States of the Federation on how to go about opposing the Infectious Diseases Bill before both chambers of the National Assembly.
The Governors, under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, had on Wednesday at their virtual meeting, urged the National Assembly to drop the Infectious Diseases Bill, first brought up by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
Reacting to the position of the Governors, the Spokesman of the Senate, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, said there are procedures to be adopted rather than calling for the outright dropping of the Bill.
Basiru, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, in series of tweets on his verified twitter handle: @DrSRJ_, said the Governors have not formally communicated their request to the upper chamber.
He said he “personally thinks” the Governors may engage their respective Senators on their concerns about the Bill.
He said it will be the responsibility of the Senators to then take it up on the floor of the Senate during the second reading of the Bill.
Recall that there has been a widespread uproar about the consideration of the bill by both chambers of the National Assembly.
The “Control of Infection Diseases Bill 2020” has since passed both first and second reading in the House of Representatives.
A similar Bill, titled: “National Health Emergency Bill,” sponsored by the Chairman Senate Committee on Communicable Diseases and Primary Healthcare, Senator Chukwuka Utazi (Enugu North), has also scaled first reading in the Senate.
