Falana faults Disease Bill, warns Senate, Reps, seek sound legal advice

A prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, on Monday faulted the National Health Emergency Bill being legislated on in the Senate, including the Infectious Diseases Control Bill in the House of Representatives.

Falana was of the view that the bill is going to fail after being passed into law. He added that if the lawmakers proceeds with the legislation, the bill will be challenged in the court of law for nullification.

Falana on a special programme: ‘A Citizen’s Town Hall’ on Channels Television on Monday, reiterated that the bill is unnecessary; warning members of the National Assembly to seek advice from legal experts before enacting the bills into laws for ascension of the President.

Falana had declared: “My views on the bill are that the bill is unnecessary, it is unwarranted; it is superfluous and unconstitutional.

“Therefore, it should not be passed because it is going to fail. If it is passed, it is going to be challenged.

“I will like to suggest that the members of the National Assembly should seek sound legal advice so that we do not waste precious resources and energies on a law that is bound to fail; that is likely to be declared null and void.”

The sponsor of the bill ion the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, representing Enugu North Senatorial District, had also on Monday on Channels Television insisted that there is no going back on the controversial bill in the Senate. He insisted that there is no better time to enact the law than now.