Press Release
THE BILL TO MAKE COVID-19 VACCINE COMPULSORY FOR NIGERIANS: THOSE WHO CANNOT MAKE SACRIFICES DURING OUR TRAVAILS SHOULD NOT BE ENTIRELY TRUSTED TO MAKE LAWS TO ASSUAGE OUR PAINS
Nigeria without mincing words is blessed with everything except visionary leaders with capacity to think outside the box, hence the reason we have been trapped in a rat race with no end in sight as to when the nation can be delivered from the hands of unpatriotic dealers posing as leaders.
While Nigerians still grapple with the aftermath of the slow decision making by the President Muhammadu Buhari led executive council made worse by the indiscretion of not suspending all flights coming into the nation and ensuring a total shutdown of all our land borders on time, another arm of government elected to represent the people surreptitiously introduced a suspicious bill that will make COVID-19 vaccine and vaccine certificate compulsory for all Nigerians.
There is nothing wrong in leaders taking proactive measures to solve daunting challenges especially making laws to solve problems in desperate times but there is need for caution especially when such initiative lacks originality and almost completely shrouded in secrecy. The manner in which this particular bill sponsored by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila was introduced without the prior knowledge of other members who by right ought to have been given copies before debate calls for serious suspicion and the need for all critical stakeholders to beam a searchlight and scrutinize every word that makes up this bill.
Nigerians should be bothered when the leader of the green chamber who ought to know better deliberately refused to make copies of this bill available to those expected to debate it. More so, why the haste in making a law to make vaccine and vaccine certificate compulsory for a virus that is yet to have any proven vaccine or cure and why the fear in subjecting it to a robust debate?
It will be double jeopardy to suffer from the incompetence of the executive and later suffer from the shoddy law making process of the hypocritical legislators who took delivery of about 400 brand new Toyota 2020 model cars in the midst of paucity of fund to provide palliatives for poor Nigerians groaning under the pain of a forced lockdown. In any case, how can these lawmakers be trusted after shamefully deferring the remittance of their two months salaries earlier promised as contribution in the fight against corona virus?
Those who cannot make sacrifices during our travails should not be entirely trusted to make laws to assuage our pains. This is why the Young Progressives Party is calling on all relevant stakeholders to be vigilant in not only ensuring a public hearing for this perceived obnoxious bill but also make sure it is properly scrutinized to protect the collective interest of all Nigerians rather than promoting the agenda of a selfish few.
Signed:
Comr. Egbeola Wale Martins
National Publicity Secretary
Young Progressives Party
nps@ypp.ng
