Some civil society groups in Nigeria have called for public scrutiny of the proposed bill on infectious disease control, asking lawmakers to shelve the idea of passing the bill into law.
The groups disclosed this in a statement jointly signed by 41 civil society organisations on Tuesday in Abuja.
The statement noted that the bill had all the trappings of provisions that could infringe on fundamental rights of citizens. 
They however, cautioned the National Assembly to refrain from vesting powers beyond the remit of institutions, adding that such could be abused and misused to undermine constitutionally guaranteed rights.
The statement reads, “The House of Representatives should subject the bill to public scrutiny by embarking on stakeholder consultations and a public hearing to harness public inputs into the legislation.
“The House should utilize the opportunity provided by the reviewed lockdown policy to consult with relevant stakeholders.”
The rights group explained that laws must be made for the people and any law that failed to protect the human rights of the people as guaranteed under the constitution must be rejected in its entirety.
