A coalition of Northern and Southern groups opposing vaccine trials in Nigeria has told lawmakers who support the Infectious Diseases Bill to prepare to face a sack from the National Assembly.
Their communique was signed by Aliyu Amshi (Citizens Own Nigeria), Segun Onibiyo (Vanguards of Democracy), Ibrahim Bunu (Middle Belt Patriotic Front), Ugo-Akpe Onwuka (Igbo Renaissance Forum), Sammy Brown (Supreme Council of Ibibio Youths) and Eric Oluwole (Yoruba Youth Coalition).
The bill was co-sponsored by the Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, Reps Pascal Obi and Tanko Sununu.
On Monday, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) had alleged that the House of Representatives was offered money to pass the bill despite no input from stakeholders.
On Tuesday, dozens of Civil Society Organisations raised an alarm that the lawmakers were acting too fast in its bid to pass the bill.
The Christian leadership in Nigeria also condemned the Green Chamber and asked: “Why the rush”.
In their statement, the coalition against vaccine trials announced that it was monitoring unfolding events and taking note of pro-lawmakers.
They quoted the comment of WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, that Africa cannot and will not be a testing ground for any vaccine.
“We ask, how come Nigeria went ahead to indicate interest in using its citizens as guinea pigs without due protocol, sensitization and education? We are worried that the clandestine mode of going about this whole scheme strikes the citizens as a plot to gamble with our lives and put us in harm’s way.
“It is disheartening that with all the humongous amounts budgeted for health by successive governments over the years, Nigeria cannot boast of a robust Bio-pharmaceutical industry and laboratories that would develop some of these vaccines and other life saving medical essentials.
“We wonder the speed to get the bill passed without being duly scrutinized by the members of the House, who incidentally were not presented with copies of the bill.
“While citizens were still trying to grasp the movielike actions playing out, the same controversial bill seeking to repeal the Quarantine Act 2004, surfaced at the Senate on Tuesday the 5th of May, 2020, under a different title which read “National Health Emergency Bill, 2020.
“We wish to state without equivocation that no matter the nomenclature of the bill, we shall resist it unless Nigerians are adequately educated and sensitized about the benefits of giving such unfettered powers to the Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC), which includes forcible administering of the COVID-19 vaccine.”
The coalition vowed to resist any attempt by any individual, group of persons, or organizations trying to force vaccine trials without going through the right protocols and sensitizing the citizenry ab initio.
They advised the National Assembly “to quickly kill any bill being pushed under various aliases as that would set the country on the path of instability”.
“We have already briefed our coordinators in the six geopolitical zones to be on the standby and continue with sensitization and mobilization of citizens within their zones.
“We shall embark on all actions that are within legal means to ensure that this bill is not passed. We shall mobilize constituents to start a recall process for all the legislators involved in this ongoing parliamentary sleight of hand to get this controversial bill passed”, the coalition added.