The Nigeria Governor’s forum have declared a state of emergency on Sexual and Gender-based Violence .
In a communique issued by NGF chairman , Dr. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state at the end of the 10th COVID-19 teleconference ,the governors strongly condemned all forms of violence against women and children and stressed the need for offenders to face the maximum weight of the law.
NGF calls on its member to domesticate Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, the Child Rights Act, and the updated Penal Code to increase protection for women and children and ensure speedy investigation and prosecution of perpetrators in addition to creating a ‘sex offenders register’ in each State.
It explained that this was important to tackle the alarming rate of rape and other forms of sexual violence in various parts of the country stressing that the domestication of relevant gender-based protection laws would increase protection for women and children.
The meeting also deliberated on the public hearing on the proposed Control of Infectious Disease Bill, 2020 at the House of Representatives.
In their resolutions, the governors maintained that states should be conferred with the powers to declare any place within their territory an infected area.
They also sought to make regulations and directives towards prevention and further spread of an infectious disease within the state, in addition to having the powers to establish Centres for Disease Control.
The governors, therefore, called for a review of the discretionary powers of the President and the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), as contained in the proposed bill.
They condemned some portions of the bill which they said violated the human rights of the people and highlighted the potential contraventions with the nation’s Constitution.
