Jigawa House of Assemby passes into law bill making it compulsory for every intending couple to go for HIV/AIDS test
Jigawa State House of
Assembly has passed into law making it compulsory for every intending couple to
go for free HIV/AIDS test before their wedding.
The passage of the bill
was sequel to the adoption of the report of the house committee on control of
HIV/AIDS earlier mandated to examine and make recommendations to the house.
Speaker, Alhaji Idris
Garba Jahun who presided the plenary session, said the bill was sponsored by
member representing Birnin Kudu constituency Alhaji Surajo Mohammad on the
first of march this year and the bill was referred to the relevant house
committee after scaling through first and second reading.
Chairman House committee
on the control of HIV/AIDS and the minority whip, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulaiman Gwiwa
who presented the report of the committee on the floor of the House announced
that, the bill intended to provide free and compulsory HIV test before marriage
and to prohibit all forms of discrimination and stigmatization against persons
living with the virus.
The bill also provided
for a punishment of a fine of not less than five hundred thousand naira or
imprisonment of not less than three years or both against the defaulters.
Alhaji Ibrahim Sulaiman Gwiwa pointed out that the committee has made a wider
consultation with relevant stakeholders to get positive inputs to the report in
view of the sensitivity of the bill.
Notable among them
include, the five Emirs of the state, the council of ulamas, Nigerian Bar
Association, Jigawa State action committee on the control of HIV/AIDS as well
as references in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.
After the presentation,
the House later went in to the committee of the whole to consider the
recommendations of the report and subsequently led it’s adoption.
Source: Mustee Badala
New Media correspondent
Jigawa State House of Assembly
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