The House of Representatives has revisited the ‘Good Samaritan’s Bill’ seeking to provide legal protection for Nigerians from being implicated when they render help to victims of accidents or in emergency situations.
The title of the legislation read, ‘A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Protection of Persons Who Render Reasonable Assistance during Emergency Situations Occurring at Places within Federal Jurisdiction and to Serve as a Model to Be Adopted by the States of the Federation.’
In the 8th National Assembly, the House had passed the bill sponsored by a member, Mr Babajimi Benson, and transmitted it to the Senate for concurrence.
The upper chamber had on May 16, 2019, passed the Good Samaritan’s bill for second reading shortly before the Assembly terminated.
The lawmaker reintroduced the bill in July 2019.
In the explanatory note, Benson said, “The bill seeks to provide a legal framework for the protection of any person who renders assistance to others during emergency situations.”
The proposed law read in part, “(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other enactment or principles of law, a person who, without demanding and/or receiving any form of pecuniary compensation orreward, provides assistance, whether medical or otherwise, to a consenting person at the scene of an emergency, shall not be liable for any damages as a result of his acts or omissions while rendering the assistance, unless he acts in an unreasonable manner in providing the assistance or his acts or omissions constitute gross, wilful, wanton or reckless negligence or misconduct.”
