Sept. 30, 2024

The Lagos State House of Assembly says the Market Authority Bill 2024 if passed into law will tackle street trading and illegal structures in the various market in the state.

The Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, made this known at a one-day public hearing of the Lagos State Market Bill 2024 on Monday.

The bill is titled: ‘The Lagos State Market Authority, To provide for the Registration, Formation, Organisation and Operation of Market Associations and for Connected Purposes.’

Obasa, represented by the Deputy Speaker, Mrs Mojisola Meranda, said the bill if passed into law would ensure cleanliness and orderliness in Lagos markets.

The speaker said the bill would ensure traders adhere strictly to the environmental laws of the state.

“This bill has come at the very right time because with this important bill, our markets can be well regulated and coordinated.

“It will bring about modern practices whereby everyone that owns a space in the market would be properly identified with their exact location.

“The most important aspect is also to regulate and recommend policies to the government regarding problems on market affairs.

“This includes fair pricing with modern best practices. It would also bring about structure for management of these market places,” he said.

The speaker said the quality of the eventual law would be dependent on their contributions, either through their memoranda or oral addresses.

Also speaking, Mr Okanlawon Sanni, the Chairman of the Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, said the bill would correct the anomalies in the extant law and would make it mandatory for markets to be duly registered.

Sanni added that the bill would address the issue of formation because there were lots of indiscriminate formation of markets.

“With this law, you cannot just create a market, the bill provides that before you create a market, you must be up to 50 people.

“They have to register with the local government, these people will also go to the state market to register the association.

“This is to strengthen the law and to ensure that there is peace and harmony in the market,” he said.

The Iya-Oloja General of Nigeria, Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, said it was important to have a bill that would coordinate the affairs of the traders in the state and as well as their leaders.

Tinubu-Ojo said the bill would give them the enablement to know their roles and responsibilities.

She added that it would help the buyers and traders to know their limits within the market.

The Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi, said it was the traditional ruler that should be overseeing the market.

Shotubi said the government should give the traditional rulers role to play.

“We are not challenging the authority of the government but we have specific roles to play because the traders are closer to us and we are closer to them.

“We know where things are affecting the traders. The state should accord the traditional institution the right to look after the market.” (NAN)