MICHAEL AKINOLA
Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday called on the State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu to direct the Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Commerce, Hon. Lola Akande to come up with strategies to protect the State local traders.
The House also called for the enforcement of the Lagos State Market Advisory Council Law.
The House has also decided to review the Lagos State Market Advisory Council Law with a view to upgrade it and make the law conform to current realites.
The resolution followed a motion moved by the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, on the need to protect local market men and women against foreign nationals.
In his arguement, Agunbiade noted that “the activities of foreign nationals in the market threaten tradings which is capable of forcing local traders out of business.”
He added that some indigenous market men and women were being sidelined, saying that foreigners were selling directly to end users after manufacturing instead of passing the products through local traders.
The Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Wasiu Sanni-Eshinlokun, who presided over plenary said, “though a market must be competitive, there should be free entry and exit, the proponents of the motion believe the non-organized traders must be protected. It is generic, it is not to protect a section.”
Earlier in his argument, Hon. Tunde Braimoh demanded explanation on why the House should review the Market Advisory Council Law and at the same time called on the executive to enforce the same law.
Speaking in the same vein, the Chief Whip of the House, Hon Rotimi Abiru said, “I don’t think there is any law that prohibits the manufactures from selling directly to the end users. So everything depends on our strategies.
Abiru added, “We have been craving for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), so we should not send wrong signal, there is need for caution.”
However, *Hon. Adedamola Kasunmu* advised that “there is need to for the Ministry Commerce and Industry organise a stakeholders meeting with the local market men and women to further look at the challenges facing the local traders and fashion out a workable solution.”
Hon. Abiodun Tobun argued that, “We want them (foreign nationals) to come and invest in our country, but not to take away petty tradings of our people.”