Prior to the Lagos State street Trading and illegal Market
Prohibition Law 2003 which restricts street trading ad hawking in the
metropolis, The Lagos State Government found it necessary to move for the enforcement of this Act with effect from
July 1, 2016.
The state Government has pointed out intention for this new
and needful development which includes curbing loss of lives of residents in
the city to road accidents, it was
recorded recently that a street hawker was knocked down by an articulated truck
while trying to evade arrest from officials of Kick Against Indiscipline along
Maryland Bus stop which regrettably led to the destruction of public assets
which included 49 buses which cost the government up to about N139m to put them
back on the road.
This law however holds both the hawker and buyer liable of
the offence and if guilty, the punishment translates to payment of N90, 000
fine or face six months jail term.
However, there have been reactions from members of the
public on this latest development which is seen to be harsh and not necessary
especially in times like this in a nation when an average Nigerian can barely
feed three times a day. As good as the law seems on paper and with its
intentions clearly stated by the State Government, it has more economic impacts
on the lives of the common Lagos resident who hawks and engages in street
trading to make a living. These low income earners the state government has
effectually evicted are the spine of Lagos' commercial reputation as the
population of street hawkers in Lagos state is recorded and tentatively put at
over 2million according to Aso Radio Abuja.
The enforcement of this law would mean that over 2million
Lagosians will be cut off economically as they will have to do without a source
of income, sadly most of these low income earners are breadwinners of their
respective homes, this means many homes with children will have to go to bed
hungry every day, this in short will increase poverty rate in the city. While
the state boasts of the highest internally Generated Revenue in Nigeria, the
petty traders who may not pay direct tax are able to get some items to the end
user, faster than the retailer in a shop, or the buyer can manage given the
difficulty of going in and out of an organized market, this cannot be
overlooked and the disadvantages cannot be over-emphasized.
By default, Lagos State already has to its credit the
highest crime rate in Nigeria with incidents of sophisticated robberies which has
led to deaths of innocent citizens and law enforcement officials.
Lagos state has its
youth population estimated at almost 12million according to indexMundi. Therefore, banning
street hawking without an alternative or palliative measures for our teeming
youths will only add more bodies to the crime pool as the youths will be forced
to try dubious or other criminal means to make a living.
Since democracy is about the people, Government should be
responsive to their needs in a way that does not aggravate their bad conditions.
Let's take a glance at Kaduna where the state government
towed the same line with its ban on beggars without considering the effect on
the people directly affected, the case with government in this part of the
world is placing the cart before the horse. Governments at Federal and state
levels don't consider putting alternatives in place for the people before
rolling out policies that further puts them in pains and hardship.
Also, the case of subsidy removal where the Federal
Government moved to end the policy without first putting into consideration the
effect on the bulk of Nigerians living below poverty line by providing an
alternative, Ambode's ban on street hawking without clearing up traffic, and
providing affordable alternatives for the people is a clear case of placing the
cart before the horse and enforcement of that policy can be regarded as
anti-people.
Prior to the implementation of the ban, It appears obviously
that proper planning was not considered,
despite the effort of the government trying to save lives by preventing road
accidents and going for aesthetics in the city, the policy is rather seen as a
reactive one rather than the much needed proactive one, the question is, is the
Lagos state Government ready to jail 2million Lagosians if they fail to pay
N90,000?
It's not too late for the State Government to take a second
look at the ban and have a rethink about its adverse effects on lives of
millions of residents of the state.
Lagos State Government can therefore, firstly, consider
embarking on empowerment programs that will engage youths actively in a
vocation or careers, this will involve training and supporting them to start
up. This can be done in phases to avoid biting more than they can chew.
Programs like that will reduce numbers of youths and kids hawking on the road.
Also, some people have devoted their entire lives to trading
and it's how they can survive and supply daily needs to customers, hence, the
State Government should provide modern and organized markets either at
subsidized or affordable rates so that
the petty trader can afford to exhibit his/her goods where they can be bought.
The state Governor should also look into the proposed Lagos
Employment Trust Fund with 25 billion. Through an access to finance of a
minimum of 1billion naira annually across the five divisions in the state which
is one of the items of manifesto during campaign which was intended to allow
unemployed people to have access to adequate finance for entrepreneurial
ventures, unemployed people will be empowered to grow their businesses and make
a living.
When all these must have been achieved, the implementation
and the enforcement of the ban on street hawing and trading can take its course
and that will not be seen as a policy that is anti-People.
Olajide Oladayo is an activist and a renowned social media commentator.
