Bill to establish Lagos Market Authority Board scales 2nd reading

The Lagos State House Assembly on Tuesday read for the second time a Bill to establish the state’s Market Authority Board.

At a plenary in Ikeja, the Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, said the bill, if passed, aimed to provide effective registration, formation, organisation and management of market activities in the state.

Obasa said that the bill currently being considered by the legislators was committed to the House Committee on Local Government.

The speaker said the committee was expected to report back to the House in two weeks.

Commenting, Mr Sanni Okanlawon, the Chairman of the committee, said that the bill would address some anomalies in the extant law and would make it mandatory for all markets to be duly registered.

The Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Adedamola Kasunmu, said that the Iyaloja-General belongs to the Market Advisory Council as captured in the bill.

Kasunmu said that as such, it would amount to dual roles if she was added to the market board.

Mr Sa’ad Olumoh, representing Ajeromi Ifelodun 1 Constituency, said that the bill would make it mandatory for the appointment of the board members to be ratified by the House.

Olumoh said that the bill would help to scrap situation where traders arbitrarily apportion titles to themselves.

“Clause 18 talks about an Advisory Board, which the Iyaloja-General is going to be heading.

“That tells us that Iyaloja is in a better position to give the necessary advice,” he said.