Political Briefs
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GOVERNOR Ben Ayade of Cross River State has given indication that his administration will legalise street hawking in the state. He said the ban on street hawking as obtains in some states of the country constitutes the violation of the human rights of individuals who are denied the opportunity to make a living from that form of business.
Governor Ayade said the street hawkers are among the weakest in the society that require government protection. Addressing journalists in Calabar, he said he has already forwarded a bill to the State House of Assembly to give legal strength to those who engage in the business of street hawking.
“I have just sent the Hawkers’ Right Bill to the House of Assembly to provide a right for hawking. You cannot tell a man not to sell his goods because he does not have money to rent a store. And you tell the man not to steal?
“Just provide a regulatory framework; there should be reflective outfits, there should be a minimum age of 18 to hawk. You will have a time frame when you come out so that you don’t constitute nuisance.
“But, to prohibit hawking is to tell a man I don’t want to give you food, and I don’t want you to steal. It is unfair. They have right to seek and determine how they chose to live within the ambits of the law.
“Cross River would the first state that would officially recognise hawking. The core mandate of a leader should be the social security of his people. If a man chooses to hawk, if you are government that is sensitive and understands the real principle and objective of the law, then you will know that the hawker has a right.”
— Sep 5, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT
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