₦airaland Forum

[center] Law on street trading and illegal stalls[/center]
By Punch Editorial board
Published: Tuesday, 1 Jul 2008

AS part of efforts to ensure smooth flow of traffic, the Lagos State Government recently enacted a law banning street trading. The law stipulates that whoever hawks, displays or sells goods or offers any services whatsoever on roads, highways, bridges and public buildings in and around Lagos is liable to a fine of N5,000 or six months’ imprisonment for a first offender and stiffer punishment for subsequent offences. The law also prescribes the same penalty for any person who buys such goods or services.

The same punishment is applicable to any person who establishes or keeps illegal shops; displays, sells or buys goods on pedestrian overhead bridges either in the day or at night in any location in Lagos. Any such displayed goods or items will be forfeited to the state government and subsequently destroyed. The law also bans indiscriminate pasting of posters on sidewalks, bus stops, pedestrian bridges or any public surface.

On the face of it, this law is desirable. Hawking on the roads and trading in the streets have become a big menace not just in Lagos but also in other major cities. Able-bodied youths dash from one end of the highway to another hawking sundry articles. Some of them are kids who should be in school. Some are armed robbers pretending to be traders. At every slight opportunity, they rob their unwary victims of their valuables.

But the government must also examine the socio-economic underpinnings of street trading. Many of these youths are pushed into this illegal business by extreme poverty and joblessness. Some of them are breadwinners not by their own choice but by the harsh realities of existence. They embark on trading on the highways as a last resort because the economy has excluded them and the government has not provided any form of social security or welfare.

To some of them, urban Lagos is a state flowing with milk and honey. They leave their villages for the city in search of greener pasture only to discover, regrettably, that they cannot afford the basic needs of life in a city. Without any reasonable income, a decent house to sleep and money to rent shops, these persons becomes extremely desperate. Those who are not criminally minded find trading in the streets a veritable strategy for survival.

Under normal circumstances, no right-thinking parent will want his or her child to trade on the highway. Apart from being subjected to the hazards of an inclement weather, street traders run the risk of being knocked down by fast moving vehicles. Some of them, especially girls, have fallen into the trap of evil people who either rape them or use them for rituals.

This unregulated trade also constitutes an eyesore to the environment. It poses a threat to the ongoing beautification and landscaping efforts of the Lagos State Government. Some of the traders build their shades directly below high-tension wires. Officials of the state government have already started demolishing such structures in some parts of the state. But so far, they have not been able to dislodge most street traders and highway hawkers.

No doubt, the environment in Lagos needs to be sanitised. But the roots of massive migration into Lagos must also be tackled by all tiers of government. Those who have no business staying in Lagos should be attracted back to villages through a proactive rural development programme. If all aspects of agriculture are developed, Nigerians can be gainfully engaged in food processing without bothering to come to the city only to become social miscreants.

Governments at all levels should also create an environment conducive for small businesses to thrive. If those who rent shops did not have to face sundry levies from state and local governments, many of them will not be pushed into going to the streets and highways to hawk their wares.

galatico:
If the world cup could be fixed then why barn Italian teams that fixed matches,

Today marks five years since the club was bought by Roman Abramovich - a period filled with successes both on and off the pitch.

On July 1, 2003 the Russian, relatively unknown in the UK at the time, saved the club from an uncertain future and possible bankruptcy, and provided the platform from which we have grown into one of the world's largest clubs.

In that time he has overseen the signing of some of the world's best players and enjoyed the most successful spell in Chelsea history, with no fewer than five major trophies, and most recently our first ever Champions League Final, in his home country.

But to focus solely on the on-pitch achievements is to ignore the bigger picture, in which the club has forged closer links with its fan base, community and former players in the form of the Past Players Trust.

The Chelsea Old Boys have been brought under the banner of the club, and take part in regular fixtures to raise money, while the Chelsea Ladies team is now a competitive force, underlining their intent with the capture of US World Cup winner Lorrie Fair in 2007.

Commitment to the community has been highlighted with one of the most extensive CSR programmes in sport, increases in coaching courses and the introduction of a regular fans' forum, where Chelsea's growing fan base can share their views with the club.

2005 marked the centenary year of the club, and with it came 12 months of celebrations, capped off with a first Premier League trophy, the club's first league championship in half a century.

With it came a Carling Cup success, the first trophy of the Abramovich, and José Mourinho eras.

A year later we were celebrating again as we made it back-to-back league titles, one of only two sides to have done so since the conception of the Premier League in 1992.

The 2006/7 campaign added two more trophies - a second Carling Cup and the FA Cup, in the first club game at the new Wembley Stadium.

Led by Avram Grant, the team reached its first Champions League Final in 2007/8, a season which also marked the opening of our state-of-the-art training facilities at Cobham, which cater not just for the senior team but also the Academy setup, which has also experienced major investment.

Abramovich's involvement has also revitalised an ailing transfer market, and while he was not the first, he paved the way for a proliferation of foreign owners in the Premier League.

With the long-term future of the club now secure, we can look forward to a continuing period of growth that has seen us become the world's fourth-largest club in terms of turnover.

Today, as we enter a new era with Luiz Felipe Scolari in charge, we hope that the next five years with Roman Abramovich are as successful as the first.

babs787:
Islam is clear on the kind of wife you should be seeking. The Prophet (s.a.w) said: "A woman may be married for four reasons:

1,
for her property,

2
her status,

3.
her beauty, - OF COURSE

4.
and her religion;

so try to get one who is religious, may you be blessed."

True, beauty and charm is hard to resist, yet beauty does not last forever and does not guarantee you her obedience and religiousness.

Financial status is dynamic, and so is worldly status, yet religion strongly establishes a household, and it may be that through your intention of marrying her for her religion, the rest is given to you anyway.

In one hadith, the Prophet (s.a.w) said: "The whole world is a provision, and the best object of benefit of the world is the pious woman."

This point has been stressed many times by Rasulallah (s.a.w), who himself, when asked what three things he loved the most, mentioned a pious woman.

Rasulallah (s.a.w) replied that the best thing to be treasured is the devoted wife who causes pleasure when seen, obeys orders instantly and takes full care of herself and her husbands property when he is away.

Abu Bakr once asked Rasulallah (s.a.w) what was the best thing to be treasured, and
he (s.a.w) replied: "the tongue in remembrance of Allah, the heart filled with thanks to Allah, and a pious wife who helps in virtuous deeds".

It is better to choose wife for the following attributes:

-a Muslim woman

-a believing woman

-a devout woman

-a[b] true [/b]woman

-a woman who is patient and constant

-a woman who humbles herself

-a woman who gives charity

-a woman who fasts and denies herself

-a woman who guards her chastity

-a woman who engages much in Allah's praise.

asamuel:
Any school meant for the rich alone should expect scandal. Covenant never see anything. They are just bringing the bird out of the pocket, like a Yoruba man would say. I wish Oyedepo journey mercy!

Gamine:
Who cares! They should Naija kiss jo.

goodguy:
Who could ever think that gentle, innocent-looking girl on TV is the same person that spews all manners of lewd posts on this forum? Looks can really be deceptive indeed.

belabela:
Any country into nuclear programme gives the west a concern. Nuclear programme is not nepa or failed projects and cannot fail in any country apart from international pressure. Pakistan and India is not better than nigeria in most many issues and they have nuclear plants.
Remember that Iranians are noot the ones behind their nuclear plant it's Russia.
My only fear is that if we have a successful nuclear stuff we may end up wipping ourselves off the face of the earth