Lagos Assembly harness stakeholders’ input at public hearing on proposed artisans, craftsmen regulatory board law

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Wednesday held a public hearing on the proposed law seeking to establish the Lagos State Artisans and Craftsmen Regulatory Board, with stakeholders calling for effective registration, certification, training and protection of practitioners and consumers.

The hearing, held at the Lateef Jakande Auditorium within the Assembly complex, was organised by the House Committee on Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, chaired by Hon. Tobun Abiodun alongside the Wealth Creation and Employment committee led by Hon. Foluke Osafile.

The proposed legislation is aimed at providing a regulatory framework for the registration and activities of artisans and craftsmen across Lagos State. Earlier consideration of the bill by the Assembly identified registration, certification, professional standards, consumer protection and access to government support among its objectives.

In his welcome address, Tobun said that the public hearing was designed to obtain meaningful contributions from practitioners and other stakeholders before the bill proceeds further in the legislative process.

He said, “I appreciate the leadership of the Lagos State House of Assembly for providing this platform, as well as the artisans and craftsmen who have come to make their contributions.”

According to him, “Artisans and craftsmen remain part of the Lagos State economic landscape as they provide employment and contribute to the development of the state. However, they face a lot of challenges in the course of doing their jobs.”

He urged participants to make constructive contributions that could help the Assembly identify provisions requiring clarification or amendment.

Speaking on the objectives of the proposed law, Tobun said the Assembly wanted artisans and craftsmen to operate as recognised professionals while ensuring that their rights and interests were protected.

“We want to ensure that they do the work and deliver to their customers. We want to ensure that they are well protected and have access to support from the government,” he said.

He added, “We will ensure that we have registered professionals across board, such as carpenters, woodworkers, plumbers and others.”

The lawmaker explained that the bill would also provide mechanisms for addressing complaints and professional misconduct.

“This bill also provides punishment for those who do not perform or do their jobs as expected. We would also set up committees to monitor the activities of members of the various associations of artisans and craftsmen,” he said.

Representing the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Mojisola Meranda, said public hearings remained an important part of the legislative process.

She said, “This has been a tradition in our legislative processes. We don’t just legislate on bills; we directly engage with stakeholders through public hearings.”

Meranda said the bill was particularly important because of the large number of Lagos residents who earn their livelihoods through artisanal and craft activities.

“The importance of the bill is relevant as most of our people are artisans and craftsmen. It is to regulate and standardise the activities of our craftsmen, protect the interests of our people and regulate the activities of artisans and craftsmen operating within our state,” she said.

She added that the proposed board would organise workshops and training programmes for practitioners and collaborate with relevant agencies to improve their skills.

According to her, “The consumers would have the right to complain about the activities of the practitioners.”

She urged stakeholders to scrutinise the bill and make suggestions that would improve its provisions.

“It is our belief that subjecting the law to public scrutiny would make it better. We call on you to avail us of your observations on the proposed bill,” she said.

The overview of the bill was presented by Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, representing Oshodi/Isolo Constituency I.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Hon. Bankole Ajigbotafe, described the proposed legislation as a positive step towards bringing greater structure to the informal sector.

“This is a good initiative. It is a commendable one. This reflects an intention for certification of artisans and craftsmen,” he said.

Ajigbotafe added that the bill would support regulation of the informal economy, stressing the need for proper emphasis on registration and certification.

“We support the passage of the bill for identification, certification and economic inclusion of artisans and craftsmen,” he said.

The First Vice-President of the Lagos State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans, LASCOTA, Toriola Ajayi Rasheed, said artisans had been seeking solutions to challenges surrounding certification and renewal of certificates.

“We as artisans have been agitating on issues relating to the renewal of the certification of our members,” he said.

Representing the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, LASCOPA, Arinola Ayokanbi also made contributions to some provisions of the proposed legislation.

The Managing Director of Ibile Metropolitan Project, Aare Deji Okunubi, called for a broader definition of the categories of artisans covered by the proposed law.

He suggested that the framework should accommodate practitioners such as mechanics, welders and hairdressers, among others.

Okunubi said that the legislation should protect both artisans and consumers.

“The bill should be crafted in such a way that it would protect the artisans and the consumers,” he said.

He added that there should be mechanisms for monitoring artisans after they were engaged by customers.

“There should be a way to checkmate the activities of artisans whenever they are given any job,” he said, adding that the legislation could also expose practitioners to opportunities outside Lagos.

He said, “We can encourage them to export some of their services outside the state. The bill would guarantee more prosperity for artisans and more protection for consumers.”

Responding to the submissions, Meranda reiterated that the essence of the public hearing was to obtain the views of stakeholders before final decisions were taken on the legislation.

She said the issue of renewal of artisans’ certificates was already captured in the bill, while assuring participants that consumer rights would also be protected.

“The rights of consumers would be protected. The House is willing to protect the interests of the people,” she said.

The public hearing forms part of the Assembly’s wider effort to develop a formal regulatory framework for artisans and craftsmen in Lagos.

The proposed board is expected to strengthen registration and certification, improve professional standards, provide better data on practitioners and create stronger channels for training and government support.

The vote of thanks was delivered by the Clerk of the House, Mrs. Adenike Oshinowo.