Lagos house committee chairman advocates free, fair LG elections

The Chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on the Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions and the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Hon. (Mrs.) Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, has urged the Commission to be impartial in the conduct of the forthcoming Local Government elections in the State.

Tejuosho gave the advice during the visit of members of the Committee to the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission to ascertain the level of its preparedness for the elections as part of the oversight functions of the Committee.

She expressed the confidence of the House of Assembly in the ability and credibility of the Chairman and members of the Commission to conduct free, fair and credible elections where people’s votes would count, noting that it was because the House saw the Chairman as an impartial jurist that her screening and confirmation as Chairman went without any hitch.

Tejuosho further pointed out that the Committee was proud that the Commission had been conducting its affairs creditably well and independently in accordance with its mandate as an electoral umpire.

In her remarks, the Chairman of the Commission, Hon. Justice Ayotunde Phillips, assured the Lawmakers that the Commission would not take the mandate of one person and give it to another, stressing that she would bring her integrity to bear on the electoral process.

She said further that the members of the Commission had been busy learning about the electoral process with a view to conducting free, fair and credible elections into the Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas of the State.

The Chairman also revealed that as part of the efforts of the Commission to conduct credible elections, the State had been divided into six zones with each of the six Commissioners of the Commission assigned to oversee one zone.

Hon. Justice Phillips also expressed satisfaction that some of the Sole Administrators in the LGAs/LCDAs of the State had started taking necessary actions on the request of the Commission that Councils should provide conducive working environment for Electoral Officers in the various Councils, stressing that she hoped other Sole Administrators would also accede to the request of the Commission.

She disclosed that the Commission had organised six Stakeholders’ meetings where it engaged with the various categories of Stakeholders with a view to making the electoral process more participatory and credible.

Also speaking, Hon. Oladele Adekanye, a member of the Committee, commended the Chairman and Commissioners of the Commission for working together as a team to move the Commission forward.

He called on all hands to be on deck to ensure the success of the forthcoming elections.

Also present at the meeting were the Commissioners and Permanent Secretary of the Commission.

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LASG licenses Auctioneers

In a bid to sanitize the growing business of auctioning in the Lagos economy, the State government has begun the issuance of licenses to auctioneers, thereby making licensees the only legal operators that can engage in auctioning in any form within Lagos State.

Speaking during the formal issuance of licenses to 20 certified operators in the State, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye, the State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, said the certification of the Auctioneers is predicated on the Auction Law Cap12 of Lagos State 2015, which stipulates guidelines for regulating the industry.

According to him, “This administration has initiated platforms to enable professionals to practice their trade and businesses without any interference or disturbance from quacks. It is mandatory that any auctioneer that will operate in Lagos State must be duly licensed. We are doing this in recognition of the importance of auctioning in any economy.”

The Commissioner posited that if people are allowed unfettered access to the business of auctioning without rules, their actions could be inimical to the socio-economic development of that environment, stressing that, “this is why the government is making sure that only qualified and licensed persons are allowed to practice.”

While assuring that the government will continue to play its part by creating an environment required to effectively position the profession, Ogunleye warned that government would henceforth penalise anyone found operating illegally in the State.

In his remarks, the Registrar, Certified Institute of Auctioneers, Mr. Adeleke Hassan commended the State for its effort, saying that he was pleased with the development and the certification process.

He averred that certification of the operators will boost the confidence of the public in auctioning and attract patronage both within and outside Lagos.