Stop all attacks on democratic
rights
PRESS STATEMENT
We of the Lagos State Chapter of the Socialist
Party of Nigeria strongly condemn the statement credited to Akinwumi Ambode,
the Executive Governor of Lagos State banning street trading and ordering the arrest of ordinary people
who buy from street hawkers. Ambode reportedly relied on the Lagos State Street
Trading and Illegal Markets Prohibition Law, which provides that anyone who
buys from a street hawker is liable to N90,000(Ninety
thousand naira) fine.
We of the SPN holds that this incongruous
provision inserted into the Laws of Lagos State is in itself a breach of the
fundamental right to movable property which is enshrined under Chapter Four of
the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) and the
Lagos State Street Trading and Illegal Markets Prohibition Law is
unconstitutional in its entirety and repugnant to natural justice, equity and
good conscience. We decry this attempt at mass criminalization by the Lagos
State Government and call on the Lagos State House of Assembly to repeal the
Law as fast as possible. We also call for
the repeal of the Lagos State Special Offences Law, with which the Lagos
State Special and Environmental Offences Taskforce(Taskforce) and Kick Against
Indiscipline (KAI) have made life intolerable for the poor, homeless and
jobless in Lagos State.
We call on the mass of the working people in
Lagos State to stand up and resist this move to turn the state to a “banana
republic” and organize mass actions to resist this madness. We call for series
of unrelenting mass protests until the Lagos State Government backs down on
this order and the Lagos State House of Assembly repeals the law.
DARE
TO STRUGGLE! DARE TO WIN!
WE
HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT OUR CHAINS!
Moshood
Osunfurewa
State Secretary
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