The Rivers State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, passed the “Rivers State Street Trading, Illegal Markets and Motor Parks Prohibition Bill 2019” into law.
The bill as passed now criminalises street trading, illegal motors parks and roadside Mechanics.
According to the the bill “no person shall carry on business as a roadside mechanic in a prohibited area without approval by the appropriate authority”
A fine of N50,000 is the cost for contravention for first offenders while second offenders would serve 2 years in prison.
The bill also states that a person or group who operates an unauthorized market has committed an offence and is liable to pay a fine of N200,000 or 2 years in prison or both, and if they commit such offence the second time, the offender(s) would pay a fine of N300,000 or 3 years in prison or both.
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, called for 3rd reading of the bill after debates by House Members who also unanimously voted in favour of the passage of the bill.
The speaker later directed the clerk of the House to transmit the bill to the executive for assent.
