Some residents in Calabar, the Cross River State capital have commended the move by the state government to legalise street hawking in the state.
The state government is proposing a bill seeking to protect the rights of street hawkers in the state, for them to carry out their hawking activities without any form of intimidation.
The Hawkers Protection Bill, when passed into law will allow only adults from 18 years and above in reflective vest to hawk at designated time and locations.
The act of hawking has been a long standing African tradition that dates back centuries and allows for both children and adults moving about with their wares for sales.
Many have opined that hawking most times constitutes a menace in traffic and many hoodlums hide under its cover to perpetuate crime thereby, discouraging the act of hawking.
Different circumstances have led people into this most popular form of trading.
To some, they can’t afford to rent shops, to others, their only means of survival is this form of business and are happy with government’s proposed bill.
The Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade is seeking to propose a bill to protect the rights of street hawkers in the state.
