The National Assembly has been called upon to exercise restraint on the speedy passage of the newly introduced Auctioneers Registration Council of Nigeria HB1508 (Establishment) bill, 2024.
Experts in the auctioneering industry made this call in a statement following the introduction of the controversial bill, which was previously stepped down in the 9th Assembly but was reintroduced last week.
A group of auctioneers, led by Mr. Hilary Nwaukor, questioned the rationale behind the accelerated consideration given to the bill, which was introduced at First Reading on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, and then referred to the Committee of the Whole on Thursday, June 6, 2024. This, they claimed, contradicts extant legislative practices and conventions.
The auctioneers urged the lawmakers to step down the newly introduced Auctioneers Registration Council of Nigeria HB1508 (Establishment) bill, 2024, in favour of the preferred Chartered Institute of Auctioneers of Nigeria HB 1046 bill, which is already at the 10th National Assembly Committee of the Whole, awaiting Presidential assent.
They contended that the new Auctioneers Registration Council bill (HB 1508) would lead to a double licensing arrangement, requiring auctioneers to be licensed at both the federal and state levels. This, they argued, would harm the profession and stifle its development across the country.
Justifying their opposition to the bill, they noted: “After all, there is nowhere in the world where licensing of auctioneers is done at both the federal and state levels. Presently, Lagos State, Kwara State, Rivers State, and Ogun State, among others, have their own auction laws prescribing licensing fees. The issue of licensing of auctioneers has already been taken care of by each state, and there shouldn’t be any need for introducing another licensing body as currently proposed before the Federal House of Representatives.”
They argued that the proposed bill HB 1508 conflicts with the provisions of the earlier CIAN bill (HB 1046), which was already passed in the eighth and ninth Assemblies.
They thereby called for the passage of the Chartered Institute of Auctioneers of Nigeria (HB 1046), already reintroduced at the Committee of the Whole in this 10th National Assembly.
They argued that the reintroduced bill HB 1046 is meant to promote professionalism, regulation, and control of the auctioneers’ body of skills and knowledge required for the profession. This bill was passed in the 8th and 9th National Assembly and sent to the President for assent.
The Institute, in its efforts to develop and deepen the practice of auctioneers in Nigeria, already collaborates with state governments and higher institutions in the training and certification of auctioneers across the country.
They averred that the auction business in Nigeria is on the Concurrent List of the Nigerian Constitution, similar to the United States of America, where federalism is entrenched, and each state has auction laws regulating auction business in their respective jurisdictions. This is considered the best practice in countries where federalism is adopted as a form of government.
They thereby demanded that the Auctioneers Registration Council (HB 1508) should be stepped down because of its contradictions, unusefulness, and irrelevance to the growth of the auction industry in Nigeria.
“The Chartered Institute of Auctioneers of Nigeria bill (CIAN) has adequately addressed the training and certification of auctioneers and enjoyed overwhelming support from other sister organizations such as the National Association of Auctioneers during its public hearing and passage in the 8th and 9th National Assembly,” they noted.
“Presently, the Chartered Institute of Auctioneers of Nigeria HB 1046 bill is already at the 10th National Assembly Committee of the Whole, with a view to obtaining Presidential assent, thereby putting a final stop to various activities of unscrupulous and fraudulent individuals masquerading as auctioneers in our society.”
