The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has passed a bill to regulate the business of scrap metal dealers and similar goods in the state into law.
The bill was passed during plenary on Thursday at the Assembly complex on Wellington Bassey Way, Uyo.
Chairman of the House Committee on Environment and member representing Okobo State Constituency, Hon. Bassey Pius Bassey, said the new law would establish a code of conduct for scrap metal businesses in Akwa Ibom and also support revenue generation for the state.
He said the bill underwent several stages of legislative review at the committee level before it was presented for passage. He added that the committee also organised a public hearing to allow stakeholders and members of the public to contribute to the process.
According to him, the public hearing was held on 9 March 2026 and attracted participants including the Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, the state Attorney General, civil society groups and organised labour. He said memoranda submitted during the hearing helped the committee produce a more refined version of the bill.
Hon. Bassey urged members of the House to support the legislation, stressing its importance to regulation and order within the scrap metal business.
The House later dissolved into the Committee of the Whole to consider the bill clause by clause before passing it into law.
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong, announced that the law takes effect from 16 April 2026. He also directed the Clerk of the House, Mrs. Nsikakabasi Orok, to communicate the development to Governor Umo Eno.
The House thereafter adjourned plenary to reconvene on Tuesday, 28 April 2026.
