THE Registrar of the Chartered Institute of Auctioneers of Nigeria (CIAN), Adeleke Hassan, commended members of the House of Representatives for reintroducing the HB 702 Bill.
The bill, presented by Sylvester Ogbaga, the member representing Ebonyi State’s Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency, recently passed the third reading.
Hassan said the bill was previously passed by both chambers during the eighth National Assembly under the name HB 599, but it was re-introduced to regulate and control the auction profession by ensuring a minimum level of knowledge, skills, training, and competency for practitioners, as well as provisions to address unethical and unprofessional conduct.
He said: “When passed into law, improper price manipulations by auctioneers and other criminal actions would be enforced and penalised appropriately. Before now, there was no statutory body for auctioneers in Nigeria.
“It was an all-comers profession. There was no formal training and certification to show a minimum level of knowledge and skills.
“However, in the last 12 years, CIAN, through its professional examination scheme, has produced high-caliber certified auctioneers in real estate auctions, art, automobile among others.
“Robust professional training of the institute has contributed greatly to the growth of the auction industry in Nigeria. The institute has attracted and trained highly educated individuals and corporate institutions that want to make a career in the auction industry.”
He went on to say that there were a lot of opportunities in the industry in Nigeria if they were properly capitalized on. When true professionals are engaged, it will create jobs for the country’s growing population, eliminate waste, and reduce corruption.
Hassan is the first Nigerian to be certified by the United States of America’s Certified Auctioneers Institute (CAI), the highest qualification in the auction industry worldwide.
Comments are closed.