The Association of Tradesmen/Women & Artisans / Police Assistance Committee is the coordinating body for all the Tradesmen/Women and Artisan Associations in Nigeria. We are of the grass-roots of the informal sector of the economy. We have well over 500,000 Artisan Associations in the Federation unified under the above body with one National President and his Executives and we have our operational language for whatever venture we decide to stake into.

The Association of Tradesmen/Women & Artisans as an umbrella body is to organize, co-ordinate, monitor, control and as well, sanctify the affairs of the related associations with operational status. This body work hand-in-hand with all the State Ministry of Commerce and Industry in the Federation.

Nevertheless, it might also interest you to know that many states now find it easier to reach out to the grassroots of the informal sector through the Association of Tradesmen/Women & Artisans and Lagos State has benefited the most.

In addition, due to the importance we attach to security of lives and properties, the Association of Tradesmen/Women & Artisans / Police Assistance Committee sought ways to assist in combating crime in this country. This culminated in the formation of the Police Assistance Committee (PAC), which was inaugurated in the year 2002 in Lagos and today is spreading to other states of the Federation.

The Profile of Association of Tradesmen/Women And Artisans, the Founders of Police Assistance Committee of Nigeria

Key Focus, Vision and Our Core Values

·         Service to humanity

·         Upliftment, enhancement of both young and old Tradesmen and Artisans to develop and progress in business in order to discourage crime, as the saying goes that an idle mind is the devil's workshop.

·         To contribute and work towards positive change in the society

·         Create awareness to all our Tradesmen and Artisans in the grassroots nationwide through our Certificates of Identification for obtaining information to assist Police in tracking down of criminals in the society.

·         Assisting State Governments nationwide in boosting their revenue drive.

·         Upliftment of the standard of our nation's Police Force and other security agencies and boosting their morale.

·         Introduction of Electronic information security networks through the procurement of communication equipments, like computer sets with internet connectivity, land phones and generator sets, to aid The Nigeria Police and other security agencies to enhance easy flow of information through this body and the existing agencies in the country.

·         Social security programmes for members

·         To protect the interest of members of all recognized associations

·         To keep authentic record of all accredited Tradesmen/Women and Artisan Associations in the country.

Primary Functions of The Association of Tradesmen/Women & Artisans

a. To reactivate all dormant and dead Tradesmen and Women Artisan Associations in the country.

b. To liaise with the Ministry on behalf of the various associations on matters affecting individual associations.

c. To protect the interests of members of all recognized Associations.

d. To inspire the formation of Association of Tradesmen/Women & Artisans in states where they are not present or functional.

e. To keep an authentic record of all accredited Tradesmen and Women Artisan Associations in the country.

f. Members are advised nation-wide to give information directly to the Area Commander and Divisional Police Officer (D. P. O.) in all states of the Federation.

g. Modernization of Tradesmen/Women & Artisans: Good standard of services and rates; uniformity of price from each association; and issuance of receipts to customers from each association members; code of conduct of all Tradesmen/Women & Artisans; organized business conduct for modern day standard e.g., e-business, trade improvement and computer training.

h. Information mobility through the media agencies: to enlighten all the Tradesmen/Women & Artisans in the country through the Television, Radio, Newspapers and all media agencies on how to modernize their trades.

i. Giving out loans to members who are interested with only 5% interest.

j. The Association takes 50% responsibility of members during wedding and burial ceremonies.

The Target of The Association of Tradesmen/Women & Artisans

a. To eliminate the activities and functions of fraudulent persons operating under the guise of being Tradesmen/Women & Artisans in all parts of the country.

b. To synchronize the activities and operational functions of all Tradesmen/Women & Artisans in Nigeria as a whole. To spread successful operation to all states in Nigeria.

c. Pioneering for the recognition of various associations in the country by the Ministry. This will be useful in regulating the number of associations in the country. It will also increase the revenue going to the government through the Ministry. This amounts to registering for identification as a body operating in Nigeria as an association.

d. Financial aid from The World Bank through the Federal and State Ministries of Commerce, Industry and Tourism: loan allowance to all registered Tradesmen/Women & Artisans associations in the country for the growth of their businesses.

e. Seminars And Conferences: education on how to improve trades and artisanships in the country / states. This would inform them of the need to differentiate all the types of trades and to identify with the Tradesmen/Women & Artisans.

The Association of Tradesmen/Women & Artisans / Police Assistance Committee identify with different agencies both private and public. Some of these are as follows: -

i. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry recognizes the National Executive members of this Association, in assisting them in Commerce policy.

ii. The Executive members are in conjunction with NAFDAC towards the eradication of fake drugs and other regulated sub-standard products in the country by giving useful information to the state NAFDAC offices through our grassroots members in each state of the Federation.

iii. The Executive members also liaise with the Lagos State Ministry of Finance to collect funds through Personal Income Tax from our members.

iv. The Executive members liaise with the Inspector General of Police and Commissioners of Police in each state in giving quick information.

v. The Executive members work hand-in-hand with the Force P.R.O. and the state P.R.O in the country on Police Assistance Community projects for easy flow of information.

vi. The Executive members work in conjunction with the Lagos State Commerce and Industry, Alausa – Ikeja, mainly on generating funds into the State government coffers through the identification of different trades associations and also through the issuance of I.D. cards, badges etc., through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The Association of Tradesmen/Women & Artisans uses its time and finance in the project of launching the Police Assistance Committee on ‘Community Policing’ in each state of the Federation, without government assistance in the execution of this project.

This body creates awareness to all the grassroots members in giving useful information in combating crime in each state of the federation.

The Association of Tradesmen/Women & Artisans of Nigeria provides the above services voluntarily to the Nigerian Police as our contribution to our Fatherland.

We, the executive members of the Police Assistance Committee and Association of Tradesmen & Women Artisans will like to use this opportunity to introduce PAC to you.

And we will also like to inform you that in case PAC does not yet exist in your State that is within Nigeria, that we can assist to establish a chapter of PAC in your Police State Commands / Area Commands.

If you desire to have PAC inaugurated and established in your State, then please get in touch with us, and we will mobilize our members across the Nation to give their support towards establishing PAC in your State.

Any State Commissioner of Police who is interested to have PAC established in his State, should write us, and we will use our numerical strength and finance to establish PAC in his State. This is the token contribution we can offer to our beloved country.

And also, any other country, apart from Nigeria, that is interested in establishing Police Assistance Committee or Association of Tradesmen & Women Artisans in their country should also please write us and we will come to give them a one month lecture and training on how to coordinate, sanitize, mobilize and establish Association of Tradesmen & Women Artisans and Police Assistance Committee in their country, in order to arrest ugly situations that result to loss of lives and property.