Wole Mosadomi
8 January 2009
Dr. Mua'azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State has stated that there is no going back on the relocation of the Minna Central Market to its new site along the Minna Eastern bye pass.
The governor who reiterated government stand on the issue which had been generating a lot of controversies since the decision was taken last year told members of the Minna Market Association who paid him a courtesy visit in his office that the step being taken by government was in the interest of the traders.
He gave reasons for the relocation of the market which include inadequate stalls, lack of space for expansion and lack of infrastructural facilities like water, accessible roads among others.
The governor observed that most of the shops are being owned by some rich individuals in the society who don"t have any business with the market and consequently lease it out to genuine traders at exorbitant rates
He said with the relocation, many traders will have direct access to the new market by owning their own stalls instead of the present situation where they operate as tenants.
In order not to give room for shylock landlords from hijacking the sale of the new stalls to genuine traders, the governor ordered that a census of traders in the central market be taken to ensure that only the genuine traders are allocated the new stalls.
Governor Aliyu said government was aware of the financial involvement in getting a new stall adding that already, government had concluded arrangements with some micro-finance banks to offer soft loans to interested traders affected to purchase the new stalls in the new market with the repayment spread over a long period of time in order to cushion the financial pressure.
Earlier, Chairman of the market Association, Alhaji Sharu Abdullahi had called on the government to rescind its decision of relocating the market because of the financial implication.
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