Maigatari, that is the name. Sounds strange? Certainly, it is to many non-northerners and even northerners alike. You can’t be alone in your thought and bewilderment as there are numerous others who have never heard of this border town before. It is situated in the far-flung of the northwest state of Jigawa. It is a town bordering Nigeria with Niger Republic. So close is the border town to the neighbouring country that if one throws a stone across, one will see it drop there and then.
In view of this, the opportunity for a cross border trading zone presented itself and this, the government latched on by establishing a free-trade zone in the town. Besides, a booming livestock market where varieties of cattle, donkeys as well as horses are being sold, also compliments the existing peace between Nigeria and its Nigerien neighbour.
Thursday is usually a day to behold in the border town as scores of people from Niger Republic come in their hundreds with thousands of camels, cattle as well as rams, goats, sheep among others to sell off to thousands of buyers from across Nigeria. The sea of heads that confronts a first-time visitor to the town naturally underscores the seriousness of the business for which both the buyers and sellers are gathered.
This much was corroborated by one of the sellers and indigene of the town, Tijjani Sharu who said not less than one thousand long trucks come here for business from within Nigeria.
Sharu said: “Every Thursday, this place is usually a very busy place with many people coming from all over Nigeria to come and buy camel, sheep, cattle, rams horses as well as donkeys.”
On the human and vehicular traffic that throng Maigatari, the trader responded thus: “Honestly, when you look at the number of vehicles coming from across the Nigeria to trade here, one will be counting over 1000 trucks coming from across Nigeria to pick these animals brought in from Niger Republic. This is apart from those trucks that come in with these animals. The trucks from Nigeria come down here to carry these livestock. It is usually a big business every Thursday and this greatly improves the economy of people of this area, Jigawa and indeed the entire Nigeria.”
The value chain of this trading activity is better seen and felt than imagined. While those who engage in the business of buying and selling of these animals carry on with their activity, others who sell the raw meat equally make brisk business. For Aliyu, a butcher, Thursday provides a good business for those in his class.
He said: “Every Thursday, our sales increased drastically because people from across Nigeria and even beyond come here. The sales we make here is about forty to fifty thousand naira or more because we make this meat into Kilishi, barbecue and Suya.”
Another major beneficiary who simply gave his name as Bala said they usually assist in slaughtering their animals if they so desire. Slaughtering and preparing a ram, goat or sheep for instance costs between the range of N300 – N500 depending on the size. On a good day, I make close to five to ten thousand naira.”
The cost of rendering such service, our reporter gathered, is not fixed, as it depends on the negotiating power of the customer (s). This much was corroborated by an ex-youth corps member, Modupe Adeyemo who served her one year mandatory national service in the state in the year 2010/2011.
Recalling her visit to the border town, Adeyemo, who served in Gumel local government, a distance of less than two kilometres, said: “It was always fun visiting Maigatari at every interval because of its proximity to Gumel, the place of my primary assignment. On every market day, we (myself and other corps member friends) would go to Maigatari and even beyond. It was one big and sprawling economic opportunity that in my view has not been fully tapped into.”
But for some constraints, Adeyemo said, she would have gone into the business of buying and selling of these livestock.
For the host local government, it is also a gainful venture as it generates an appreciable level of revenue to its coffer. This much was disclosed by the council chairman, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar. According to him, the weekly market is a great source of revenue not just to the local government and Jigawa state, but indeed the entire country.
For the local government with a population of over 100,000 people, according to the last census quoted by the chairman, there is always a weekly return of N2.5 million generated weekly from the market.
Asked if there was any fear of threat to security of lives and people of the traders and residents in view of the security challenge ravaging some parts of the north, Abubakar said: “Such fear does not exist here. God has been so kind to us. Rather than managing security crisis, we are managing economic prosperity amidst good neighbourliness.
“One other advantage we have here is the mono culture that exists between us and our neighbours. We share the same culture and religion and this has greatly helped our mutual socio-economic cooperation. It might interest you to know that we inter-marry because we are all Hausa/Fulani.”
Speaking further on the benefits, the council boss told our reporter that it engages youths in the area to help clear the market and pays them N5,000 monthly, assuring of plan to give this class of youths full employment.
And as a confirmation of the good neighbourliness between Jigawa and its neighbour, Governor Sule Lamido has promised to continue backing Fulani settlers of Niger Republic to acquire more education.
According to Lamido, supporting Fulani in Niger, especially the young generation, to acquire more education is not different from supporting same in Nigeria, because of their shared commonalities. He spoke while receiving a delegation from Niger Republic, led by the Maradi state deputy governor, Malam Sidi Muhamman.
According to Muhamman, what the governor did by sponsoring the education of 27 Fulani nomads was unprecedented and would remain in the memories of the people of Niger Republic for a long time.
According to him, “The Jigawa State governor had already paid N7 million for the education of stranded Fulani nomads that had never had the opportunity to further their education in the past.”
The relative peace enjoyed in Jigawa, a state that prides itself as the new world, is certainly derived in a way from the peace flowing from its border town of Miagatari. Little wonder therefore that at a time some states with border towns are enmeshed in security challenge, Jigawa is blossoming in unparalleled economic prosperity.