Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state has promised that all shop owners will be given the right of first refusal when the new Kaduna markets are completed, adding that no trader will be short changed in the redistribution of shops.
Speaking on Sunday, the Governor reiterated that the data of all shop owners in the affected markets are being captured.
He however promised that no government official or civil servant will be allocated a shop in any of the markets that are being rebuilt.
The Governor noted that the traders were just tenants in the market which belonged to the government, dispelling the notion that the shops belonged to the traders.
He pointed out that the fact that the original allottees have sub-leased or even sold the shops to third parties does not make the beneficiaries the owners of those shops.
The Governor further argued that the markets should be rebuilt, ‘’because the population that they were initially meant to cater for, has grown over the years. Also, the facilities are old and there is need to modernise them.’’
According to him, “Kasuwar Barci in Tudun Wada area of Kaduna South Local Government, Kasuwar Magani in Kajuru Local Government, Kawo market in Kaduna North, as well as Sabon Gari market in Zaria, will all be rebuilt and fitted with modern facilities”.
The governor also said that temporary markets have been provided for the traders who will be affected by the markets redevelopment projects, adding that they will do business there until the new markets are ready for use.
The governor, who said that the projects will be handled by Kaduna Markets Development and Management Company (KMDMC) through Public Private Partnership, also said that “we have addressed the concerns of small traders who may not have money to re-purchase their shops upon completion.
“Government has already entered a mortgage arrangement with some banks, whereby they will give the traders money to purchase the shops, while the banks will hold onto the Certificates of Occupancies until their mortgages are liquidated,” he added.
According to him, “the repayment plan is flexible as it will take five years to liquidate the mortgage. The principle is that instead of paying monthly rents, the shop owners will now pay these monies to the bank in order to offset the mortgage”.
