Kaduna State Governor reiterates commitment to build prosperous communities

Kaduna State Governor, Nasiru El-Rufai says the building of Kasuwan magani market was a deliberate investment by the government in peace-building and economic prosperity in a diverse community.

He disclosed during the commissioning of the new Kasuwan Magani market in Kajuru Local government of Kaduna State.

“When we performed the groundbreaking ceremony for this market on 3rd July 2019, we noted how markets have been a source of conflict in some of our communities. Contentions over the location of markets and access to them have been implicated in the legacy of violence that has blighted parts of our state”.

He said the state government is aware that certain resentments driven by poverty and a sense of inequality have manifested in violent episodes that have started in and around markets, often targeting the economic assets of other citizens.

“It was in Kasuwan Magani that Kaduna state lost its innocence, recording the first ethnoreligious clash in the 1980s”.

The Governor disclosed that it was the post-conflict assessment of the October 2018 crisis in Kasuwan magani that led to the government’s resolve to address the question of markets.

“As a government committed to promoting equality of opportunity, we announced in October 2018 a plan to promote prosperity in places impacted by conflict by rebuilding their markets. The goal is to ensure that the new markets will accommodate the previous shop owners, and other persons who are interested in and are able to own shops”.

According to El-Rufai, the perceptions that there are insurmountable barriers to securing trading places in markets will be erased in the new, expanded markets, saying, the designs for these markets will also include space to host police formations.

He gave the assurance that commissioning the replacement of the burnt Kasuwan magani market is part of the government’s programme to promote equality of opportunity and economic development in various communities.

The Governor mentioned that interested buyers of stalls in the market are being supported with access to mortgage finance. “The sale of the shops is not driven by profit but by a desire to make the market a hub of traders from diverse backgrounds with a shared interest in prosperity”.

He, therefore, appealed to all the communities to work for peace and harmony, adding that, economic development requires an atmosphere of concord in which everyone feels safe to pursue their livelihoods.

Nnenna.O