Director General of the Nasarawa State Market
Bureau (NSMB), Abdullahi Tanko Zubairu, at the weekend disclosed that the state
government has banned selling on roadsides in the state.
The DG made this known during an interaction with
select journalists in Lafia, the state capital, even as he restated that there
was a law in the state forbidding street trading across major towns of the
state.
He, however, explained that the ban on roadsides trading,
especially in Lafia, was to ensure that traders carrying out such activities in
the streets of the Lafia metropolis were relocated to the Kwandare ultra-modern
market in Lafia, which was built with funds accessed through bond but unfortunately
lying empty.
According to him, "The Kwandare ultra-modern market
was built with a bond which the state government collected, and the market should
not be left empty. The relocation of such categories of traders to the market
will provide decent and peaceful marketing activities in the state."
When asked about allegations by traders of the
Alamis market that they were forced by the state government agencies to
relocate to the ultra-modern market, the director-general said: "Nobody
forced them to relocate. Not everybody will move to the ultra-modern market
from the Alamis market."
He continued: "Officials of the Alamis market
had approached the market bureau requesting for space in the ultra-modern market
when they stated that some Alamis market traders wanted to leave trading by the
roadsides. Consequently, the officials agreed that by November 1, 2019, those
affected traders will move to the ultra-modern market."
Zubairu explained that there are three categories of
traders who would move to the ultra-modern market, which include the Ochanja
market traders, Grain Store traders and the Alamis market traders. The government
has paid compensation to the affected traders.
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