Shop owners want action on abandoned Dei dei market

Dei Regional Market Shop Owners Association has demanded that the FCT minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, acts on the abandoned multi-billion naira market. Addressing journalists in Abuja, the chairman of the association, Alhaji Abubakar Tukur, said the market was established under the Abuja master plan which had three regional markets including Kuje and Karu. He said […]

Dei Regional Market Shop Owners Association has demanded that the FCT minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, acts on the abandoned multi-billion naira market.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the chairman of the association, Alhaji Abubakar Tukur, said the market was established under the Abuja master plan which had three regional markets including Kuje and Karu.

He said shops were allocated to investors in 2005 by the then minister, Nasir el-Rufai under the supervision of the Department of Development Control of the FCT.

He said the FCT minister had set up a committee to ensure that work on the market was completed and ready for commissioning, and consequent upon government pronouncements, the market association approached a private developer under the Public Private Partnership (PPP), and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed but that the commissioning was cancelled by the FCT minister.

Tukur stated that after the cancellation, several letters were forwarded to the minister requesting for approval to allow shop owners continue work on the project but the letters were never replied till date.

“We are not requesting for financial support from the FCT minister, all we need is his consent and approval to allow our members complete the development of shops and commence commercial activities in the market, and we have waited for so long, that is why we call on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene so that the development of the market will be completed.

“If the market is operational, over 8,000 unemployed Nigerians will secure paid jobs and commercial activities in the area will get a boost including government revenue,” he added.

In his reaction, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the FCT minister Abubakar Sani, said he was aware of the matter and urged members of the association to continue with dialogue to secure needed approval.