This death sentence called urban renewal

Daily Trust reported last Sunday that shop owners in Kasuwan Bacci in Kaduna South Local Government Area in Kaduna State were given notice by the Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Authority (KASUPDA) to immediately remove all their valuables within 72 hours or face penalties which included death sentence. The marketers who spoke with Daily […]

Daily Trust reported last Sunday that shop owners in Kasuwan Bacci in Kaduna South Local Government Area in Kaduna State were given notice by the Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Authority (KASUPDA) to immediately remove all their valuables within 72 hours or face penalties which included death sentence.

The marketers who spoke with Daily Trust said the notice was sighted in the early hours of Saturday, March 7, thus blocking a medium to contest the decision in court.

The reason for the demolition of the commercial centre is not an issue. It was stated by KASUPDA that the issuance of the death warrant became necessary as part of the present administration’s commitment to transforming the historic city of Kaduna. This is not surprising as the governor is called “Mai Rusau” (the demolisher) because of his antecedent of destroying structures at the time he was the FCT minister.

Destroying places with the intention of replacing them with better ones is not a bad thing, but the intention behind it creates doubts in people’s minds.

We have seen government projects which have been on paper in the past 15 years but which are still dreams. In print, we are told that the reconstruction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road would take two years. In reality, even the contractors are not certain if the project can be completed in five years.

Kasuwan Bacci is indeed the largest business centre in Kaduna. It is the source of livelyhood for thousands.

I weep for Kasuwan Bacci traders. As for the government, it should live up to the expectations of the common people it leads.

Yusuf Musa writes from Kano  [email protected]