By Ismail Auwal
Traders and business owners in Kano’s markets have lamented the persistent land racketeering that is not only affecting businesses but endangering lives and livelihoods.
The problem allegedly assume monstrous proportions under the current administration of Gov. Ganduje, when market spaces meant for roads were indiscriminately allocated to cronies as shops using land racketeering syndicates.
Some of the Kano’s largest and important markets such as Kofar Wambai and Kwantin Kwari were affected the most by this ill thought policy.
The businessmen in these markets who spoke to Sahelian Times have complained bitterly that the current government has discarded these markets’ master plans out of the window. They alleged that “many parts of these markets fit into the government’s for sale policy.”
“We usually come to the market in the morning and find them carving a new section for shops allocation,” said Ibrahim, one of the business owners at Kofar Wambai market.
When asked if the newly carved out shops are allocated to businessmen known to be transacting there, he replied that, “No. The allocation process is for the highest bidder, regardless of where he comes from.”
The paper learned from the experts that the state government’s carve out policy has negative consequences on health and market’s economic activities.
According to Dr. Ibrahim Garba, a lecturer in the Department of Business Administration at Bayero University Kano, the consequences of land racketeering outweigh the perceived benefits of gratification.
“We don’t need more shops in our old markets. Rather, we even need to reduce their populations by opening up new modern markets elsewhere in the state.”
Kano markets have a history of frequent fire outbreaks, resulting in the destruction of wealth and lives. Evidence has shown that lack of well designed roads to allow for smooth implementation of fire control measures contributes to the worse outcome of such outbreaks.
“When the fire incident of 2020 occurred, there were no routes for fire service vehicles to pass through to quench the inferno, which led to the loss of millions of Naira,” said Ibrahim Abubakar, a marketer.
Six shops were burned down in Kofar Wambai in 2018, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in commodities, “but as we speak, I cannot count the number of locations that have been racketed by the government officials,” he claimed.
Dr. Tijjani Imam, an environmentalist with Bayero University Kano, lists destruction of the ecosystem, loss of natural buffer against air pollution, and temperature modifier as the negative consequences that await the state if the government continues with his racketeering “mentality”.
Kano is one of the states most affected by floods in 2020. Drainage systems are insufficient in the state, and over 20 local government areas of the state were affected by flood according to the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet).