Jigawa Industrialists Back Govt On 1000 Shops In Kano

By Mohammed Abubakar Dutse

Small Scale Industrialists operating in Jigawa state have thrown their weights behind the state government’s planned construction of 1000 shops at the Farm Centre in Kano.

The Industrialists, under the aegis of the Nigerian Association of the Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI), made their position at a media forum in Dutse on Tuesday, through its Chairman, Danlami Shuaibu, who believed that the move would definitely boost the state’s revenue base.

The state government, at the end it’s regular State Executive Council meeting last week approved the sum of N 3.5 billion to construct 1000 shopping centre on the parcel of land the state inherited when the state was carved out of old Kano state in August 1991.

NASSI’s intervention is coming against the backdrop of divided reactions to the planned exercise by individuals and groups supporting and opposing the government’s decision.

According to Shuaibu, the move to construct the shops was aimed at boosting internal revenue generation for the state in Kano, the commercial centre of the northwest Nigeria.

He, therefore, expressed the association’s support for the project, stating that it will enhance the state’s revenue base.

The project, according to Shuaibu, is a welcome development that will provide opportunities for small-scale businesses to thrive.

Shuaibu noted that the area where the shops will be constructed was previously lost to individuals but has been reclaimed and transformed into a thriving commercial hub.

“It has come a long way, it was a lost land and has been reclaimed,” he said, adding that the small-scale businesses are aware of the preparations going on towards the project.

The chairman also highlighted the strategic location of the area, which was previously used as a transit point for people traveling from Kano to Jigawa state

The NASSI chairman expressed confidence that the new market will compete favorably with other internal markets, providing a boost to the state’s economy.

With the construction of the 1000 shops, the state government is expected to increase its internal revenue generation, creating more opportunities for economic growth and development.

The project is seen as a significant step towards promoting small-scale businesses and entrepreneurship in the state.