By David Christopher, Lafia

Nasarawa State Market Management Bureau has threatened to revoke the market shops allocations offered to absentee shop owners across the state who refused to make use of the shops allocated to them for commercial activities.

Mr Yakubu Ubangari, Director General of the Bureau disclosed the decision taken by the Bureau in an interview with newsmen in Karu local government area of the state on Saturday

AljazirahNigeria revealed that the mandate of the Bureau is to manage markets across the state built by the state government with focus on facility management, collection of refuse and allocation of shops among others.

Ubangari expressed dismay that successful applicants who were allocated shops for commercial activities instead lock up the shops for reasons best known to them and leaving the market meant for commercial activities deserted.

The Bureau DG particularly lamented the current state of the Muhammadu Buhari International Market in Karu local government area of the state and threatened that shop owners who don’t make use of the shops for what is is expected for could have their allocation recvoked, with their locked shops given to new applicants.

“People who are given allocations after getting the shops lock them up and just leave. They see the allocation as more or less an asset. Instead of using it for what it is meant for, they just lock up and leave.

“So for now I have asked anybody who is interested and seriously ready to take over the allocated shops for commercial activities to come in. By the time they come in and find a shop that is vacant allocated to somebody who is not ready to trade or use the shops.

“So if a trader comes, let him or her go in there. When the person who was first allocated the shop comes, let him come and meet us and then we can begin to talk. It is either he makes use of the shop or we revoke the allocation and give it to somebody else who is ready to use it,” he said.

He described the absenteeism of the shop owners in markets across the state as a serious challenge to the state government’s drive to improve revenue generation and turn the state to an important commercial viable state.

“So my appeal to the shop owners is that let them give out the shops to people who are ready to come and do business, not when they give you an allocation, you keep the allocated shop shut for five to ten years without doing anything.

“Through that you are depriving those who are ready to come and do business and use the infrastructure for what it was built for. With that, government will also generate revenue and the economic base of the state will improve. A lot of activities will be going on when people come over to buy and sell,” he said.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share