ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The Kuje Main Market in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is undergoing a major transformation and modernization by private developers identified as Green House Ventures Limited.
The developers on Thursday commenced the demolition of the market in an exercise that will last few days to pave way for effective construction of the market under a build, operate and transfer contract scheme.
The Kuje Area Council Chairman, Mr. Shaban Tete, on Jan. 13 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the modernization of the market.
In the MOU, the developers will re-build the market and transform it to an international standard with modern facilities.
The company is expected to rebuild the market, manage it for 25 years and later hand over to Kuje Area Council Administration.
This contract is an example of the Federal Government’s Public, Private, Partnership (PPP) initiative designed to promote the development of infrastructure in the country.
According to the developers, the market will have 532 lock up shops; two ware houses, 500 open shops, banks and a security unit, 72 plazas stores, modern abattoir, and a day care center.
Mr. Sunday Yaro, committee secretary on public private partnership (PPP) Project/ Quantity Surveyor of the Area Council, talking to newsmen said series of meetings was held with the traders before the demolition started.
“The Area Council has tried to evacuate the traders from the market to a temporary side to enable the developers start work but they refused moving.
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Construction cannot start without evacuating the traders from the market due to congestion and obstruction caused by attached shanties in the market and the road side.
“When the project is completed it will also help the council to properly check and balance the revenue generated from the market.
“Recently the Chairman signed memorandum of understanding and asked the traders three times if he can sign the MOU and the traders gave him the go ahead to sign,’’ He said.
The Chairman of Kuje Traders Association, Alhaji Yunusa Isah, said the traders had series of meetings with the council over the project and were informed of the demolition exercise.
Isa also said the traders would have been given few days to properly evacuate their goods from the market.
He therefore appealed to the traders to be calm and see the demolition as a blessing for the future development of the market.
One of the traders whose shop was demolished, Mrs. Charity Onu, said the project is a good development and has evacuated all her goods before her shop was pulled down.
She however pleaded with the developers to hasten with the project to enable the traders move in on time.
All efforts to get the council chairman, Mr. Shaban Tete for comment on the demolition exercise yielded no result.
the demolition exercise was monitored by armed military officers, the police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defense group in case of hoodlums that may hijack the process.
Some traders hurriedly evacuated their belongings in trucks, personal cars and wheel barrows and the demolition exercise caused traffic gridlock along Kuje-Gwagwalada road.