The Kano State Government has begun reallocating shops, stalls, and spaces at the Eid prayer ground in Kano, following their demolition last June.
According to Premium Times, traders are now paying approved government agents for new allocations at the site.
On Tuesday, Balarabe Hassan, one of the agents, showed a reporter the locations at the front of the prayer ground. Last year, the government removed traders from these areas and banned business activities there.
According to Mr. Hassan, the cost for space varies from N80,000 to N1,000,000, depending on the location. A table space stall facing Ahmadu Tijjani Mosque is leased for between N70,000 and N80,000, depending on connections with officials.
Mr. Hassan noted that some government officials and party members who received new allocations have sold them to traders. The stalls, branded with the Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority (KNUPDA) logo, require certification from the agency after payment, as explained by trader Haruna Malam.
Certification and allocation responsibilities fall to Abba Yaro, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on KNUPDA, and Isa Wise, Senior Special Assistant II on Markets. Mr. Malam reported that shop spaces at the front of the Eid Prayer Ground facing IBB Way and Kofar Wambai Plastic Market are being sold for significant sums.
This development follows the Kano State Government’s agreement in December to pay N3 billion in compensation to traders whose properties were demolished.
The settlement was reached after legal action by the Incorporated Trustees of Masallacin Eid Shop Owners and Traders Association.
The government had previously evicted traders, claiming that the previous administration had illegally sold the Eid prayer site. Despite the compensation, the government is now reallocating the same site to traders.
Efforts to reach KNUPDA Managing Director Ibrahim Adamu and government spokesperson Halilu Dantiye for comment were unsuccessful.
