Kaduna residents, on Tuesday, kicked against the ban of weekly markets in five local government areas of the State.
They described it as a death penalty imposed on them for voting the APC-led Governnent in the state
Recall that the state government on Monday said it had banned the weekly markets in Birnin Gwari, Kajuru, Chikun, Igabi and Giwa local governments.
The Goverment said the decision was taken after it reviewed security situation in the state.
But many residents who spoke to DAILY POST in Kaduna on Tuesday kicked against the ban.
Some said the Government banned the market in order to starve people to death since many relied on weekly markets to survive.
Others who were amazed over the ban said if bandits could move from house to house, room to rooms in the night, killing and kidnapping people, banning weekly markets would not stop security threat in the state.
A resident of Birnin Gwari LGA, Alhaji Ibrahim Danladi, who was not comfortable with the decision, narrated how the weekly markets helped him to train his children and provided an opportunity for him to interact with numerous businessmen.
“Banning weekly markets will not stop kidnappers from attacking us.
“Kidnappers move from one point to another, kill, kidnap and destroy houses unchallenged. What effect does banning weekly markets have on them? Nothing.
“I am a businessman, buying and selling all kind of foodstuffs. I move from one weekly market to another within the 23 LGA every week. I interact with different people, exchange business ideas.
“Most times, I made brisky profit. From what I earned as profit, I have trained my five children. Although they are yet to be employed, I still use the money I earn from the market business to feed them. I have built two bedrooms, bought car, and presently, I planned to carry out another building project before the ban,” he said.
A farmer who stays in Igabi Local Government area of the state, Murtala Dansokoto told DAILY POST that the ban had dealt a wicked blow on his family.
“I take my farm produce to sell in Kajuru market. From the sales, I buy food and ingridients for my family. I plant cassava, but, I cannot eat cassava alone,” he lamented.
In Kajuru LGA, Mrs. Jummai Nasir said, “as a widow who has no other means of livelihood, it’s going to be tough for me. I feed my children through buying from one market, and I take it to another market following week, and sell. The profit I make is used to pay my children’s school fees, cloth them, and buy text books. Now, it’s going to be difficult”
Mr. Usman Ademu who resides in Igabi said, “In Kaduna State, no factory is working. Workers are being discharged from work because of lack of market for their products. No new company is in operation.
“The state government has retrenched workers in various ministries and departments. Their benefits were not paid. People are dying on daily basis. Now, the remaining people who are managing their lives through buying and selling in the weekly markets, were banned by the government. It means the government is imposing death penalty on them.”
