By Our Reporter
The new market at Sabongari in Kaduna North senatorial zone of Kaduna State has been drawing accolades from residents who knew what it once was and how it had since been transformed under the administration of Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
While speaking to ElRUFAi News Magazine recently, residents of Zaria stated that the market has become a source of pride to them. They conceded that they didn’t realise it was the kind of transformation the El-Rufai Administration had in mind when it proposed to demolish the old structures and rebuild the market.
According to Shehu Idris, a student of Ahmadu Bello University who resides in Zango Shanu area of town, “I can say I very much like the new Sabon gari market. It looks very nice compared to what it used to be. Before, the market was chaotic, unorganised, it didn’t look good. But now it has changed a lot. It looks perfect and sweet and well arranged in the sense that the structure of the shops, the entrance, the parking spaces is good compared to what it used to be. I can say it is perfectly ok.”
Idris commends the governor for the bold step he had taken to modernise the old market even in the face of the initial skepticism from some people..
“With regard to the present state of the market, I would say to our governor that he has tried. There is something I like about him and for this I respect him a lot; when he says he will do something he does it. I can use the market as example. When he said he wanted to do reconstruct it, people were looking at it as a joke. But as you can see physically now the market is completely ok,” Idris said.
He wants Governor El-Rufai to come and formally open the project that is his brainchild.
“I really want him to come and open the market,” Idris said. “I would even want to see him when he opens it because I think I have a lot of salutes for him. I want to salute him, because he really tried. I want to say thank you to him for the job. El-Rufai is excellent.”
For Abubakar Musa, a graduate of College of Education, Zaria, and a resident, “In the past the market was too congested. There was no parking space. If you wanted to buy things it was chaotic. You could hardly find space to park,” he said.
He is of the view that, “Now the mark is good. Now there are parking spaces, and people have more shops they can occupy when every part of the market is completed. The market looks clean and nice. I want to say to the governor that he has done well. I commend him for the market. He is trying. I want the governor to come and declare the marker open. If he has the time he should come and open it. I want him to come and open it by himself.”
Adamu Husseini says, “Sabongari Market used to be old. It was not modern. Before, there were a lot of old buildings, too local. The market now is looking better than before. I appreciate the governor for this because he is trying. We want more of such in Samaru part of Zaria. I want him to come and open Sabongari market.”
Bilal Suleiman also concurred that Sabongari market used to be unsightly.
As he noted, “it was too “crowded and rowdy. But now the market is good. I want the governor too continue to work hard and complete it before his tenure is over.”
For Philip Ozogwu, a civil servant who resides in Zaria, “Sabongari market used to be a chaotic place. It was disorganised, you can hardly access most parts of the market because of the arrangement,” he said.
He however admits that there is a change. “Now the market looks good. I think the governor has tried, and I think he needs to come and open the market by himself when it is completed,” Ozogwu added.
The completed section of Sabongari market has been allocated to people and buy and selling is going on in a more organised manner, while construction work on the second phase continues.
