CSO Backs Jigawa Govt’s N3.5bn Investment In Kano
By: Ahmed Aminu, Dutse
A Civil Society Organization in Jigawa State has backed the plan by the state government to construct 1,000 commercial shops in Kano at the cost of over N3.5 billion to boost its revenue.
The support came hours after another civil society organisation described the plan as a misplacement of priority.
Addressing newsmen on Saturday in Dutse, President of the Civil Society Coalition on Security, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Muhammad Musbahu Basirka said they have followed public discourse on the matter and fully supports the government plan.
According to Basirka, the coalition has interfaced with diverse range of experts, community leaders, and critical stakeholders, and believe that “our government made an informed, strategic, and most importantly, responsible decision to utilize this vital asset for the collective good for boosting state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)”.
“We have engaged with numerous financial experts, and their professional insights are unequivocally positive.
“They have affirmed that developing commercial properties in a high-demand, high-traffic area like Kano’s Phone Market will provide a consistent, substantial, and sustainable boost to Jigawa state’s Internally Generated Revenue”.
He noted that Jigawa state, like many states in Nigeria, grapples with the imperative of diversifying its revenue streams beyond the fluctuating federal allocations, as such the project will offer a golden opportunity to generate money for vital projects.
Basirka maintained that the land, strategically located within Kano’s commercial hub, was rightfully inherited by Jigawa after assets sharing between it and Kano State, when the state was created in August 1991.
“I want to make a passionate appeal to all Jigawa State stakeholders, to every well-meaning sons and daughters of Jigawa, and indeed, to all citizens to embrace this monumental development with understanding, unity, and a shared vision for our future,” he added.
The Syndicate recalls that another Civil Society Organization, Exceptional Leadership and Integrity Promotions Initiative had opposed the proposal, asking Governor Umar Namadi not to go ahead with it.
Its Executive Director, Comrade Isah Mustapha, had in a statement on Friday said “instead of deploying the over the ₦3 billion for the construction of Shops in Kano state, the state should invest in well-targeted, revenue-generating sectors that harness Jigawa’s comparative advantages.”
