The Abuja Regional Market Deidei situated in Tudun Fulani along Gwagwa-Suleja old road has failed to take off years after shops have been allocated to traders. Rather, it has turned into an emergency settlement for the ‘homeless’ as well as a haven for prostitutes and criminals. The structures inside the market had been abandoned for a very long time to illegal occupants who use the facility as hideout for criminal activities
When the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello undertook an inspection tour to the over 6,100 shops market last year,he expressed his determination to end street hawking in Nigeria’s capital city.
He reiterated that the Regional Market would be provided with high quality facilities that depict its name, which would encourage high-level patronage from the traders and the shoppers alike.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in December 2016, cleared the traders selling by the tomatoes and cabbage market along the roadside at the Dei Dei regional market in Abuja.Also, shop owners were called to resume ensure speedy rehabilitation of their shops for full take off of the market in earnest in preparation for the Official commissioning of the Deidei Regional Market but never took place due to some unconcluded official procedures which has generated a lot of ill feelings among the traders and community.
The Coordinator,Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Tpl Umar Shuaibu assured the Deidei Regional Market Owners Association,Abuja when they paid a familiarization visit to him in AMMC recently, that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA ) will do everything to ensure that commercial activities pick up at the Regional market soonest. Adding that it will create employment opportunities for the teeming youths as well as increase the revenue generation for the community as well as boost the Nation’s Gross Domestic Percentage (GDP).
Tpl Shuaibu assured the Shop owners about the FCT Minister,Mallam Mohammed Musa Bello’s passion over the take off of operations in the market and emphases that as soon as other modalities are put place , activities will commence on the site.
Earlier, the members of the Deidei Shop Owners Association had lamented their ordeal over not able to take possession of their shops due to the activities of hoodlums residing inside the market and the risk of been manhandled by the vandals. They stated that there has been several killings and illegal burials around the premises In addition, all the public infrastructure such as toilets, electricity generating sets, water pipes, cables ,irons, roofs have been vandalized to mention a few.
However, they reintegrated that Communities around Jiwa had earlier employed vigilante groups to ensure that wicked activities of the hoodlums and drug addicts were curtail.
Some months back, the Ministerial approval was signed for the take off of the regional market. While the Abuja Market Managemnet Agency(the facility Managers) had since started replacing the vandalized infrastructure in preparation for the official commissioning of the market.
The Dei-Dei Regional Market sits on about 86 hectares of land to cater for the needs of Abuja traders. It was created in 1993, when the FCT Administration granted a Five-Star temporary allocation of plots to traders to build their shops in line with an approved prototype design.
STORY BY GRACE ZAMANI.
