By Umar Dankano Yola
The Adamawa state government has officially inaugurated the reconstructed Yola main market as part of its drive to improve internally generated revenue, IGR for the state.
Commissioning of the new Yola market on Tuesday, Governor Ahmadu Umar Fintiri announced that the renaming of the market after Modibbo Adama has to do with the contributions of the late first royal father of fombina emirate council in the person of Modibbo Adama.
“This market shall henceforth be called the Modibbo Adama Modern Market, Yola (MAMMY). I therefore formally commission and declare open the Modibbo Adama Modern Market, Yola to the glory of Allah and the use of humanity”.Gov’.Fintiri declared.
Governor Fintiri said that the new marke t has 936 shops, made up of 120 Open and 816 Lockup shops with stronger perimeter fence and wider access roads for fire trucks and a fire service station, comprehensive water reticulation system with overhead tanks and fire hydrant at strategic points to prevent future disaster, desilted drainages, modern toilets and sanitation facilities for traders’ comfort.
Fintiri added that there is also an Administrative Block for day to day running of the market. Initially, the number of shops submitted by the trader’s union was 307, but we have added 43 shops making a total number of 350 to accommodate any oversight.
He said that, this magnificent edifice is a replacement of the old Yola market, which was not only filthy but chaotic and was a market with a notorious history of disorder and fire outbreaks.
Fintiri stated that over the years, traders and residents lived with the painful and gory realities of reoccurring fire outbrea ks that have consistently left shops destroyed, goods worth Millions of Naira gutted and livelihoods shattered, most times beyond repairs.
“The most unfortunate fact was that myths were beginning to build up and logic was giving way. Instead of taking the bold step to permanently fix the situation, our people were beginning to take the lazy route by adducing some fetish belief to puzzles that can humanly be fixed.
“As a government, we went all out to subdue the situation and put in place a lasting solution that not only rebuilt the Yola Market but restores hopes,improv es safety, enhances business environme nt,and reconstructs the life and livelihoo d of families beyond the market walls.
“The Yola Market, like most of the projects embarked upon by this administration, is one problem seen and one problem solved. It is a problem assessed which is matched by a solution that is durable for the moment and sustainable for the future”. Fintiri pointed out.
Earlier in his keynote address, Hon.Salihu Malkohi,the executive chairman of Yola South local government area expressed gratitude for the upgrading of the market to befitting ultra modern structure with a to stand the taste of time.
Malkohi applauded the foresight of the Finitri’s led administration in executing the projects with direct bearing on the people describing the remodeling of Yola market as “a right step towards the right direction”
Malkohi also appeal to the Governor to upgrade the Ngurore cattle market to a world standard so that the revenue of the council can be Jack up noting that the local government area is currently generating 70% of its monthly revenue from the Ngurore cattle market.
