Managing director of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) Mohammed Alkali has said that the commission constructed the Soro International Cattle Market in Bauchi State to accommodate more cattle businesses following congestion in the old market.
Formally handing over the new market yesterday to the state government in Soro village, the managing director said that the execution of the project is also to provide security for the cattle marketers.
Alkali said, “We decided to construct the new market to decongest the old market and make cattle businesses easier and flourishing,” saying the old market has witnessed cows bullying people in the past.
The commission’s managing director and chief executive officer, Dr Mohammad Goni Alkali, said that the Modern International Cattle Market, whose construction work commenced sometime in early 2021, has amenities such as electricity, water, public VIP toilets and other conveniences provided within the market for ease of doing business.
He explained that the commission’s mandate includes intervening in areas that will make life easier for people in the North-East subregion, saying, “I have known about this market since my school years, and I know how important it is to the people of the area. Based on our information, we decided to relocate the market to a safer and better place within Soro town.”
Receiving the market, Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed said that the occasion marks the beginning of an unprecedented era in the life of the people of Soro village in Ganjuwa local government area of Bauchi State.
The governor said, “We are all aware that the Soro cattle market is one of the largest in the Northeast subregion, and its importance cannot be overemphasised as it provides employment opportunities to the teeming youth, generates revenue for the state, and also provides security to the cattle marketers.”
Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, represented by the permanent secretary in the state ministry of commerce, Alhaji Yakubu Bello commended NEDC’s efforts in actualising the project and solicited more projects of this nature in other local government areas of the state that have large cattle markets.
Also, the district head of Soro, Aminu Isa, recalled that the old Soro cattle market was congested, describing the construction of the new market as most appropriate in reducing insecurity in the market.
He expressed happiness that the new market would go a long way in decongesting the town, especially on market days, and safeguard the lives of innocent people who had fallen victim to stray animals in the past.
He described the project as very significant in the commercial activities of Soro, the state and the country at large, taking into cognisance the derivable revenue from the market.
Earlier, the commission’s corporate affairs director, Abdulsalam Yahaya Ahmed, expressed gratitude to the Bauchi State government for providing the enabling environment for the commission to execute various development projects in the state.
Abdulsalam Yahaya Ahmed also commended Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed for his commitment to fostering economic growth and providing modern amenities in rural communities.
Ahmed said, “It is on record that the NEDC has executed over 100 projects in Bauchi State, Soro International Cattle Market is one of the numerous projects executed by the commission. The structure we are handing over today consists of a loading bay, shops, public toilets, and a mosque”.
The member representing Darazo/Ganjuwa federal constituency in the National Assembly, Hon Mansur Manu Soro, who also spoke with our correspondent, enumerated that the new international cattle market has 48 locked-up shops, two restaurants that can accommodate 100 people at a time, a mosque with a 200-capacity, a mini cattle clinic, two boreholes, and conveniences.
Soro explained that as a lawmaker representing his constituents, he became worried by the loss of lives in the cattle market, a heart-beating problem that forced him to move a motion on the floor of the Green Chamber of the National Assembly which, after its adoption by the Honourable members, was forwarded to the North East Development Commission for intervention, saying “I’m okay that the project was successfully executed and met the aspiration of the people for which it was meant.”
He submitted, “Considering the size and volume of cattle that come in every market day, we decided to expand the market to conveniently accommodate at least 3, 000 cattle at a time and make business transactions easier for the people. The market would go a long way in reducing congestion on the nearby highway and the risk of people getting killed by oncoming vehicles on market days.”
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