Suspend Karmo Market Demolition, Relocation, Village Head Tells FCT Minister

The Village Head of Karmo Sabo, Chief Umar Garni Sarkin Karmo, has raised the alarm over plans to demolish the Karmo Tuesday Market and relocate the traders to a privately owned modern market in Old Karmo, warning that the move could trigger a communal crisis.

Sarkin Karmo, who made the appeal yesterday to the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, urged the administration to suspend the planned demolition and engage the affected communities before taking any irreversible decision.

The traditional ruler stressed that the community was not opposed to development or the government’s efforts to regulate trading activities, but expressed concern over the choice of the location for the proposed alternative market and the ownership implications of moving traders across traditional districts.

According to him, Old Karmo, where the proposed modern market is located, belongs to Old Karmo District, while Karmo Sabo is in Karmo Sabo District and Idu-Koro falls under Idu District.

“Who is going to be a landlord there?” he asked, stressing that the relocation could create disputes over ownership, control and traditional authority among the affected communities.

Sarkin Karmo said the issue became more serious after officials of the FCT Development Control Department recently summoned representatives of the affected communities to a meeting, where they were informed that approval had been granted for the demolition of the existing market.

He said the proposed alternative market was privately owned, raising concerns about the ability of petty traders to sustain their businesses there.

The traditional ruler noted that many of the traders had very limited capital, with some operating with between N5,000 and N20,000, and questioned whether such traders would be able to cope with the financial obligations associated with a modern market.

He said although the traders had reportedly been offered free occupation of shops for six months, there was no clear assurance about what would happen afterwards.

“What happens after six months?” he asked, warning that traders who could not afford the charges after the grace period might be forced out of business.

He also challenged the argument that the existing community market must be removed simply because a modern market had been established nearby.

According to him, the presence of modern markets has not stopped communities such as Dei Dei and Karu from maintaining their traditional community markets.

Sarkin Karmo said the community understood the need to control roadside trading and was already cooperating with authorities to ensure that traders did not obstruct roads.

He, however, urged the FCT Administration to adopt a more inclusive approach by consulting the traditional institutions, traders and communities that would be directly affected by the proposed relocation.

The traditional ruler warned that relocating traders from one district to another without adequately addressing questions of ownership, affordability and traditional jurisdiction could create avoidable friction among neighbouring communities.

He therefore appealed to Wike to intervene and resolve the matter in good faith, saying the government should pursue development without undermining the livelihoods of ordinary traders or creating tension among communities.