Traders displaced by the demolition of shops at the Eid ground in Kofar Mata, Kano State, have commended Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II for reallocating some spaces to enable them to resume their businesses.
However, the traders appealed to the state government to allocate additional spaces to those who are yet to recover their business premises following the demolition.
They made the appeal during a prayer session held at the Eid ground on Saturday to thank Allah and seek divine guidance for the governor and the emir.
In 2023, the Kano State Government demolished shops at the Eid ground, describing the structures as illegal.
The exercise reportedly displaced thousands of traders who lost their business premises and sources of livelihood.
Speaking to journalists at the event, the chairman of the Eid Ground Shop Owners Association in Kofar Mata, Auwal Sa’id Umar, said the prayer session was organised to appreciate the governor and the emir for allowing some traders to reclaim spaces to rebuild their shops.
“We organised this prayer for the governor and the emir, asking Allah to help and guide them. We also appreciate them for giving us part of the land to begin preparations for rebuilding our shops and resuming our businesses,” he said.
Umar said thousands of people had lost their livelihoods since the demolition, adding that some had reportedly died while others were battling illnesses following the loss of their sources of income.
He urged the state government to reconsider the plight of the affected traders and provide additional spaces to enable them to resume their businesses.
“We are appealing again to the governor to look into the plight of these traders and provide more spaces where they can return and continue their businesses,” he said.
The traders also declared support for Yusuf’s re-election bid in 2027, pledging to mobilise 500,000 votes for him.
Speaking at the event, an Islamic scholar in Kano State, Professor Muazzam Ibrahim Mai Bushira, urged the state government to review the situation of the affected traders and provide further assistance.
He said Kano was a major commercial centre and that supporting traders was essential to sustaining economic activities in the state.
THR News reports that the event featured prayers and a recitation of the Holy Qur’an, with several traders in attendance.
