By Sani Gazas Chinade, Damaturu
The Kulen Allah Cattles Rearers Association of Nigeria, KACRAN has challenged northern governors to adopt Governor Mai Mala Buni’s commercial revolution blueprint to revive northern economy, Urging the FG to provide soft loans.
In a press statement signed by Khalid Muhammad Bello said, the President of Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN) he drew the attention of Nigerians to a glorious history we must reclaim and a new commercial revolution we must adopt.
From the 1960s to the 1990s, Northern Nigeria was a global model of peace, sincerity, compassion, brotherhood and trustworthiness. It was a land blessed with decent leaders, vast agricultural wealth, and abundant natural and human resources. So peaceful and prosperous was the North that it became a centre of attraction not only to our brothers from Southern Nigeria who came in millions to do legitimate businesses but also people from all over the world.
It was a North where a traveller could journey at any hour – on foot, on horseback, by car or rail – and sleep wherever night met him and wake up safely to continue his journey. It was a North of legendary hospitality, where strangers were treated as family members.
It was a North of opportunities. With only a Primary Seven certificate, a youth was assured of a job as a Pupil Teacher.
According to KACRAN, it was a North where capital was given without interest to help one start a business. Legendary businessmen like the late Alhaji Barau of Potiskum (Na Aujara – Babban Maki ruwa ya na cinka, ka na kokarin fidda wani) would release 12 to 24 trailers on trust to anyone who wanted to engage in transport business, to be paid back gradually.
According to him, in those days, if a man presented himself in any town as a driver with a valid license, people were ready to buy him a commercial vehicle even without knowing where he came from, which would enable him to marry their daughter and establish his own life.
In the palaces of our Emirs, houses of business moguls and scholars, many young people lived permanently as ‘Yan Gida (house members), treated as part of the family.
Today’s North is characterized by insecurity, collapse of industries, ethno-religious and political mistrust, and massive youth unemployment where millions of graduates sit idle, posing a grave danger to food security and national security as they become vulnerable to recruitment into criminal activities. Insurgency has stopped our people from farming, cattle rearing and fishing.
Anyone who knew the North of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, and sees the North of today, must shed tears and begin to think deeply on how to restore its lost glory and make it compete favourably with any region in the world.
It is this patriotic thinking that inspired His Excellency, Hon. Mai Mala Buni, CON, the Executive Governor of Yobe State, to embark on a massive Commercial Revolution to revive the economy of Yobe State.
To achieve this noble vision, Governor Buni entrusted the excellent supervision to a highly sincere, committed and experienced patriot, the Honourable Commissioner for Commerce, Industry, Tourism and Solid Minerals, Hon. Kaigama Umar. His royal lineage, political experience, and enviable leadership quality of protecting the rights and interests of businessmen and women has earned him immense respect among the Yobe business community, his fellow Commissioners in Yobe and across the nation.
What Governor Buni has done is unprecedented, despite the devastation caused by years of insurgency, he has wisely invested billions of Naira to build modern markets of international standard across 17 Local Government Areas of the state.
As of today, modern markets of international standard have been fully completed in Potiskum, Damaturu, Gashua, Nguru, Gaidam and other major towns, while projects in the remaining LGAs are at an advanced completion stage.
Local Governments like Gujba and Fune are among the LGAs that will have two modern markets each, which brings the total number of completed and ongoing modern markets to 19.
Out of his passion to boost commercial activities through transportation, Hon. Mai Mala Buni, has built two trailer parks – one in Potiskum which has already been completed, and one in Damaturu which is currently under construction.
More so, in his bid to industrialize Yobe State and create more jobs for our youths, Governor Buni has established four sesame seed cleaning and packaging factories at Nguru, Machina, Damaturu and Potiskum.
These achievements have revived commercial activities, restored hope, and created thousands of direct and indirect jobs in Yobe State.
On this note, KACRAN passionately challenges the 19 Northern Governors to adopt Governor Buni’s Commercial Revolution Blueprint as a workable template to revive the economy of the entire Northern Nigeria.
“We also urgently call on His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to complement this laudable effort by providing accessible soft loans and special intervention funds for businessmen and women who have now secured befitting modern markets.
“This will boost their capital, create millions of jobs along the commercial value chain, drastically reduce insecurity, and significantly increase our nation’s GDP.
“KAKRAN profoundly commended the Honourable Commissioner, Hon. Kaigama Umar, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, the Directors, the MD of Yobe State Investment Company, General Managers, the Information Officer of the Ministry who availed us with the data of completed and ongoing market projects, and the entire staff of the Ministry for their sincerity, sacrifices and strict supervision that ensured the successful execution of these historic projects.”
