By Marie-Therese Nanlong

Jos – Reactions have continued to trail the efforts of the Plateau State government to rebuild the burnt Jos main market through the Jaiz bank at the cost of N10 Billion.

The market was destroyed in 2002 and the Governor Simon Lalong’s administration has engaged the bank to finance the 100% reconstruction of the market after spending about an N1billion to demolish the structure in 2020.

The State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dan Manjang explained that “the Plateau State Government was not required to pay a kobo. The land (over 7.4 hectares) is the equity of the State Government which is contributing to the project.

“The project will be done in three phases yielding a total of 4,321 shops which will be shared in the ratio of 60% (Jaiz Bank) and 40% (Plateau Government). The 60-40% ratio is to lease out the shops only. The entire market still belongs to the Plateau State Government.

“Those who lease the shops from either Plateau State Government or Jaiz bank will own it for 40 years after which ownership returns to the Government…”

However, citizens have kicked against such arrangements, giving diverse reasons as the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) Plateau State Chapter asked that such arrangements be suspended immediately as they are perceived to be enslavement and destiny-mortgaging agenda.

YOWICAN at a press conference on Saturday in Jos by its Chairman Pharm. Markus Kanda and Secretary, Nehemiah Michael said “Governor Simon Lalong should have first of all embarked on a wider consultation and mobilization to engage the people at community levels with the view to sensitize them and seek their consent before embarking on the project.”

The duo added, “The terms and condition of the engagement have been unknown until the revelation that made its way on social media which has generated the most heated criticism and condemnation. Jaiz Bank engaged in the reconstruction of the modern market is an Islamic Bank.

“The happening around the globe and in Nigeria with particular attention to the Plateau State suggests that every reasonable man will seek to require some explanation to assuage the fears that engaging the bank to grant loan to the Plateau State Government in this manner and magnitude should require more than simply information circulating on the social media space.”

Similarly, the State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP through its Publicity Secretary, John Akans noted, “The Plateau State Chapter of the PDP is alerting the people on the unexplained and secret business transaction going on between Governor Lalong and the Jaiz bank over plans to hand over the Jos Terminus Main Market to the bank.

“The Party has it on good authority that the state government has reached an advanced stage in its plan to sign an MOU with JAIZ bank (a commercial bank) next month, August 2022 with the view to handing over the entire market to the said bank to run for 40 years at the cost of N10billion.

“This is coming just shortly after the Governor informed Plateau citizens that over N4billion has been spent by his government on the same main market without giving an account of how it was expended. We dare ask why Lalong is rushing to sign an MOU of N10 billion at the expiration of his tenure and what happens to the N4 billion already spent on the same project.

“Lalong should explain to Plateau people the logic in mortgaging a market with a fiscal multiplier effect in the state income that will benefit the citizens for N10 billion lease for 40 years while funding a flyover bridge at the cost of N18 billion…”