*Says Over 3,000 Shops at Rukuba Road Market Unoccupied*
By Golok Nanmwa, Jos
The Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) has appealed to street traders violating Executive Order 003 of the Plateau State government to vacate the roadsides or face sanctions.
General Manager of JMDB, Arch Hart Bankat, made this known on Sunday after assessing the Satellite Market at Rukuba Road in Jos North Local Government Area.
According to Bankat, “The state government has made alternative provisions for traders.”
“Look at the Satellite Market situated at Rukuba Road; there are over 3,000 shops yet to be occupied by traders,” he said. “This market has a fire service, a police outpost, and a bank.”
The Plateau State government has made alternative arrangements for street traders, reopening the old market in Terminus and advising those in Gada Biu to relocate to the satellite market. Similarly, traders in Farin Gada were urged to move back inside the market, which is large enough to accommodate them.
“We have other satellite markets scattered around that people abandon in favor of street trading,” Bankat said. “The state government is determined to bring Plateau back to its state of pride.”
Bankat, accompanied by the Director General of the Plateau Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency (PEPSA), Mr. Samuel Dapiya, emphasized the government’s commitment to finding a lasting solution to the menace of street trading and illegal dumping of refuse.
He stressed the need for collaborative efforts among stakeholders to curb these issues, noting that the exercise was not aimed at witch-hunting anyone.
