The national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje on Tuesday, October 3, assured the business community that sanity would return to Kano state politics when the party takes over the state.
Speaking on the backdrop of the sufferings inflicted on the people in the state following the demolition of properties and business ventures by the Abba Yusuf-led New Nigeria Peoples Party.
Ganduje, who was the immediate governor of the state, expressed this optimism when he hosted youth leaders of various markets in Kano State in his office at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja.
The chairman of the market leaders, Alhaji Umar Ladiyo lamented the untold hardship the business community in the state now faced in the last four months following the destruction of properties, business centres and hostile NNPP-led government policies, adding that many business ventures have crashed and sent many businessmen and women into bankruptcy.
Commiserating with the business community, Ganduje assured them that under the incoming APC government sanity and business will be restored.
He said: “It is unfortunate for the other issue that you raised. The issue of senseless demolition was unfortunate. That was very unfortunate. They destroyed the economy of Kano. They destroyed the business and trading in Kano.
“Many people are now sceptical about going to Kano for business. Even banks don’t accept certificates of occupancy, because they are not sure whether the certificate will be revoked tomorrow. Or even when you build, it will be demolished.
“You can see the extent of demolition of businesses in Kano. It is very unfortunate. But I have to congratulate you for taking the right steps. People who lost their properties in Kano have taken the issue to court. And the court has already started giving verdicts for compensation. It is just a starting point for people who take them to court. The answer to Kano politics is for the return of APC and we are pursuing that.”
Earlier the leader of the group, Umar Ladiyo said the business community in the state was happy at the September 20 judgement of the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that sacked the NNPP-led administration following the establishment of irregularities in the conduct of the March governorship election.
Lamenting the development, Ladiyo said, “With the outgoing government in Kano, everybody knows what happened was a tragedy. The destruction of properties, businesses and many people that have been thrown into crises. Some even lost their lives.
“The amount of money lost in Kano during the destruction was huge. The turnover that is being done is more than 2 billion naira every day. Sadly, we have lost all that now.”
The market leader then reminded the APC governorship candidate in the state, Nasiru Gawuna of the promises he made to reallocate properties to the victims of the NNPP administration destruction.
“We are happy, during the trial at the tribunal, the APC candidate promised that when the APC government comes, all properties destroyed will be reallocated and some people will be helped with some token to start up their businesses. So many people have been thrown into debt and some have even lost their lives.
“We came here to express our sadness on that. And we pray that when a new government comes, that promise should be fulfilled because it is going to be the first agenda of our government when the time comes.”
