Setting the Record Straight on Market Development in Adamawa

Setting the Record Straight on Market Development in Adamawa

I have read with keen interest a Facebook post attributed to one Ibrahim Ahmed Sabana on the recent announcement by the Adamawa State Urban and Regional Planning Board regarding the temporary closure of Jimeta Ultra-Modern Market. While every citizen has a right to express their opinion, it is equally important that such opinions are guided by facts, fairness and a genuine concern for development not by exaggerated rhetoric or deliberate misrepresentation.

First, let us be clear: the Board’s notice is not an act of “oppression” or “destruction.” It is part of an ongoing effort to restore the original master plan of the market, a plan that was designed to ensure safety, accessibility and orderliness for both traders and buyers. Over the years, unauthorized attachments and makeshift structures have not only defaced the market, but also obstructed emergency access routes, sanitation channels and basic facilities. Correcting this is not “demolition for demolition’s sake” but a necessary step toward modernization and sustainability.

Sabana argues that government should be “building markets instead of demolishing.” The truth is that markets are being built and rehabilitated under Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s administration. From rural community stalls to urban mega-centres, the government has invested in infrastructures that support trade and entrepreneurship. But building new facilities without addressing the disorder in existing ones only compounds chaos. It is both logical and responsible to first sanitize what we already have before expanding further.

To compare Adamawa with countries like Tanzania or Brazil, as Sabana does, without context is misleading. Those countries enforce urban planning laws strictly. No trader, no matter how small, is allowed to occupy fire exits, drainage systems or public walkways. Why then should Adamawa be different? Are our people less deserving of clean, safe and organized trading environments? True dignity comes not from tolerating disorder, but from creating spaces where every trader can thrive under fair and regulated conditions.

Most importantly, let us reflect on the danger of doing nothing. If we allow attachments and illegal structures to remain unchecked, we risk market fires, sanitation crises and avoidable accidents that will harm the very traders Sabana claims to defend. Which is more insensitive: to prevent disaster by restoring order or to look away until lives and livelihoods are lost?

The Fintiri led government is not anti-trader; it is pro-development. That is why stakeholders were duly notified, why the closure is only temporary and why the exercise is anchored on restoring not destroying the master plan. Those who choose to mischaracterize this effort as “vendetta” or “oppression” are doing a disservice to the public.

Adamawa deserves leaders and citizens who understand that true progress sometimes requires difficult, but necessary decisions. It deserves voices that guide people with hope, not inflame them with fear. It deserves advocates who can differentiate between reform and ruin.

I therefore urge Sabana and others who share his concerns to channel their energy towards constructive engagement, not sweeping condemnation. Let us work together to ensure that the Jimeta Ultra-Modern Market truly lives up to its name – modern, safe, organized and beneficial to all.

Development is not a sledgehammer. But neither is it a free-for-all. It is a balanced path between rights and responsibilities, between order and opportunity. This government has chosen that path and for the good of Adamawa, it must stay the course.

Miracle Musa
Senior Special Assistant to Adamawa Governor
(Media and Content Creation)
September 1, 2025