With close to N100million it pays as revenue to the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) annually, Kugbo Furniture Market has continued to be neglected in the provision of infrastructures in the Federal Capital Territory.
On leaving the east end of the FCT just about five kilometres, whether driving or walking on foot, one is face to face with assorted furnitures on display for sale. Kugbo is the name of the place and is located very close to the Abuja-Keffi road.
For people constantly plying that part of the FCT, Kugbo is furniture and furniture is Kugbo. It is home to diverse craftsmanship and has existed for decades now taking advantage of the available timber market.
Formerly situated in Nyanya, the traders were asked to relocate to the present site fourteen years ago during the administration of General Sani Abacha.
And as the various market Associations puts it, lack of infrastructures (no water, no good road, no drainages, no fence) in the market is a major source of worry to them.
FrontiersNews learnt that the market has about five traders Association namely; Nyanya-Karu Furniture Association, United Furniture Association, Cooperative Furniture Association, Liberty Furniture Association and Kugbo II Furniture Association which sprang from from the Nyanya-Karu Furniture Association..
Under the sun and in the rain, traders at the market are seen hurdled in their twos and threes with no where to really take refuge but their umbrellas.
Chairman of Kugbo II Furniture Association, Mr. David Amadi laments the situation saying that despite paying all their levies and rates, AMAC has failed to provide them with basic amenities they need to function as a market.
"Whatever you see here is self help. We pay revenue to AMAC, we carry out monthly sanitation. Several promises have remained unfulfilled, it is painful that there is no support, no government finance, after all this years."
The Chairman of Nyanya-Karu Furniture Association, Mr. Chimele Ndumele was more forthcoming when he spoke with FrontiersNews.
"When the place we were staying along Nyanya road was demolished, the Task Force asked us to come to Kugbo. This is 14 years getting to 15 years and we are yet to notice government presence. They have not done anything, we have been paying our business premises and all the revenues."
Mr. Ndumele said that several attempt to get AMAC officials to provide them with the basic amenities has yet to yield result.
"Since 14 years they promised that they were going to put fence, put the road in order, make sure that they build everything. We have been going, pressing; this present chairman has promised a lot.
"Last year, we refused to pay our revenue and we were assured that once pay, they were going to ensure that everything is okay. That same last year, our rates were increased to almost four times the former amount. We used to pay N6000 but we now pay N20,000-their reason is that with the new rate, they would be able to meet our demand-but till now we have not seen anything."
The Nyanya-Karu Furniture Association Chairman noted that they even suggested to the AMAC chairman ways of developing the market.
He asked us to bring quotation which we did. While some contractors were quoting over N30million we quoted N15million so that we can do it direct labour. He promised to approve it but nothing has come out of that.
"We are ready to do it ourselves but our problem: is approve this thing. Let's have an understanding, fence this thing, this is how much it cost. 2-3 years you won't pay for revenue, so that government will continue after that," he explained.
He added that they (traders) have resolved not to pay the 2013 rate until they see 'something'.
"All the markets in the FCT are fenced! Garki market is fenced, Utako market is fenced, Wuse market is fenced. Its only this market that is not fenced. We are producers, we are not doing buying and selling selling here. Annually, we do business of between N700-800million. I don't think we would continue to pay because we are human beings and we are Nigerians," he said.
The Chimeco Furniture MD acknowledged they were powerless to do anything themselves "except you have an approval for it. By the time you put one or two blocks now, they will come and mark it for demolition."
Mr. Ndumele said that in order to help themselves, the traders had to last year buy hardcore stone on the only road that runs from the express road into the market.
The road is a sorry site during the rainy season as trader go with two shoes to the market, one for walking round the market while the other is used after the close of the day's business.
Security of the market is increasingly becoming a serious source of concern to to traders and as Mr. Ndumele puts it the fencing of the place will curb the frequent cases of fire incident in the market.
A section of the Furniture market had been gutted by fire in February this year. And as one of the traders confided in our correspondent, he suspected foul play.
Our correspondent learnt that several security outfit had been engaged by the market authorities but none had stayed more than two months.
According to Mr. Ndumele, "if the market is fenced it can be effectively monitored by security officials. Vigilantes have been working with the Kugbo Police outpost but with the place remaining unfenced, security of the market will continue to be loose as there are numerous entry and exist points."
Mr. Ndumele was confident that with the meeting coming up between the traders and officials of Development Control on the 19th of March,2013, the provision of infrastructure for the market would finally be realised.
FrontiersNews
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