Telephone traders in Kano have debunked rumors they would be relocated to the Kano Economic City in the Dangwauro area.
There were concerns about the gradual influx of phone sellers at the Economic City with some insinuations that the phone operators – like patent medicine dealers – would eventually be moved to Dangwauro.
But the Secretary of the Mobile Phone Sellers Association (MOPSA), Bello Zakari, me in an exclusive interview that there is no formal directive from the state government indicating their relocation to Dangwauro.
Zakari disclosed that the phone dealers currently in the City are over 2,000, mostly fresh applicants to MOPSA, around Dangwauro, Unguwar Rimi, Wailari, Naibawa, and Kwanar Dawaki.
“They are not from Farm Centre, Beirut Road, or Batta; they are fresh. They are people living around the market,” said Zakari, referencing the major phone dealer locations in the Kano metropolis.
“Nobody gave directives to move from Farm Centre or Beirut to Dangwauro. If you are interested, you can come get a space or shop.”
He stressed that Dangwauro is a new world-standard GSM market housing over 1,000 big shops and 2,000 medium shops in three pavilions labeled A, B, and C.
When asked about the shop rents at the center, Zakari noted that traders were occupying shops rent-free for one year, after which a fee would be negotiated.
“Now, we are given free rent for one year. After one year, if the market picks up, we’ll negotiate how much we would pay for shops or tables depending on the situation there,” he said.
