…said the fragile security situation of the country and the religious nature of the bank make the partnership a hard nut to crack.
Coalition of about 50 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on the Plateau have faulted the state government’s proposed partnership with JAIZ Bank to rebuild the Jos Main Market which was destroyed by fire some years back.
The meeting which took place at the old government house conference hall, Rayfield was convened by the state government under the leadership of the Honourable Commissioner Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
The state government said it is yet to sign an MOU with JAIZ Bank as erroneously widely circulated in the social media, and the 40 years ownership of the market will be by the off-takers not JAIZ Bank, as the bank’s role is only to finance the project.
In their responses, the CSOs commended the government for it’s desire to rebuild the market but faulted it’s plan to go into partnership with JAIZ Bank despite wide criticism by citizens. They said the fragile security situation of the country and the religious nature of the bank make the partnership a hard nut to crack.
The CSOs advised the government to place priority on resolving the crisis situation in the state and embark on more consultations as it considers other options of rebuilding the market.
The coalition of CSOs pledged to present their collective submission on how best to rebuild the Jos Main Market to the Plateau State Government.
It could be recalled that the planned signing of a Memorandum of Understanding MoU between the Plateau State Government and JAIZ bank on rebuilding of the burnt Jos main Market had sparked mixed reaction with wide condemnation from coalition of Plateau Youth groups, Christian Association of Nigeria CAN and other stakeholders across the state.
