NEDC has as part of its interventions in the sub-region constructed the International Cattle Market in Soro town of Ganjuwa local government area of Bauchi state to safeguard the lives of people of the town who have fallen victim to attacks by stray cows.
Senator Baba Tela however pointed out that provision should be made to make business transactions in the market easier considering that Nigeria has joined the cashless society, hence the need for mobile banking on market days, and commended the commission for constructing the cattle market which, he noted, it is the first of its kind in the state.
“Considering the size and volume of cattle that come in every market day, we decided to expand the market to conveniently accommodate at least 3, 000 cattle at a time and make business transactions easier for the people. The market would go a long way in reducing congestion on the nearby highway while also reducing the risk of people getting killed by oncoming vehicles on market days”.
He noted that the existing market provided for cattle trading decades ago has been overstretched with no room for expansion, a vehicle trailer load of cattle usually takes hours before off-loading the animals after reaching the market, likewise when it was uploaded before reaching the highway for onward transportation.
“The existing market in use is overstretched, people and cattle were animalistic allies mixed as if one of the two gives birth to the other. It is a kind of mixed grilled gathering where people suffocate due to lack of breathing air space. Imagine a situation where a trailer load of cattle could take hours in the struggle to either offload or load,” he said.