Kaduna: Panteka artisans back Uba Sani’s re-election as governor commissions roads, clinic

Artisans and residents of Panteka Market in Kaduna state have pledged to support Governor Uba Sani for a second term in office as they welcomed him to the commissioning of newly completed infrastructure projects at the market.

The artisans, who gathered in large numbers for the event, chanted “Sai biyu ne,” a Hausa expression implying their support for the governor’s second-term bid.

Governor Sani was at the historic Panteka Fabrication Market to commission a series of projects executed by the Kaduna state government, including the reconstructed Chechnya-Panteka Market Road, as well as Lemu, Enugu and Malam Madori roads, an ICT centre and a market clinic equipped with an ambulance.

The Chechnya-Panteka Market Road, which has attracted commendation for the quality of its construction, was handled by Farmtrac Nigeria Limited as part of the government’s broader intervention to improve access, movement of goods and trading activities around the market.

The projects are part of the comprehensive remodelling and upgrading of the Old Panteka Fabrication Market, which Governor Sani flagged off in May 2024 as part of efforts to transform the historic market into a modern skills acquisition and technology hub.

Speaking during the commissioning, Governor Sani said Panteka was a major focus of his administration because of its importance to skills development and the livelihoods of about 40,000 artisans and apprentices who depend on the market.

He said the government had invested more in the Panteka project without displacing artisans from their shops, adding that the intervention was designed to improve infrastructure while preserving the economic activities of those working in the market.

“Panteka Market is very, very important because it is the largest home to artisans in the whole of Africa, housing about 40,000 artisans.

“We have not done anything that affects anybody other than the fact that the government invested over N10 billion to enhance the Panteka project,” he said.