Business expert advises Kwara govt on demolition exercise

An associate professor of Business Administration, Lincoln University, Missouri, US, Dr. Abdulmumin Ajia, has criticised the rational behind the recent demolition of a shopping complex in Ilorin, Kwara state capital by the state government.

Ajia, who was a governorship candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) in Kwara state in the 2019 general elections, resigned his membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state in August 2024.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Dr. Ajia, who said that the state government was ill-advised on the demolition exercise, described it as “a failure on economic policies”.

“Fellow Kwarans, I am compelled to speak with you today on the recent demolition of the Crystal Shopping Complex along Sulu Gambari Rd, Ilorin. This is a dangerous precedent and the Kwara governor and the administration that he leads are not well advised”, he said.

The university don said that after the owner allegedly changed the purpose of government allocation from a commercial car park into a shopping complex, “the government ought to ask Crystal Shopping Complex and its owners to pay the appropriate tenement rates, building permits, and taxes as may be applicable”.

“Invariably, this will be a win for Kwara, we would bring in more revenue, partner with a local business to keep and generate more employment for our people, and in the process, we will generate ongoing taxes for our state thus adding to Kwara’s gross domestic product. This definitely would have been a win-win for all the parties involved.

“The opinion being bandied around that the Crystal Shopping Complex distorts a phantom master plan is not true. Most rational individuals will agree that the Crystal Shopping Complex has more economic potential for Kwara than a car park. If the Crystal Group decides to change their business strategy from a car park to a shopping complex, the right thing would have been to discuss rezoning and the payment of the appropriate fees. Pulling down a complex worth about 700, 000 dollars (over 1 billion Naira) is a wrong move by any government and October 6, 2024, will forever go down in Kwara as a dark day.

“A governor and by extension, his administration’s job is not to destroy but to build. Not to divide but to bring people together”, he said.

Ajia, who urged people in Ilorin and across Kwara state to remain peaceful and law-abiding, said that, “this too shall pass”, adding, “We must all be mindful of God’s judgment and tarry a little as we take monumental, life-changing decisions”.

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