By Danmusa Mohammed & Bilkisu M. Usman

The Nasarawa State Government is set to revive the ailing Karu International Market.

To this end, an executive technical committee headed by the state deputy governor, Chief John Michael Abdul, has been set up by the government to come up with recommendations on how to get the market back on track.

The state commissioner for commerce, industries and co-operatives, Alhaji Yusuf Abdullahi Loko, made this known in a chat with Nigerian Newsday in Lafia, the state capital.

The committee which also has as its member, a former deputy governor of the central bank, Dr. Obadiya Mailafiya, has swung into action to resolve all outstanding issues stating the full take-off of the market over the years.

The Karu International Market, a multi-million naira modern market situated in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, if revived, would be a viable source of revenue to the state considering its proximity to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

The commissioner also disclosed that the Nasarawa State Government has allocated a piece of land for the construction of five–star hotel in Lafia, the state capital.

Alhaji Loko said with the availability of land along Shendam road in Lafia, the process for the construction of the five-star hotel would be hastened to meet the objective of boosting economic and tourism activities in the state.

According to him, the technical committee set up by the state governor, Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma has been working round the clock to ensure the speedy execution of the hotel project through a joint public-private partnership between the state government and a private hotel developing company.

He said in addition to the building of the five-star hotel, the government would establish a cement factory in the state, assuring that the projects would be executed in view of the need to develop the state.

While describing the economic policies of the Governor Doma led-administration as people – oriented the commissioner maintained that already, efforts by the state government towards reviving co-operative societies have started yielding dividends. He assured that such associations as tractor-hiring, micro finance and farm imput co-operative societies would soon swing into action in all the 29 local government areas and development areas in the state.

He said the Nasarawa State chamber of commerce, industries, mines and agriculture, (NASCIMA) and the national association of small scale industrialists (NASSI) has now been fully revived and have commenced efforts to work in close partnership with the ministry to reach out to the people in all the nooks and crannies of the state.