By Mike Adeyemi
The Executive Director of Finance and Admin, Ray Field Construction Company, Alh. Aminu Magashi has explained that the sales of shops at the popular Mandate Market, Ilorin, Kwara State, is done with approval of the state government.
Speaking against the backdrop of allegation by traders that the contractor is giving out shops at exorbitant prices, Magashi who spoke to Pilot Business in Ilorin, recently, debunked the claims, saying that the prices was not unilaterally fixed by the company.
The traders had earlier accused the company of putting up uncompleted shops at the rate of N500,000.
But, Madashi said, the price range for the shops is an outcome of collective agreement by the state Ministry of Commerce and Cooperatives, the company and market leaders.
He added that the shops are outrightly sold to interested people as against the erroneous impression of it being leased.
“The prices of shop are not a sole decision of Ray Field construction. It is a decision by the state government, the company and shop owners.
“The shops were not leased as wrongly portrayed; rather it was sold to the prospective buyers who paid in three installments after which they become legitimate property of the buyer.
“The occupants were at first allowed to use the space temporarily, after the completion of the shops they were urged to buy the shops even before advertisement for public sales were placed,” he further said.
According to him, the traders’ union consented to all the rules and regulations, adding that 11 percent of what is paid by shop owners at the market goes into government coffers.
Speaking in the same vein, the Executive Director Operations, Mr. Stephen Agboola Ojeleye, said “The MoU that Ray Field Construction Company signed with the Kwara State Government is to build, sell shops and oversee running of the market.
He gave the price range of the shops at Mandate Market Ilorin, as N500,000 for open shelve shops; locked up shops, N1.5 million while bigger shops go from between N2 million to N5 million.
