In his piece, Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka, Our Managing Editor, writes that for the District Head and the people of Karmo Sabo in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Karmo Market is more than a collection of stalls where goods are bought and sold. It is a livelihood centre, a community institution and, according to the District Head of Karmo Sabo, Alhaji Yunusa Ashama Karmu, a significant part of the community’s identity. As plans to modernise markets and improve urban infrastructure continue to generate debate, Karmo is asking a fundamental question: must development necessarily mean destroying what already belongs to the community?
The Market at the Heart of a Community
On a busy market day, Karmo Market presents the picture of a thriving commercial centre. What was once essentially a periodic Tuesday market has gradually transformed into a daily trading hub.
For Karmo, the transformation is not accidental. It reflects the changing economic realities of the people.
As agricultural land becomes increasingly limited, many residents who once depended on farming have moved into petty trading and other small-scale businesses.
Women selling farm produce and household goods, petty traders and other residents depend on the market to earn their daily income.
That is why the District Head is uncomfortable with any proposal that could remove the market from its traditional location.
Modernisation Versus Community Identity
Karmu does not reject modernisation.
Indeed, he openly acknowledges that the present condition of Karmo Market requires urgent attention. He wants the market rebuilt, reorganised and properly structured.
His objection is to the idea of achieving modernisation by destroying or relocating the existing market.
According to him, government should look at the possibility of rebuilding the market in a modern form while allowing the community to retain its traditional commercial centre.
He points to other markets within the FCT, including Karu and Gwagwa, where redevelopment has taken place without completely severing the markets from their community roots.
For him, Karmo should not be treated differently.
The Private-Market Question
Another major point in Karmu’s argument is ownership.
The modern market to which traders are reportedly being encouraged to move was built by a private individual.
The District Head argues that private investment is welcome, but traders cannot simply be compelled to abandon an established community market in favour of a privately owned facility.
He invokes the principle of free choice in business: traders should be allowed to decide where they want to conduct their businesses.
In his view, operators of the private market can advertise its facilities and attract traders, but government should not force people to relocate there.
A Warning against Unintended Consequences
Karmu’s strongest concern is not merely commercial.
He fears that forcibly moving traders outside the community’s traditional sphere could create tensions that might become difficult to resolve in the future.
He therefore draws attention to historical communal conflicts that have endured for generations because underlying grievances were not adequately addressed.
His argument is essentially that government decisions affecting communities should be carefully considered, especially where land, identity, livelihood and traditional institutions are involved.
Demolition has happened before
The controversy is also connected to the history of Karmo Market.
According to the District Head, the market was previously demolished during a period of extensive demolition exercises in the FCT.
He said the community subsequently made repeated appeals for the authorities to rebuild and reorganise the market.
That reconstruction, in his view, remains preferable to another demolition.
The road congestion argument
There is, however, an issue that even the traditional leadership acknowledges: Karmo Market needs urgent physical improvement.
Traders operating by the roadside contribute to traffic congestion and create difficulties for motorists and pedestrians.
Karmo’s solution is not to destroy the market but to rebuild it.
A properly designed market, he argues, would provide adequate space for traders currently occupying the roadsides, thereby improving traffic flow and the general appearance of the community.
More Than a Commercial Facility
Perhaps the most significant aspect of Karmu’s argument is the symbolic value he attaches to the market.
He describes it as part of the identity of Karmo.
That argument gives the controversy a dimension beyond urban planning.
For indigenous communities in a rapidly expanding capital territory, development often brings new roads, estates, commercial centres and changing patterns of land use. But the question remains whether the older community institutions can survive the transformation. Karmo’s answer is that they must.
The Appeal, Not Confrontation
Importantly, the District Head says the community is not seeking confrontation with government.
His approach is one of appeal.
He says he is prepared to meet the FCT Minister and plead the community’s case respectfully, even if the decision has already advanced administratively.
His message is straightforward: leave Karmo Market where it is, but rebuild it properly.
That position may ultimately require a compromise between the government’s development objectives, private investment interests, traffic management concerns and the community’s desire to preserve its traditional market.
The challenge before the authorities, therefore, is not simply whether Karmo Market should remain or disappear. It is how development can take place without making the people who have inhabited and built their livelihoods around the community feel displaced from their own identity.
For Karmu and the people he represents, the answer is clear: modernise the market, but do not erase it.
