What Is The Big Deal About Establishing A Shopping Mall In Edo?”

By Isaac Asabor
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Shopping mall, which is synonymous with Shopping Centre or Shopping Plaza, is a 20th-century adaptation of the historical marketplace, with accommodation made for automobiles. Explanatorily put, a Shopping mall is a collection of independent retail stores, services, and a parking area conceived, constructed, and maintained by a management firm as a unit. It may also contain restaurants, banks, theatres, professional offices, service stations, and other establishments.

Against the foregoing backdrop it is not an exaggeration to say that it is not what will make anyone to lose sleep if it is not established in any city or community by his or her governor as it is not something that is of a huge part of everyone’s life, but few people, like the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki is really thinking about its establishment in the State. Given the obsession of the governors as exemplified in the razzmatazz of news stories and events coupled with media mention of its proposal is gathering in the last few days, it is expedient to ask, “Is it really the infrastructural need Edolites are yearning for at this time of need in Edo State?

The foregoing question cannot be farfetched as the people are eagerly waiting for the governor’s reassurance that his administration is committed towards ensuring that every part of the state enjoys government presence in terms of projects and service delivery. “What are the projects?” You might have asked. As an Edolite, this writer is unarguably convinced that no one is overbearingly tasking the governor on the establishment of a shopping mall. Again, it is expedient to ask, “What is the big deal about the establishment of a Shopping Mall? Sadly, it is apt to say that it is a big deal in the estimation of the governor as the establishment of a shopping mall in Edo State has been his obsession, and surprisingly accorded high priority.

For instance, the State government recently signed an agreement with Persianas Nigeria Limited for the development and construction of a modern shopping centre in Benin City, the state capital. Obaseki, after signing the agreement at the Government House, said it was a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), and when completed, the government will sell its shares to Edo people.

He explained, “Our struggle to bring Shoprite or a major mall experience to Edo State has been on for more than a decade. There have been several attempts and one of the promises I made during my electioneering was that before leaving office, I was going to make Edo like modern cities in the world, making Edo people experience a retail shopping mall in the state.

“We are very pleased and happy with our partners, Persianas. We thank the chairman, who built the first Shoprite in Nigeria. For our administration, it’s all about partnerships. This is what we call a classic Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the government and the private sector.

“We don’t intend to keep any interest. Once the mall is built, the government intends to sell its own interests to Edo people who are interested in being part-owners. Our role is to ensure and enable transactions like this to take place in the state”.

The governor restated his administration’s commitment to repositioning the state to attract investors through the creation of a friendly, attractive and supportive investment climate.

“We are bringing back industries and transactions of this nature to the state. We are stimulating investment into the state and when the businesses are set up, the government will withdraw because it has no business in running businesses,” he added.

Earlier, Tayo Amusan, chairman of Persianas Nigeria Limited, said “We are excited to bring Shoprite to Edo State. We have the experience to do business in the state, as we have done JARA stores in conjunction with the Edo State government.”

To my view, the establishment of a Shopping Mall in the state should not be the priority for the governor as not few people are expecting him to fix all the roads in the State that have collectively become pool of floods, make the schools across the state to be conducive for learning as not few of them lack seats and befitting amenities that are needed in educational environments. More so, most Edolites are expecting the governor to create jobs for the teeming youths in the state.

Permit me to say that what aroused my curiosity the most in the Governor’s speech is his explanation that “Our struggle to bring Shoprite or a major mall experience to Edo State has been on for more than a decade. There have been several attempts and one of the promises I made during my electioneering was that before leaving office, I was going to make Edo like modern cities in the world, making Edo people experience a retail shopping mall in the state.

At this juncture, it is expedient to ask if the governor does not network with other governors, and find out from them how things are being done, and on that note emulate them in their legacy projects. Even if leaders in Edo and their supporters have made up their mind that “Edo Nor Be Lagos”, it is instructional to remind them that virtually every community in Lagos can at least boast of a Shopping Mall. For instance, there are Circle Mall, City Mall, Festival Mall, Ikota Shopping Complex, Maryland Shopping Mall, Oadis Plaza Magodo and the Palms Shopping Mall at Lekki and Ikeja Shopping Mall.

Others are the Games Stores Nigeria, Tejuosho Shopping Centre, The Lennox Mall, Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall and Shoprite.

Against the foregoing backdrop, how can the governor say “Our struggle to bring Shoprite Mall experience to Edo State has been on for more than a decade?” To my view, establishment of shopping mall is not a big deal as most businessmen in Edo can perform the feat, if it is, when they are apolitically and cordially related with.

Analyzed from the foregoing perspective, it is it is germane to advise the governor that he should refrain from politicizing almost every issue, and seeing everyone as a politician. After all, an African proverb says, “When a farmer continue to visualize snakes in his mind whenever he is in the bush, he may not go far in his farming business”. To this end, it expedient to ask, “What is the big deal about establishing Shopping In Edo?”

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