Deputy President of the Senate intervenes to halt Shoprite from leaving Kano

By Iyojo Ameh

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, has set machinery in place to halt the moves by Shoprite, one of Nigeria’s prominent supermarket chains to close its only branch in Kano State.

Located at the famous Ado Bayero Mall in Kano, Shoprite last week announced its decision to exit the Centre of Commerce in January, blaming it on “challenging economic situation.

Mixed reactions have continued to trail the decision of the outlet which debuted in Kano in March 2014.

A statement by Senator Barau’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, said the Deputy President of the Senate will meet with the company’s management this week in Abuja over the matter.

“The Office of the Deputy President of the Senate has set machinery in place to halt the exit of Shoprite from Kano State. His Excellency, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I Jibrin, CON, will meet with the management of the company this week where the issue will be discussed and hopefully resolved.

“Yes, it is a pure business issue, but we will see what we can do to encourage them to rescind their decision and stay in Kano. As we all know, there are enormous business opportunities in Kano, the commercial nerve centre of northern Nigeria. At a time when we are scouting for investors, we will not fold our hands and allow them to leave,” he said.