Olusegun Ariyo
The Kano State Government has lamented the continuous cancellation of the traditional Sallah Durbar, adding that it has caused major financial losses, especially in tourism and local businesses linked to the annual festival.
This was revealed by the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Abduljabbar Garko, during the tweaked Hawan Nassarawa homage paid by the Emir of Kano to the government house on Sunday.
Garko mentioned that the government is now looking into requesting financial help from the Federal Government to offset the revenue drop caused by the cancellation of the festival, adding that revenue generated from it is part of the Kano state budget.
He said the Durbar event usually draws tourists from both Nigeria and abroad, and it has been a major source of revenue generation.
According to him, “When these tourists come, they stay in hotels, enjoy local food, watch the Durbar, and when their shoes get dirty, they pay people to clean them. Some even buy local snacks like gurasa.”
He emphasised that these seemingly minor transactions play a crucial role in the local economy and state revenue, all of which have disappeared due to the cancellation of the Durbar.
“These are real losses for the Kano State government and its people,” he said.
“We included these revenues in our annual budget. Now that we’ve lost them, we’ll need the Federal Government to step in and cover the gap.”
Garko also expressed his sympathy for local businesses, especially phone accessory sellers at the popular Farm Centre market, who lost millions of Naira to a fire incident on Saturday.
