Yobe targets 5,000 jobs, improved trade as Potiskum trailer park nears completion
By: Zagazola Makama
The ancient commercial town of Potiskum, long regarded as one of northern Nigeria’s most vibrant trading centres, is poised for a major leap in its economic evolution with the near completion of a state-of-the-art trailer transit park by the Yobe State Government.
The project, initiated under the administration of Gov. Mai Mala Buni, is widely seen as a strategic intervention aimed at modernizing transportation logistics, enhancing security, and strengthening Yobe’s position as a regional commercial hub linking the North-East and North-West.
According to the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Buba Kyari, the trailer park is about 98 per cent completed, with only the drivers’ accommodation awaiting commissioning by the governor.
Kyari explained during a media tour that the facility covers about 86,000 square metres, split into two sections of 43,000 square metres each, and is designed to accommodate more than 500 trailers at a time.
He said the park is equipped with modern infrastructure, including accommodation blocks, administrative offices, toilets, warehouses, workshops, washing and service bays, a mosque, a fire service station and a dedicated security outpost.
“The vision is to provide a safe, organised and efficient environment for truck drivers and logistics operators, while also boosting economic activities and internally generated revenue for the state,” Kyari said.
Beyond its physical scale, the Potiskum trailer park represents a deliberate response to longstanding challenges associated with unregulated trailer parking, congestion and security risks that often accompany heavy truck movement in major commercial towns.
To address safety concerns, comprehensive security arrangements have been integrated into the design, including military outposts, police stations and the involvement of local security teams.
The Commissioner for Home Affairs, Hon. Abdullahi Bego, described the project as a major economic catalyst, noting that it is expected to create over 5,000 direct jobs, in addition to numerous indirect employment opportunities once fully operational.
“This facility will significantly improve freight handling, reduce transit delays and enhance the state’s revenue base,” Bego said.
Potiskum’s strategic importance cannot be overstated. Its occupies a strategic position in Nigeria’s commercial ecosystem. Home to one of Africa’s busiest livestock markets, the town serves as a major transit corridor linking the North-East and North-West, with daily movement of goods, livestock and petroleum products across several states. The absence of a modern trailer park in the past contributed to traffic congestion, security vulnerabilities and uncoordinated haulage activities.
The new facility is expected to address these challenges by providing a structured and secure environment for logistics operators. For local traders and residents, the project is widely viewed as a long-overdue upgrade that aligns infrastructure development with Potiskum’s economic prominence.
“This park will reduce chaos, improve security and attract more investors to the town,” said Alhaji Ibrahim Kachallah, a livestock trader at the Potiskum market, who expressed optimism about the ripple effects on local businesses.
The trailer park is also part of a broader development agenda under Gov. Buni, whose administration has invested heavily across key sectors of the state’s economy.
In infrastructure, the government has undertaken township road and drainage projects in several local government areas, commenced the Damaturu flyover, completed 17 inherited road projects and initiated several new ones.
In agriculture, the state has procured modern farming equipment, developed the Nasari, Gurjaje and Bade-Gana livestock centres, constructed a modern abattoir in Damaturu and distributed 40 new Massey Ferguson tractors to farmers.
The education and health sectors have equally received attention, with the establishment and renovation of nursery schools, the construction of the Galtima Mai Kyari College of Health Science and Technology in Nguru, and the establishment of the Buni-Yadi Specialist Hospital as well as the Maternal, Neonatal and Child Hospital in Damaturu.
Economic empowerment initiatives, including the distribution of Keke NAPEP tricycles, barber kits, patrol vehicles and motorcycles, alongside the launch of the Damaturu Mega Shopping Mall project, have further illustrated the administration’s focus on livelihoods and inclusive growth.
The Potiskum trailer park encapsulates this development philosophy, infrastructure designed not just for aesthetics, but for tangible economic and social impact. As the facility awaits official commissioning, expectations are high that it will usher in a new era of organised logistics, safer transportation and expanded economic opportunities.
Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region
