TheCable

The government of Enugu has started paying compensation to residents affected by the proposed modern transport interchange at Market Road in the capital city.

Peter Mbah, governor of the state, met with critical property owners and stakeholders on the proposed Enugu central station on October 19, 2023.

At the meeting, Mbah explained that the proposed central station was part of the larger infrastructure plan, which also includes other major modern transport interchanges at Garki, Abakpa Nike, and Nsukka.

The governor said the project aimed to alleviate perennial traffic congestion, enhance safety, preserve road assets, and optimise transport efficiency.

The government issued a six-month notice to occupants in the area and also agreed to pay compensation.

Speaking with journalists at the site on Tuesday, Ngozi Nnamani, a business owner, said some people have already received payments.

“He promised to compensate us, and some of us have started receiving the compensation,” she said.

“There is a temporary site he promised to give us in the meantime for anyone interested in that. We are told that it is around the New Market area.

“We were not exactly happy about this initially, but now we have seen that the project is a good one.

“If he will do it exactly the way he said it, that is to finish the project in the next one year and reinstate us back here, that will be lovely.”

Obi Ozor, the commissioner for transportation in the state, said Mbah’s administration had held an extensive dialogue with the stakeholders on how to bring about an affordable, efficient transportation system, including road networks, bus terminals, and truck terminals.

“The Holy Ghost, where we are starting, accommodates 41 percent of all the metro vehicular passenger traffic in the state,” the commissioner said.

“What that means is that about one out of two vehicles going out of Enugu passes through this place. And as you can see today, it is in bad shape. For over three decades, this place has remained like this. It is no longer working.”

He said the government is constructing the central station and Holy Ghost simultaneously alongside the Gariki central station, Abakpa central station, and Nsukka central station, adding that those of 9th Mile and other critical areas would be coming up in the second phase.