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PROPERTY OWNERS ALONG OTUKPO-ENUGU ROAD UNSETTLED OVER ONGOING DUALISATION
Owners of property along Otukpo-Enugu Road by Obollo-Afor in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State say they are unsettled following the ongoing dualisation of the road by the federal government.
The dualisation had gone beyond Benue State boundaries into Enugu communities, cutting across Igboeze North and Udenu LGAs. Obollo-Afor, the commercial gateway to the North from South-East, is no longer far from the construction site, it was observed.
Innocent Clement runs a business at a filling station along New Road, Obollo-Afor.
He said, “Many things will be demolished when the construction gets into Obollo-Afor. I can count at least five hotels marked for demolition. Filling stations will also be affected.
“It will be terrible. But the good thing is that property owners were pre-informed. But I observe that nobody has started evacuating from the marked buildings. The reason is because businesses are ongoing, and everybody is waiting for the rainy day.”
Monday Okpe runs a pub along the express road. He said the dualisation was commendable, but appealed to the federal government to spare Obollo-Afor for sometimes.
According to him, “I, personally, would want them to skip Obollo-Afor for now. They still have a long way to go, up to 9th Mile. With that, we can trade to save money for evacuation. It will be extremely difficult for us. I was born and bred here. The business we run is a family business. If our building is pulled down, our story will never be the same again.”
It was gathered that some structures, which were marked for demolition when they were still under construction were disregarded by the owners.
A trader at Enugu-Ezike junction, Chidera Odo, said, “A major filling station along this road was under construction when the contract for the road was awarded. The place was marked for demolition. The owner continued with the work, and completed it. Fuel products are being sold there. The courage of the owner to complete the project makes some of us believe that we might be spared before the marked buildings are pulled down. But I’m personally afraid. The owner of the filling station is a billionaire, and could withstand the shock when it eventually comes.”
Our correspondent also saw newly built warehouses that were marked for demolition before their completion.
A vulcanizer situated opposite warehouse, Levi Odo, said, “It is a gamble. The structure was completed about five months ago. Business is going on there right now. The owner wants to make something out of what he had spent. Some shop owners feel that Obollo-Afor might be skipped momentarily by the contractors. But we are no longer sleeping with our two eyes closed.”
Among the structures that were marked for demolition included some parts of the multi-million naira Obollo Building Materials Market, which has been abandoned for over ten years due to land ownership tussle.
