Tenants leasing properties at the location will begin receiving their compensation on Tuesday in accordance with the terms of their lease agreement with the lessor, Nigerian Railway Corporation, ahead of the start of construction of a new and contemporary transport interchange (bus terminal) at Market Road, Enugu (Enugu Central Station), commonly known as Holy Ghost.
Dr Obi Ozor, the Enugu State Commissioner for Transportation, was informed on Monday about the start of payment.
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Remember that on October 19, 2023, Dr. Peter Mbah, the governor of Enugu State, met with important stakeholders and property owners on the proposed Enugu Central Station? The proposed Enugu Central Station, according to Mbah’s explanation during the conference, is a component of a wider infrastructure plan that also includes other significant contemporary transport interchanges at Garki, Abakpa Nike, and Nsukka. According to him, the objectives were to reduce the state’s enduring traffic jams, improve safety, protect road infrastructure, maximise transportation efficiency, and cater to the different requirements of the state’s transportation sector operators. Thus, in order to see the project through to completion, he asked for their assistance.
Governor Mbah stated that there was no reason Holy Ghost bus terminal could be allowed to continue in its current state of disrepair, ongoing traffic congestion, and high-level crimes when such overseas feats could be replicated through deliberate efforts and planning. She cited similar world-class developments in other parts of the world like Dubai and Singapore, among others.
Following the meeting, the Commissioner for Transportation sent a letter on October 20, 2023, informing each individual tenant of the government’s intention to use the space. Meanwhile, the lessor, Railway Property Management Company Ltd., served notices of property recovery to the tenants on April 22, 2024, in accordance with the terms of their leases.
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The Federal Ministry of Transportation has agreed to release the said portion of Railway land to the Enugu State Government for a modern bus terminal, according to a copy of a letter from Railway Property Management Company Ltd. titled “Notice of Recovery of Railway Land Along Market Road, Enugu,” referenced as T/P. 1794/VOL.1, and signed by the Director of Land and Estate Services, A.O. Abdulsalam, on behalf of the company’s Managing Director.
“We refer to your lease of Railway land along Market Road, Enugu with Ref. No. T/P. 1794/VOL. 1 dated 02/08/2017,” the letter said in part.
“Please, be informed that the Federal Ministry of Transportation, on behalf of the Federal Government has agreed to release the portion of the NRC land, which was earlier allocated to you as referenced above, to the Enugu State Government to construct a modern transportation hub under the Transport Infrastructure Project.
“In line with our contractual agreement, the Enugu State Government has agreed to compensate you for the structures (s) constructed on the land based on an independent valuation of your structure on the land.
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“Therefore, you are kindly requested to provide us with your account details through our Enugu Zonal Manager on or before 26th April 2024 to enable the Enugu State Government to credit your account with the necessary payment.
“Furthermore, as a kind gesture, the Enugu State Government has agreed to do the following: To provide you with an alternative temporary location to ease your business pending when the project is completed; to also give you the right of first refusal to return to the newly completed structure.”
The Enugu State Commissioner for Transportation provided additional details about the development, stating that the impacted firms had subsequently been given the interim locations, and some of them had even begun construction on the new location.
“But importantly, I can say with certainty that they will start receiving alerts latest from Tuesday based on the compensation advisory sent to the state government by the Nigerian Railway Property Management Company Ltd. These are huge sums of money, but we have to do it to ameliorate the temporary inconveniences,” Ozor stated.
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Meanwhile, the project received praise from the property and business owners, as well as over 29 valid renters, at the meeting with Governor Mbah last year.
The owners and representatives of several companies, including Farm Associates Limited, Dozie Oil Limited, A.C. Decanal Limited, Harco Oil, Pilgrimage Sisters (Osisatech), Okeyson Transport Limited, MDS Logistics Limited, Beach Crushers Association, FCMB, and Ecobank, were present at the event. Anaocha South Mass Transit, Chisco Transport Company, Onitsha South Mass Transit, and others.
Additionally, Chief Chidi Anyaegbu, the Chairman and CEO of Chisco Transport, praised Governor Mbah for taking on the duty of building such a significant transport infrastructure that was always disregarded during a visit to Mbah in November to have a better understanding of the project.
Anyaegbu promised full support for the expeditious realisation of the state-of-the-art terminal in record time, stating that it will benefit multiple participants in the transportation sector and beyond.
Chief Arinze Ekwenibe, the Executive Director of Onitsha South Mass Transit, thanked the government during a different stakeholder engagement session for its willingness to work with the private sector to advance transportation enterprises and create jobs.
Chief Ekwenibe emphasised the project’s significance in maintaining entrepreneurial growth and development in the area and encouraged the government to honour its commitment to awarding the right of first refusal.
Chief George Ibekendu, the chairman of Anaocha Mass Transit, praised the effort and the state’s compensation plan, but he also expressed gratitude for the guarantee of first refusal once the interchange was completed.
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