ABIA DEMOLISHES UNAPPROVED STRUCTURES IN UMUAHIA MARKET
Read Time:1 Minute, 53 Second
BY OWOLABI OLUWADARA
The Umuahia Capital Development Authority, operating under the mandate of the Abia State Government, has initiated the demolition of edifices within the former Umuahia market, commonly referred to as Ogwumabiri, asserting that the constructions were erected without governmental authorization.
A communiqué issued by the General Manager of UCDA, Mr. Kingsley Agomoh, on Monday indicated that the demolition is part of a wider strategy to reimagine Umuahia as a contemporary, world-class capital city.
He noted that the previous administration had allocated the former market area to a private investor with the intention of establishing an event center under a build, operate, and transfer framework.
The statement remarked, “In alignment with the Abia State Government’s vision to reconfigure Umuahia into a modern urban center and a fitting capital, the Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA) has initiated the dismantling of unauthorized residential structures erected within the former Umuahia market site without governmental consent. ”
“The former market space was allocated to a private investor by the previous administration to build an Event Centre on a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) basis.
Nevertheless, the investor independently reallocated the area and commenced the construction of residential duplexes and apartments, in opposition to the government’s intended use for the location.
Agomoh clarified that the Abia State Government has been in discussions with the investor for the previous year and has proposed a negotiated ex gratia compensation that includes assuming control of the area for the establishment of a contemporary transportation hub that would encompass a bus terminal, a train station, and intercity shuttle services.
“As a responsible and commerce-friendly administration, the government has been engaging with the investor for the past year and has offered a negotiated ex gratia settlement to the investor.
“The government has taken control of the space to reallocate it as part of a modern transportation hub, which will integrate the bus terminal, train station, and intercity shuttle connection point. The structures that were demolished were considered unsuitable for the designated purpose in the prevailing public interest.
“The UCDA is dedicated to ensuring that the new transportation hub enhances the city’s infrastructure, promotes efficient mobility, and contributes to the overall economic development of Umuahia as a modern capital city,” the statement concluded.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0