The historical town of Nsukka was agog on Saturday as the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, laid the foundation for the construction of a 5,000 shop-capacity Nsukka International Market, vowing that his administration would always take into account persons affected by development projects in the state.
Mbah, who dismissed the allegation of targeting the former occupants of Ogige Market in Nsukka, explained that his inclusive development model made it imperative for him to ensure that the modern transport terminal projects cut across the state, hence the Nsukka Transport Terminal.
He cited Ogbete Holy Ghost, Abakpa Nike, and Gariki as other places where government had to move shop owners to be able to construct the transport terminals.
Mbah said, “This is beyond groundbreaking for me because this is something that has provoked emotions and sometimes even attempts to mislead and frame a false narrative. Sometimes, it is not about misunderstanding government’s intentions, but a sheer evil agenda of enemies of public good.
“Just to put on record that our intention to construct the Nsukka Modern Transport Terminal is in the overriding public interest. Many months ago, we took a decision to revamp our transportation sector by building a world-class modern bus terminal. And there were people, who were located in these different areas that were originally mapped out as transport terminals.
“We cannot be talking about development and only be thinking about a section of our state, which was why we could not have been constructing world-class terminals in the state without constructing one in Nsukka. It is a one-stop shop for everything.”
He said his target was to have the market construction completed by the end of 2025 and assured traders at the former Ogige market that they would be been given priority.
“We know that development always take into account the stakeholders that are affected. So, in four months, we will be ready with these shops. But we will make sure that those people, who were affected as a result of the development we carried out will be given right of first refusal. Those of you who were affected by the new bus terminals at Ogige will be given priority here”, he stated.
