The Governor Alex Otti-led Abia State Government, has ordered the demolition of no fewer than 150 buildings to allow for the reconstruction of Ossah Road in Umuahia, the state capital.
Commissioner for Information and Culture, Okey Kanu, who gave details of the project on Monday, said the State Government will soon commence the payment of compensation to the owners of structures marked for demolition before the reconstruction work begins.
While noting that the government is determined to expand the Umuahia road by one more lane on either side, Kanu said it has been holding consultations with property owners on both sides of the major road to Umuahia, off the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
Kanu who disclosed this at a news briefing on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting at the Government House, Umuahia, said that the decision to expand the road from four to six lanes was to ease traffic and enhance the aesthetics of the state capital.
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He furthered that there was no going back on the project, adding that the demolition, which ought to begin on Monday, was shifted by three weeks.
According to the Commissioner, the ongoing consultations between the government and the communities affected by the project had yielded good results.
He however said the notice on how much compensation will be paid to owners of the marked structures would be made public soon.
Chaka Chukwumerije, the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, said that the structures marked for demolition on the Ossah Road had been enumerated and evaluated.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, he said that the compensations would be paid in tranches.
The essence of postponing the demolition date, he said, was to give the affected persons enough time to relocate, pointing out that the government was “not in a hurry to demolish but to develop.”
