The Enugu State Government is to procure 100 vehicles at the cost of about N800m to ease mass transportation in the state.
Rising from the state’s Executive Council meeting held at the Government, Enugu, the commissioner for commerce and industry, Barrister Sam Ogbu Nwobodo also informed that the State Government has also aproved the contract for the renovation and expansion of New Haven Shopping complex in the state capital to enhance ease of doing business.
According to him, the decision of the government to procure 100 units of vehicles was to make movements of persons and goods in and out of the state very convenient.
He further explained that to execute the vehicles procurement project, the state government had earlier approved its participation in what is called Infrastructure Bank Move Nigeria Programme, an offshoot of Infrastructure Bank of Nigeria PLC created by the federal government to fund major infrastructures at concessionary rates and which it intends to use for this purpose.
The Commissioner explained that “the totality of gains in the two projects is to impact positively on the lives of people of the state both in terms of mass transit and in terms of ease of business for the traders and people that patronize them, making it conducive for people who live around New Haven, Independence Layout and GRA”.
Giving further details of the iintervention in the shopping complex, he said the state government approved the award of contract for the expansion and renovation of its parking area, construction of ultra-modern public toilet in the market for ease of business and to avoid outbreak of diseases which may result from non-availability of convenience rooms in such crowded market area.
He said the plan is to perfect the avowed urban renewal efforts of the state government to improve the standard of living of the residents and to boost the Internally Generated revenue of the state.
“Today, the executive council approved the award of contract for the expansion and renovation of parking area, construction of ultra-modern public toilet. The parking lot will be managed by the traders in conjunction with the state Ministry of Commerce, the same with the toilet.
“Considering the strategic location of this market in the heart of Enugu, and also being one of the shopping complexes owned by the state government, and in keeping with the urban renewal efforts of the state government that this be done to give it a major face lift.
“If you have been to that market, you would agree with the state government that the parking lot is not befitting; it is almost unusable during the rainy season, and to have such a crowded place without a toilet also pose health challenges” Barr. Nwobodo explained.
He added that a market of such size to be in the heart of town without modern touring facilities doesn’t speak well of the state in terms of health and safety issues, stressing that the expansion of the market would attract more traders who had been using the road-side for their businesses into the market.
