When Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State declared his moves in 2018 to complete the multi-million naira International Conference Centre, Enugu, abandoned by his predecessor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, there was reprieve among Coal City dwellers and beyond.
But years after, the edifice is still standing unattended to even when the governor had since directed the state’s Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to initiate and commence the evaluation of outstanding builder’s works and other contractual requirements for the completion of the Conference Centre.
It could be recalled that the State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Greg Nnaji, who described the centre as “a legacy project”, disclosed that Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration was desirous to put in place mechanism to complete the edifice in view of its inherent socio-economic benefits to the people of the state.
Further checks show that the International Conference Center is not alone in the league of unfinished projects in the state as Hotel Presidential, Enugu, is another monument abandoned despite the striking out of the court case against the government by an interested party.
A visitor to Enugu will be shocked by the deplorable condition of the hotel which was once a pride of the Easterners, a legacy of late Michael Okpara then Premier of Eastern Region.
Although in 2018, there was renovation exercise carried out in some sections of the hotel including premier garden, the swimming pool arena, wedding arena and the four tennis courts, all the efforts seem to have gone down to zero as the hotel is yet to be brought back to a functional state.
In rural communities, some roads are begging for attention as some of them have been abandoned for years by successive regimes.
For instance, Ogrute/Amachalla/Okpo road, despite the flagging off the project in 2017, which raised hopes among the people of the community, it is still in sorry state.
Findings revealed that in 2017, Enugu State budgeted N125 million and the same amount budgeted in 2018 for the project and it was awarded to an indigenous company- Ferotex Construction Company.
In 2019, N750 million was budgeted for the project, while N200 million was earmarked in 2020, totaling N1.2 billion in four years.
In Enugu metropolis, major roads like Agbani Road, Okpara Avenue, Uwani and Abakpa-Nike roads to mention but a few are filled with potholes.
If there is any top politician who is pained by the catalogue of abandoned projects in Enugu, it is the Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Edward Ubosi.
Expressing his worry over the spate of uncompleted and abandoned Federal Government projects in State, the Speaker specifically mentioned the abandoned multi-million naira Digital Bridge Institute and over 100 units of a housing estate in Enugu East Local Government Area of the state.
Ubosi, in a statement recently, noted that some of the completed projects would turn into economic waste if urgent steps were not taking to put them in use.
The lawmaker therefore, appealed to the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to put to use the Digital Bridge Institute and possible allocation of a housing estate in Ugwuogo axis of Enugu East Local Council to avoid being used as a hideout by criminals.
He lamented that the institute had been completed for years with state-of-the-art facilities, and wondered why such an important institute would not be put to use after completion, thereby defeating the dreams of the youths in accessing the desired ICT training.
However, he lauded the Federal Government for citing the project but expressed sadness on the level of dilapidation as a result of not using the institute, noting that the edifice had been left to the mercy of people to protect from bush burning, while the electrical installation and physical structure are fast-deteriorating and losing its aesthetics.
Ubosi also appealed to the Ministry to put necessary machinery in motion with a view to activating the institute and the Ministry of Housing to allocate all completed housing projects to addressing the housing challenges in Enugu State.
He equally urged the Ministry of Water Resources to complete all dam projects in Enugu State, especially Adada Dam, to boost food production and encourage youths in agriculture.
For many residents of Enugu, it will be gladdened if the state government embarks on massive repairs of roads, stressing that motorists are going through untold hardship due to bad roads.
“Moving your vehicle from Depot bus stop at Agbani Road down to Gariki will take you more than two hours which normally would have taken you just five minutes if the road is good. The traffic on this road is hectic”, Ikenna Okorie lamented during an interview.
“Ironically, the state government keeps constructing pedestal bridges without maintaining existing roads in Enugu metropolis”, the respondent stated.
Efforts to reach the state commissioner for Works, Greg Nnaji, were not successful as he was said to have traveled to United States of America (USA) for an official engagement.
Although in 2018, there was renovation exercise carried out in some sections of the hotel including premier garden, the swimming pool arena, wedding arena and the four tennis courts, all the efforts seem to have gone down to zero as the hotel is yet to be brought back to a functional state.
