Under the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, at 9th Mile, close to Enugu, the Enugu State Government says it has started building a new International Motor Spare Parts and Allied Trades Market.
At a meeting with the leadership of the Enugu Motor Spare Parts and Allied Trades Association on Monday in Coal Camp, Enugu, Dr. Sam Ogbu-Nwobodo, the managing director of the Enugu State Investment Development Authority, revealed this information.
According to Ogbu-Nwobodo, the establishment of the market fulfilled Governor Peter Mbah’s electoral pledge to create a top-tier market for the association.
He said that the traders at Coal Camp were in appalling conditions and were vulnerable to natural disasters and that no company could prosper in such an unfavorable setting.
“During the last campaign period, they asked the State Government to provide them with a more conducive environment that could accommodate all of them. Today, as we speak, work has commenced on the site. The governor is fulfilling the promise he made to the traders, and he is relentless in making sure that their businesses grow,” Ogbu-Nwobodo said.
Speaking about the main amenities anticipated in the new market, he stated: “It will be an ecosystem supporting commercial, light industrial, and modern businesses.”
“There will be facilities, like modern shops and warehouses, police posts, fire protection architecture, conveniences, banks, parks, schools, health facilities, union centers, recreational facilities, and other things that will enable business growth.”.
Ogbu-Nwobodo described 9th Mile as a major business hub in the state and said that it was a strategically chosen location.
Additionally, he stated that having the market there would encourage more development in the surrounding area.
He maintained that traders from the North, Ebonyi, Cross River, Central Africa, and other regions would also have easy access to the market.
He claims that the development will relieve dealers of the burden of having to navigate the city before exporting or offloading their merchandise.
Chief Mike Nomeh, the association’s president, responded by accusing earlier state governments of failing to give the welfare of traders at Coal Camp the attention it required. He asserted that the market’s relocation was long overdue, citing their repeated failure to receive a response to their requests for previous administrations to consider their well-being.
However, he pleaded with the governor to see to it that the market was delivered quickly, stating that their current location at Coal Camp required compassion.
Mr. Benjamin Eze, the market’s line chairman, applauded the governor for taking the initiative.
Eze claimed to have lived at Coal Camp for more than 30 years and to have yearned for sufficient housing for all of the traders, saying that what was taking place to him seemed like a dream.
“I know that the governor is capacity-filled.
“I urge him to keep up with this pace because it will benefit all of us,” Eze said.
