The commissioner for Transport in Abia state, Barr Ekele Nwaohamuo, has accused a former chairman of the Natioal Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), in the state, Chief Sunny Nwakodo, of operating illegal park, saying that he is disrupting government’s policy.
Speaking with National Ambassador
Online, Nwaohamuo said government has resolved to relocate transporters who operate on major roads around the city centre to Ohiya Motorpark, so as to decongest the level of activities that go on at the Isigate.
According to him, the reason for their decision was to end any deliberate or indeliberate attempt to resume trading activities around the Isigate, adding that as long as transport businesses still thrive in the area, there is every tendency that some day, trading would kick off.
He said when traders were relocated to Ubani Ibeku Market in January, it was presumed that business activities would reduce, but to their greatest surprise, transport activities took to another level, as the initial spaces occupied by traders were automatically converted to parks.
“The Isigate is clustered again.You see parks here and there.Traders are trickling in again”, the commissioner noted.
“In my last visit to Isigate, what I saw, does not speak well of a city centre, transporters were operating on major roads, causing traffic congestion. The commercial bus operators were rigging bells to beckon on passengers, causing noise pollution”,he added.
According to him,the ministry of Transport recently had a meeting with the leadership of Keke operators and NURTW, on the urgent need to relocate to Ohiya, after the meeting, they (transporters) pleaded to be given till Wednesday last week to relocate,but uptil today, they have not relocated, with their transport activities on the increase.
He disclosed that the ministry would be having a management meeting to know the next step to take but revealed that a taskforce would be set up to enforce the policy.
Meanwhile, the commissioner lamented that Chief Sunny Nwakodo,a leader of the NURTW, is not helping matters, as he challenging and dragging government policy backward.
Nwaohamuo stated that instead of Nwakodo to mobilise his people and encourage them to move to Ohiya,he went to be building an illegal park opposite the Federal Medical Centre Aba road.
He revealed that Chief Nwakodo was flouting government relocation orders because he refused him (Nwakodo) to head the Taskforce unit for the relocation exercise.
The Transport commissioner maintained that from all indications,the park Chief Nwakodo was constructing along the Aba road area was illegal and cannot work because of the negative effect it would have on the area, bearing in mind that the area is housing the Government House and also a major hospital.
However, the commissioner noted that chief Nwakodo is challenging government policy, emphasizing that he would not grant him permission to operate an illegal park opposite FMC.
