By Dennis Agbo
ENUGU — RESIDENTS of Coal Camp Ogbete Enugu and other passers-by will soon heave a sigh of relief as the coal camp motor spare parts market that had caused congestion in the old Enugu settlement would soon be relocated to the 9th Mile Corner in the outskirts of Enugu metropolis.
Coal Camp is one of the oldest residential layouts in Enugu where coal workers were quartered by the British colonialists that later gradually turned into a huge motor spare parts market with other allied fabrication and construction activities taking place within the limited size of the layout. The motor spare parts market attracted other ancillary traders like hoteliers, auto mechanics, blacksmiths among others who set up their shops all over the market and roadsides causing a lot of congestion for residents and other road users.
Congestion for residents
Most motorists in and outside Enugu prefer to patronise mechanics at the “camp,” as the area is popularly called, because of its proximity to spare parts and other related services available in the location. It was not known when the Coal Camp lost its virginity but most residents attributed the 1965 to 1967 civil war and the growing population to the congestion.
There have been agitations to relocate the market to a permanent site with large expanse of land that would accommodate the traders and allied workers like panel beaters but the plan had not worked out as a site at Akpasha Akwunanw which was provided with some level of facilities by the previous administration was rejected by the traders.
However, the hope for the relocation brightened last week, when Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi paid an unscheduled visit to the Coal Camp Market to assess the performance of his administration with regards to fulfilling its campaign promises to the traders and allied workers.
Ugwuanyi who interacted with the traders along the busy street inside the market asked them what they wanted and the traders through a voice vote agreed to relocate the market to 9th Mile.
Subsequently, a meeting was scheduled between the market leaders and the government to fine-tune the details of relocation. The state Commissioner for Commerce and Industries, Sam Ogbu-Nwobodo, however, could not respond to inquiries on the outcome of the meeting but the leaders of the traders confirmed that they were planning to relocate to the new site. The Chairman and Secretary of Enugu Motor Spare Parts Dealers Association, Chief Crescent Ugwoke and Augustine Egbuagu respectively told the South East Voice that the traders were happy over Governor Ugwuanyi’s commitment to relocate the market for the good of all.
Egbuagu recalled that they had been writing to the state government over their desire to move to a permanent site that would be accessible and more accommodating for them until Ugwuanyi came to the market and asked them to choose the location they wanted and they immediately said the 9th Mile site which was earlier earmarked for an international market along the Enugu Onitsha express way.
The officials of the market association said they rejected the Akpasha site provided by the past administration because the area was not a location that could boost their businesses, noting that they met with the Udi Local Government council on their choice of the former site for the international market.
The post Relief as Enugu Coal Camp market plans relocation to 9th Mile appeared first on Vanguard News.
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