By Eke Ojim
Amidst scandals of land racketeering where appointees and close associates of Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi are allegedly buying up properties for him undercover in order to shield him from public scrutiny and culpability, the governor has again been accused of illegally purchasing properties within the Nigerian Railway Corporation main yard, in Enugu.
An 11th April 2023 statement signed by some elders of the Ogui-Nike community in Enugu —Hon. Nnamani Darlington, of Ogui-Nike Community and Elder Daniel Maduekwe of Umunevo Ogui-Nike Community, reads:
- This is to notify the general public that property within the Nigerian Railway Corporation main yard, along Ogui Road, Enugu are being illegally disposed off by Railway staff and purchased by the outgoing Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Lawrence Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
- The aforesaid pieces or parcels of land have been without controversy until the last management of the Railway Corporation led by one Mr. Olu in collaboration with the present management, illegally sold the community land to the said outgoing Governor of Enugu State, for personal use without recourse to the reversionary interest of the original owners, the community.
- Following the sale of those plots, heavy construction have begun on the said parcels of land, again without recourse to the reversionary interest of the original owners, the community.
- It is necessary to point out that the Ogui-Nike and Umunevo Ogui-Nike Autonomous Communities of Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State are the customary owners and in possession of the land currently being occupied by the Railway Corporation, which was given to the Railway Corporation by their forefathers, sometime in 1920 at the arrival of Nigerian Railway Corporation in the then Eastern Region, under the British government.
- We demand that all construction work stop forthwith and the Nigerian Railway Corporation explains to the original title holders why lands meant for Railway development should be so egregiously converted to other purposes. In particular, we warn Governor Ugwuanyi to forthwith hands off our land.
A couple of years ago, Enugu Zoo was a major sightseeing spot for children and families in Enugu. Then came Governor Chimaroke Nnamani who converted that key tourist attraction into a residential area.
That parcel of land that used to house Enugu Zoo at Ogui Junction, along Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway, and which currently shares a boundary with the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, is now known as Zoo Estate.
A Guardian Nigeria report of 19 June 2016 titled: Nigeria’s zoos without animals sheds some more light on this matter.
“It houses some of the most modern buildings in the state and is occupied mostly by politicians including the incumbent governor of the state, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Justifying the decision of his government to convert the area into residential apartments, Nnamani had said that the development of the Coal City had caught up with the place, adding that it was no longer suitable for tourism.
“He reasoned that the facilities had aged, adding that government would relocate the zoo to a more convenient environment, where it could also provide revenue for the state. The protests that greeted the development notwithstanding, the government moved in and decimated the existing area.
“From then, till now, Enugu has remained without a functional Zoo. The promise by Nnamani to actualize the Zoo during his regime never worked. When Governor Sullivan Chime came on board, the drive for another zoo continued.
“An area at Attakwu in Akaegbugwu area, Enugu South council was mapped out. The Guardian gathered that the mapped-out area, where the zoological garden would be located, is 221 hectares of land.
“The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Ugwuanyi on Tourism, Mr. Manfred Nzekwe, said the government was continuing from where the last administration stopped in ensuring a functional zoo for the state. He said that the Ugwuanyi administration was desirous of boosting tourism to enable it to increase the revenue base of the state.
“His words: ‘The perimeter survey for the area had been done. Just recently, a group of investors from South Africa visited the area and even paid a visit to the traditional ruler of the community.
‘Government is looking at partnering with the private sector to give the state a more befitting zoological garden. We are mindful of the fact that developing an area like that can impact positively on the resources of the state; we also know that something like this is what is currently lacking in Enugu. So, the government wants to give the people something that they will be grateful for.’
“Even with the zoological garden yet to come on board, governments of the state have continued to make yearly provisions for it. In this year’s budget, N10m was earmarked for its development.”
