In a bid to alleviate the severe traffic congestion and roadside trading disrupting the flow of people and commuters along the Holy Ghost, Ogbete, Chris Chemist, Old Park, and New Market thoroughfares in Enugu North Local Government Area, the council has partnered with security agencies and relevant stakeholders to eradicate illegal roadside trading and transportation obstructions in these areas.
Following his inaugural security meeting with local security chiefs and stakeholders, the Chairman of the Local Government Area, Dr. Ibenaku Onoh, announced that his administration will take decisive measures to address the ongoing issues along these roads.
He explained that, after the first security meeting, the council resolved to form a task force comprising all security agencies and relevant stakeholders to tackle the problems. The task force will first focus on educating street traders and transporters in these areas, giving them notice to relocate to the markets for traders while allowing transporters time to organize their operations before enforcement begins.
During a tour of the affected areas with security leaders and stakeholders, including the acting president of Ogbete Main Market and the leader of NURTW in Enugu North LGA, Dr. Onoh emphasized the necessity of a collective effort among council leadership, security agencies, market leaders, and other stakeholders to achieve meaningful change.
Dr. Onoh praised the State Government’s initiative to construct an ultra-modern bus terminal under Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, remarking that this new facility will permanently resolve the long-standing gridlock, particularly along the Holy Ghost and Chris Chemist routes. He stressed the importance of transport unions like NURTW cooperating with the government to create orderliness among their members, as the frequent parking for loading is a significant contributor to congestion in these areas. He reiterated the need to implement orderliness while awaiting the operational launch of the bus terminal in the coming months.
The inaugural security meeting included heads of various security agencies, five Divisional Police Officers, the Head of the Department of State Services (DSS), representatives from the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), along with heads of local markets and transport ministry representatives, among others.
