The Abia state government has said it will soon begin the payment of compensation to the owners of structures marked for demolition ahead of the reconstruction of the Ossah Road in Umuahia.
The state government made the announcement after holding a series of consultations with property owners on both sides of the major road to Umuahia, off the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
The government said that work would soon commence to expand the road by one more lane on either side.
Giving an update on the project on Monday, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Okey Kanu, during a news conference with newsmen said that 150 structures had been marked for demolition.
Kanu who also spoke about the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting at the Government House, Umuahia notedย that the decision to expand the road from four to six lanes was to ease traffic and enhance the aesthetics of the state capital Umuahia.
He said that there was no going back on the project, adding that the demolition, which ought to begin on Monday, was shifted by three weeks.
The commissioner said that consultations between the government and the communities affected by the project were still ongoing and had yielded good results.
