By Tony Adibe
After 16 years of being completely abandoned, the Enugu state executive council has approved the completion of the neglected Enugu International Conference Centre (ICC), and expressed readiness to revamp other moribund facilities and structures in the state.
The state commissioner for culture and tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the meeting presided over by Governor Peter Mbah at the Government House, Enugu on Friday.
NewsBits recalls that the ICC project, which was initiated and built by the former Governor, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, could not be completed before he served out his second tenure in 2007. Previous administrations have abandoned the project ever since, however.
The International Conference Centre has 3,000 capacity auditorium, 1,500 capacity secondary event venue, Dome with 500 capacity, shopping facility, food court, recreation center with a mini amusement park among enticing facilities.
The commissioner who said the Enugu ICC will be a world class conferencing venue in the entire Southeast region, noted that it will make Enugu an international city alongside the international airport and also provide a major attraction for organisers of mega conferencing events, and become a destination for tourists from across the globe.
Dame Madueke said it will not only create hundreds of jobs for the teeming youths of the state, but also increase the state internally generated revenue, and assured that the project will be completed by March 2024.
On the controversy surrounding the presidential hotel Enugu, the information commissioner, Mr Aka Eze Aka reiterated that the hotel is not for sale, and urged Enugu people to jettison the rumour making the rounds as it is being peddled by mischief makers.
While maintaining that the 180 days deadline for the water project in Enugu metropolis remains sacrosanct, the state commissioner for water resources, Dr Felix Nnamani said reticulation is still ongoing, and called on the residents to report any fault identified around their areas to the ministry for onward actions.
Dr Nnamani said as the construction is still ongoing, the water supply in the areas that have been completed may be epileptic as the contractors test-run the project by switching off-and-on to identify areas that needed attention, and urged the people not to panic whenever their water stopped flowing.
While commending the state governor, Dr Peter Mbah for his commitment to infrastructure development in the state, Engr Gerald Otiji of the works and infrastructure ministry, said the identified 71 roads in the urban areas to be constructed, expanded, dualized, and rehabilitated in the first phase of the road infrastructure project will be completed in the next two months being December 2023, and urged residents not to panic whenever they see heavy duty trucks conveying equipment to their areas.
