Demolition: Anguish as shops, property owners count losses in Nnewi

Chinedum Treasure

Hundreds of shops, billboards, motor parks and other categories of property along Owerri Road Nnewi, Anambra State were on Tuesday demolished to give way for road dualization project.

Some of the shops and houses were seen with the marks, “move 40 meters, 20 meters, 6 meters, 20 meters inside”, and so on.

Some of the victim seen lamenting, claimed enough time was not given to them to relocate to areas not affected.

Others were busy gathering the remnants of their property while buldozers were demolishing anything standing along the marked areas.

One of the property owners along the Owerri Road, Chief Kenneth Maduako said it was a welcome development so long as government would not waste time in starting and finishing the road dualization.

“If they can apply the same speed they use in demolishing people’s property to finish the road dualization project, there won’t be any problem.

“What people would not like is to destroy their property and there would be a long wait before the project is carried out.

“We know government should pay compensation to those who should be paid, not just everything, “he said.

A shop owner, a tailor who preferred anonymity said he was not happy, citing short notice as his grouse.

He questioned why government should do things with impunity, without regard for the small shop owners who he said were in majority.

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