TARGETING the restoration of its dilapidated structures, Enugu government has announced plans to procure two the defunct Coal Corporation's headquarters properties and Colliery Hospital Complex.The properties located along Okpara Avenue and old Onitsha road, according state government, would be bought at the cost of N200 million and N238 million respectively.Presently, the quarters located on Iva Valley area have become relics of some sort in view of the level of abandonment that has become its lot, as offices and other appurtenances occupied by corporation's workers are also left to rot away.Although the highly built entrance gate is kept closed always and opened to any visitor by two old men working as security men, the entrance betrayed the situation of the compound.Dotted on available spaces were disused cars, over grown grasses as well as buildings whose roofing has fallen aside. Rats and various insects have occupied the offices.The imposing one storey administrative building though with its asbestos roofing still intact, has some of its doors and windows removed. Although all the offices in the block have been vacated, that of the managing director and his secretary is still functional and appears, as the only offices where activities are still being carried out.However, even with the building beaten by weather, it still has supply of electricity, as the air conditioners in the two offices are still functional.State Commissioner of Information, Chucks Ugwuoke, who announced this last week said government had concluded arrangements with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) for the sale as Colliery Hospital Complex would be converted to ESUT Teaching Hospital's annex, dedicated specifically for children and pregnant women under its Free Maternal Child Health (FMCH) Care programme in the state.He added that the acquired hospital would help decongest the Teaching Hospital already over-stretched with the influx of patients demanding attention under the FMCH programme, stressing that that it would also serve as a referral centre from district hospitals in the state on issues of child and maternal health.The headquarters of the defunct Corporation would be used as offices to mitigate the current acute office accommodation facing some ministries, departments and agencies of government.Ugwuoke also revealed that state council approved the award of contract of over N3 billion for the rehabilitation and dualisation of Enugu end and Enugu-Abakaliki road and the Umuabi - Agbudu-Udi ' Awgu - Ihe roads.He explained that already the state government had gotten approval from the Federal Ministry of Works to do the 7.5 kilometers road starting from Abakpa-Nike junction to Akanu Ibiam International Airport fly-over awarded to Arab Contractor at a contract sum of over two billion naira (N2, 364,083,721.62).He said that though the road was a federal road, government decided to do it to help reduce traffics experienced at Abakpa junction and Naira Triangle.For the Umuabi ' Agbudu-Udi ' Awgu ' Ihe road awarded to Zarcus Construction Nigeria Limited at the contract sum of over eight hundred million naira (N854, 527.006.07) the commissioner explained that government decided to asphalt the road as part of its commitment to open up the rural areas of the state.He added that council approved over one hundred and twenty-two million naira (N122, 512,323.05) for the construction of two new hostel blocks at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp, Awgu, as well as, engagement of Leisure and Recreation Concepts Dollars United States of America for the establishment of a Theme Park in the state.
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