Workers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), on Tuesday, issued a seven-day ultimatum to Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State to negotiate on how to replace its offices, workshops, and quarters demolished or face legal action.
They claimed that over N21 billion in property and equipment was lost by the railways alone in the demolition, apart from other businesses affected in the area.
Enugu government last week embarked on the demolition of 30,000 square meters of railway land at holy ghost, Ogui, housing various residences, schools, banks, and businesses.
Commissioner of Transport, Obi Ozor, however, said that the area was mapped for the development of modern motor parks, stressing that the state government paid “adequate compensation to legal occupants through the Nigeria Railway Corporation”, whom he said were the original owners of the land.
He stated that due process was followed in the acquisition of the area.
However, railways workers on Tuesday protested the demolition, accusing the state government of impunity and disregard for due process in acting.
They insisted that there was no negotiation with the state government on the demolition of her property, listing quarters occupied by workers, training schools and workshops as part of the property demolished illegally.
Addressing journalists at the sight of the demolished areas, National President, Nigerian Union of Railway Workers (NURW), Innocent Luka Ajiji, said it was unacceptable and outrageous, explaining that the state government did not negotiate with the Railway Management or the workers unions before embarking on the demolition.
He said: “We are here to protest the demolition of our properties by Enugu State government. We have properties all over Nigeria and if there is need for government to investment on our property there are due processes to follow.
“What are those processes? – You pass through a process we have in our organisation that will permit you to have a document that can lead you to demolition or whatever you want to do in our land.
“So, but Enugu State government on a fateful Sunday came with bulldozers and started bulldozing our structures. Ten of our quarters are involved in that demolition where people were living inside, we have a traffic training school that was demolished.
“We have a carriage and wagon workshop that was demolished, we equally have a whole training school of the Civil Engineering Department it was equally demolished, alongside ten three bedroom flats that railway workers and some retirees were living.
“We found this as totally unacceptable to us and that is why we came; these houses are on litigation because we won them (railway management) at the Industrial Court and of course the judgement said those houses should be sold to us.
“So Railway Management and Federal Government now took us to court, so you don’t have right to come and tamper with those properties until the determination of the court judgement. And so, Enugu State government didn’t take all those things into cognizance and went ahead to tamper with those properties that are already covered by litigation.
