Efforts by Enugu and Abia state governments to integrate road, rail, air, and waterways into one seamless, safe, and efficient ecosystem have received both cheers and boos. Some residents allege that reforms in the transport industry are not only taking a toll on other sectors but robbing them of their livelihoods, LAWRENCE NJOKU reports.

Since taking office, the administrations of governors Peter Mbah and Alex Otti have been hard at work rejuvenating their states’ transport sectors, as reflected in significant investments.

In Abia State, the construction of modern bus terminals in major locations to improve transportation infrastructure, alongside the rehabilitation of key urban roads and critical intercity routes to improve connectivity, is ongoing.
Late last year, the government introduced 20 eco-friendly electric buses. In December 2025, these buses conveyed residents from Umuahia, the state capital, to Aba and other neighbouring towns in the state free of charge.

In 2024, the state government officially flagged off the construction of the new Abia Airport. Located in Umunna Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North Local Council, it was designed as an international cargo and passenger airport intended to boost the state’s economic growth.

The project, in partnership with the Federal Government and private sector interests, is expected to be completed within 36 months of commencement.

Plans for an airport for the state had been in place since the administration of former governor Theodore Orji (2007-2015), who was said to have approved and acquired the site for construction.

His successor, Okezie Ikpeazu, reportedly appropriated N10 billion for its commencement. Even though the amount was approved by the then state House of Assembly, the project, however, never took off.

It was said that Ikpeazu was dissuaded from doing so by some traditional rulers in the state, who wanted the funds to be allocated to other areas. Whether the funds were channelled to those areas of infrastructure and investments or not has remained a contentious issue in the state.

Otti’s government, however, not only awarded a contract for the construction of the airport but also accelerated work at the site after paying compensation to landowners to ensure the airport stands during the lifespan of his administration.

“Our administration is committed to replicating transport models seen in top global cities, not just Oshodi, but places like Paddington in the UK, where bus terminals, trains, and economic activities converge 24/7. That’s the kind of modern, vibrant transport hub we are building in Umuahia,” Otti told a delegation from the Nigeria Railways Corporation (NRC) that visited him late last year.

The governor has also advanced talks on the establishment of a monorail in the state, having helped the NRC recover and complete the Port Harcourt-Aba rail line.

Mbah-led administration in Enugu State began efforts to revolutionise the transport sector by demolishing several structures in four key locations – the Holy Ghost Park, the Gariki Park, Abakpa Park and Nsukka Park – to set up modern bus terminals.

In August last year, Mbah commissioned the modernised parks and rolled out 100 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transit buses, which he said were aimed at boosting the state’s economy.

He explained that, alongside the CNG buses, the terminals were “central pillars of our transport agenda – a multimodal highway to the future – integrated road, rail, air, and waterways into one seamless, safe, and efficient ecosystem,” stressing that the projects were already creating jobs across the state.

Earlier, the state government had partnered with Xejet Airlines to launch Enugu Air, using three Embraer aircraft to connect Enugu to Lagos and Abuja. The government allegedly spent about N62 billion to acquire the initial three aircraft.

In February 2026, the state government acquired three additional Embraer aircraft, bringing the total in operation to six, and planned to increase the fleet to 20 by the end of 2026, which it said was aimed at enhancing regional connectivity and economic development.

While presenting the 2026 budget in December last year, the governor announced his intention to invest in a monorail with an initial N10 billion equity funding for the first phase of the 135.5-kilometre rail project.

He said the rail project was part of his campaign promise to develop a multimodal transport system that includes rail and inland waterway services to complement road transportation across the state and the South-East.

The government also earmarked another N10 billion for a vehicle manufacturing programme.

One thing, however, stands out about the transport sector in these two states: previous administrations did not exert
this level of commitment to boosting the sector.

When the Chairman of Enugu Board of Internal Revenue, Ekene Nnamani, recently announced a leap in the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) to N406 billion from N180.5 billion in 2024, he attributed the growth to the deployment of technology, e-payment, widening the tax net, as well as other extensive reforms.

He, however, did not announce any yield from the transport sector despite the huge investments.

The volume of investments in the transport sector has not come without a cost for the two states. While some said it has hit some residents seriously, especially those who suffered dislocation, others contend that other productive ventures with shorter gestation periods could have been more beneficial to the states than expanding transport infrastructure.

For instance, while several arable farmlands and economic trees were lost at the site of the ongoing airport project in Abia State, feelings of anger over the type of compensation paid to landowners (determined on government terms) still linger.

This has been protested by landowners, especially from Umuezenta, Umuelenwa, and Okpuala, who alleged they were shortchanged and that the airport was built on their tears.

On February 18, 2026, owners of the land where the airport is being constructed again protested, and Echezonam Ukaumunna, who claimed to be the secretary of Nsulu landowners, asked the government to concentrate on the runway and allow them access to their farmland, insisting that the ongoing construction has denied them access to their sources of livelihood.

“You can see that we did not farm last year; our livelihoods have suffered. If this airport comes to stay and the people cannot survive, the project becomes meaningless,” he stated.

Isaac Frank, another stakeholder, insisted that their inability to farm last year worsened hardship in the area, stressing that the airport came at a great cost to the people.

Last year, no fewer than 10,000 traders were affected by the demolition of thousands of businesses, including shops, an educational institution, private motor parks and residential buildings to make way for the modern transport terminals in
Enugu State. The demolitions were centred on Holy Ghost Park, Gariki market, Abakpa market, and Nsukka market.

Also, last year, the state government budgeted about N41.1 billion (about 40 per cent of the fiscal spending) to transform the transport sector, while education received N320.6 billion, that is, about 33 per cent of the total budget of that year, which stood at N971 billion.

In this year’s budget of over N1.6 trillion, there is a proposal to acquire 14 additional aircraft, bringing Enugu Air’s
fleet to 20. Already, three out of the 14 have arrived.

Some stakeholders believe that the attention being given to the transport sector in the state has taken a toll on other sectors, noting that while the government’s promise of water to every household in the state within 180 days has remained forlorn, efforts are being put to expand an airline fleet, which has no bearing on the common man.

While the government will spend several billion naira to purchase 14 new aircraft for Enugu Air, going by the over N79 billion (4.76 per cent) allocated to the transport sector this year, the budget for the water sector is put at around N20 billion (1.24 per cent of the budget).

This explains why many are accusing Mbah of failing to put commensurate efforts and resources into the water sector in the last 33 months, a development that would have solved the niggling water problems in the state and saved millions from waterborne diseases.

Six months into his administration in 2023, Mbah made good his campaign promise by commissioning a plant that increased water generation from an occasional two million litres to about 120 million litres, with a 4.4-megawatt power station.
The feat came with the construction of about 96 water galleries in Enugu urban.

At the moment, the hope elicited by that commissioning is ebbing fast. While many of the galleries have not received water since their commissioning, the few areas that occasionally received water before now remain the only areas where water still flows. Many residents still rely on water vendors who sell water at exorbitant prices to meet their daily water needs.

An Economist, Dr Ruby Agbarakwe, told The Guardian that, as in every other life’s endeavour, interests would always guide human choices, adding that leaders have always given priority to areas and issues they deemed necessary.
Agbarakwe, a director at Fintech Investments, stated that there is no genuine economic investment without a cost, adding that while some investments would begin to yield in a short period, others would take longer despite gulping a lot of resources.

“What is going on in some states where the residents are suffering economic losses, exorbitant taxes, dislocations and what have you are prices to pay for economic development and expansion. Today, Enugu State is expanding its transportation sector. This must come at a cost, which may not be good for the ordinary person.

“In this instance, something must give way for something to happen. Some projects may suffer as a result of the Enugu transport sector; ministries may not receive their full release from the budget, and there may be cases of neglect here and there. It is normal. But what is important is that the government realises that the welfare of the people is paramount in citing any project in any part of the state,” she said.

Her views were similar to those of Eze Emmanuel, who said that dialogue and consultation with the people should always guide the government’s developmental efforts.

He stressed, however, that there was a need to develop the transport sector in the southeast region to complement the volume of commerce and other activities within the region.

The estate surveyor called on other states in the region to emulate the Enugu and Abia State governments and begin to pay attention to their transport infrastructure, stressing that, “when fully developed, it may become another money for the region outside agriculture”