An Ebonyi State businessman has accused the Minister of Works, David Umahi, of allegedly using a road expansion project as a cover to seize his multi-million naira filling station and convert the land into a private shopping plaza.
Mr. Okay Emmanuel Nnolum, the owner of B.O. Nnolum & Sons Limited, has launched a blistering attack on the former Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, over the demolition of his filling station at the Dr. Akanu Ibiam Roundabout. Nnolum told SaharaReporters that the Minister of Works originally promised to take only a seven-metre strip for a road project but ended up seizing his entire three-plot property. The businessman, who claims he was once a close friend of the Minister, expressed shock that his livelihood was wiped out under the guise of public interest, only for the site to allegedly be earmarked for a private shopping plaza.
The dispute reached a boiling point after government officials reportedly fenced off the property and leveled the station, despite Nnolum’s protests. According to the businessman, the state government paid a compensation fee of roughly ₦20 million—a sum he describes as woefully inadequate for the prime location and the business assets destroyed. “David Umahi used to be my friend, but at some point, I honestly do not know what happened,” Nnolum lamented, adding that the “public road” expansion never actually touched the land he was forced to vacate.
Adding fuel to the fire, Nnolum revealed that the seizure extended far beyond the filling station, allegedly swallowing three additional properties totaling six plots of land. He noted that while he received a revocation letter for the station, the other plots were seized without any formal legal notice or initial warning. “In the end, he did not even take the seven meters. In fact, he took all my properties with the adjoined ones,” Nnolum stated. As the Minister’s camp remains silent on the specific “plaza” allegations, the businessman is calling for a full investigation into the use of executive powers for private gain in Abakaliki.
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