Chime, don’t sack Ndigbo!

From the look of things, next year’s international trade fair may not hold in Enugu. The fair has, for over twenty years now, held at its temporary site located in the city. The official organizers of the fair are the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), the organized private sector, currently headed by Pastor Olisaemeka Jideonwo.(Pictures show Enugu fair logo (top left), Chime (right) and Pastor Jideonwo, President, ECCIMA (down left)


Reason? Sullivan Chime, governor of Enugu state, has just revoked the expanse of land hosting the trade fair centre, ordering the management to evacuate its property out of the premises immediately after this year’s trade fair.

This year’s international trade fair, the 20th, where about 239 foreign and local exhibitors have erected stands to participate, holds between March 27 and Monday 6. The theme is ‘Vision 2020 and the Challenges of Private Sector Development’.

Although ECCIMA is requesting for 5,000 square metres of the compound, Chime government only agreed to allocate 3,000 to her to build her corporate headquarters.

Having been ejected from its temporary site, the only option open to ECCIMA is to relocate the fair to its permanent site on Enugu-Onitsha expressway. Permanent sites of trade fairs in Nigeria are statutorily built and managed by the federal government.

Unfortunately, while other old regional capitals of the country including Kaduna and Lagos had their trade fair grounds long completed by the federal government, virtually no work had been done on that of Enugu.

Enugu international trade fair, as a matter of fact, belongs to all the nine states that make up old eastern Nigeria, including Abia, Imo, Ebonyi, Anambra, Enugu, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states. Just like the Kaduna and Lagos serve northern and western states respectively.

For now, there is nothing to show that the Nigerian government, through her Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industries, has any plans in the near future to complete the permanent fair site. For instance, the federal government budgeted only N100 million for the fair which will gulp well over N1 billion within a short time of the take off of its development.

Chime government explained its revocation of the Certificate of Occupancy of the temporary trade fair ground. First, it says the revocation would ginger up the federal government into completing the permanent site. It, also, says it plans to, in tune with urban renewal project, build a Central Business District (CBD) on the land. It is worthy to point out that Chime government indicates her willingness to assist the federal government in developing the permanent trade fair site.

To demonstrate its seriousness, Chime’s government even made more budgetary allocations towards the building of the site than the federal government! The government has even deployed experts to carry out a feasibility study on the site, with a view to knowing how it can come in.

Yes, Governor Chime may, in all this, mean well, but there is still need for caution in enforcing the eviction of the temporary trade fair. Chime may be in hurry to develop his Enugu state, but he should do well to listen to the other voice.

Perhaps, unknown to the governor, the quit notice has far reaching implications. It may mark the end of hosting the fair in Enugu and, by extension, Igbo land, as it may be shifted to any of the south south states, co-owners of the fair. That is, in a situation where the permanent site is not ready for use before next the fair which will be the 21st.

KlinReports is of the opinion that Enugu International Trade Fair should be left where it is at the moment until the alternative is ready. And, it has to be emphasized that the permanent site is still the property of the federal government, though she (the federal government) can grant permission for Enugu international trade fair to be hosted there.

Whatever is the case, the project, (Central Business District), planned to be set up at the current fair ground can wait until the perm site is ready for use. Anything short of this may bring embarrassments to Ndigbo, especially, the business class who may have to grapple with the criticisms that the fair had to leave the southeast zone simply because Enugu state government could no longer accommodate it.

Therefore, evicting the fair immediately is akin to Chime government shooting itself in the leg. For where is the fair going after now if not to be relocated out of Ala Igbo?

Caution, Chime, caution.