Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has announced the relocation of motor parks situated along Milverton Avenue, Aba, in a bid to alleviate congestion and prevent fire outbreaks in the area.
The decision, according to Governor Otti, was prompted by the recent surge in fire incidents within Aba markets and other business establishments.
During an assessment of the fire outbreak at Ehere Market in Aba, Governor Otti inspected the damage caused by the fire, which ravaged vehicles, merchandise, and parts of the building housing the bus terminal of Chisco Transport Company.
Governor Otti expressed concern over the crowded nature of Chisco Park and other parks along the one-kilometer stretch of Milverton Avenue, describing it as a potential disaster waiting to happen. He highlighted plans to explore alternative parks at Osisioma and Port Harcourt Road, which offer more space for the relocation of motor parks.
Otti emphasized, “I think it’s time we relocated the parks to a more spacious place. We can’t have everybody clustering in one place.
“This is a recipe for disaster, and I know that there are parks around Osisioma, part of Port Harcourt Road.
“We are going to go and have a look at them and ensure that we relocate a lot of these vehicles to the parks so that it could be easy for us to move if there is any incident.”
Furthermore, Governor Otti mandated that all business facilities across the state install fire extinguishers on their premises to mitigate fire incidents.
He announced the commencement of enforcement of this policy in the coming week.
The governor commended the efforts of the state fire service personnel for their swift response and hard work in containing the fire at the Chisco office.
