Lawyer Demands Ebonyi Trade Centre Safety Reports After Umahi’s ‘Unsafe’ Warning, Nwifuru Govt’s ‘Safe For Use’ Declaration | Sahara Reporters

The 11-storey complex at Presco Junction has remained incomplete for more than 20 years.

A lawyer, Benedict M. Nwigwe, has asked the Ebonyi State Government to release structural integrity reports, safety certifications and other technical documents concerning the abandoned Ebonyi International Trade Centre in Abakaliki, following plans to rehabilitate and complete the project.

In a Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated September 29, 2026, Nwigwe urged the government to disclose the evidence supporting its decision to proceed with reconstruction, particularly given conflicting assessments of the building’s safety.

The 11-storey complex at Presco Junction has remained incomplete for more than 20 years.

The controversy over its structural condition intensified in March 2019, when former Ebonyi Governor Dave Umahi, now Nigeria’s Minister of Works, said an integrity test had found that the building had failed.

“We have done an integrity test on that, and it failed the integrity test,” Umahi told The Guardian in an interview.

He warned against completing the project if it could endanger lives, saying, “I would not want to complete it to put the children in danger because my own children will not go there.”

However, the administration of Governor Francis Nwifuru ordered another integrity assessment in 2025 as part of efforts to revive the project.

In May 2025, the state government announced that the assessment had cleared the way for reconstruction. Then Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor, said the report gave the building a “clean bill of health,” describing it as “stable and safe for use at the time of this investigation.”

The State Executive Council subsequently approved the reconstruction and completion of the Trade Centre on May 16, 2025.

Nwigwe said the conflicting assessments make it necessary for the government to publish the technical evidence underpinning its decision.

He requested copies of previous structural assessments, engineering reports, inspection records and the complete 2025 integrity test report, including photographs, laboratory results, calculations, recommendations and conclusions.

He also asked the government to disclose the tests conducted on the building’s foundation, columns, beams, slabs, reinforcement and other load-bearing components, as well as the qualifications of the engineers and consultants involved.

The lawyer wants the government to clarify whether the 2025 assessment found the structure safe in its existing condition, safe for completion subject to remedial work, or safe only after structural rehabilitation or strengthening.

He further requested details of any remedial work carried out, revised structural designs, safety certifications and documents establishing that the foundation problems previously associated with the project had been addressed.

Nwigwe also demanded records of public expenditure on the original construction, integrity assessments, rehabilitation and proposed completion, alongside contracts and procurement records relating to engineers, consultants and contractors.

He said the request was made in the public interest because the project involves a major public building intended for commercial use and substantial public expenditure.

“The subject matter concerns the structural safety of a major public building intended for public and commercial use and the expenditure of public resources on rehabilitation and completion,” Nwigwe said.

He argued that residents deserve access to the technical evidence behind the government’s decision, given the building’s history and the conflicting assessments of its structural condition.

The lawyer reminded the government of its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, and asked it to identify the specific legal provisions supporting any refusal to disclose information while releasing all non-exempt portions of the requested documents.

He warned that he could seek legal remedies under Section 20 of the Act if the request was not given the necessary attention.