Fresh documents have cast a dark shadow over the Enugu State Government’s New Enugu Smart City project, revealing an alleged web of conflicts of interest involving senior officials accused of acquiring, allocating and marketing thousands of hectares of disputed land through a private real estate company in which they reportedly hold significant ownership stakes.
The documents, obtained by SaharaReporters, include records from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), government correspondence, land allocation letters, payment advisories and official public notices. Together, they raise serious questions over the handling of the controversial Ugwuaji land and the transparency of one of the state’s flagship urban development projects.
At the centre of the controversy is Coal City Eastern Extension Estate Alliance Ltd, a real estate company incorporated on December 29, 2021, with registration number 1878141. According to CAC records, the company was established for the construction and management of real estate but is now alleged to have become a major beneficiary of lands initially acquired by the state for the New Enugu Smart City project.
Corporate records reportedly identify several key figures in Governor Peter Mbah’s administration as directors or Persons with Significant Control in the company.
Among them is Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Raphael Onyia, who allegedly controls 30 per cent of the company’s shares. Also listed are the Commissioner for Housing, Martin Ogechukwu Chukwunweike, former Director-General of Governor Mbah’s 2023 Campaign Organisation and now Senator representing Enugu North, Gerald Ugochukwu Asogwa, and Senior Advocate of Nigeria James Onyeanwuna Ikeyi, each reportedly holding substantial ownership interests. The company secretary is listed as Osinachi Austin Nnajieze.
The revelations have intensified scrutiny because some of the officials named in the corporate records previously served on a government panel established to investigate ownership disputes over the same Ugwuaji land.
On September 2, 2020, the Enugu State Government constituted a six-member Administrative Panel of Inquiry to determine the rightful ownership of the disputed land, establish its exact size, verify competing claims and recommend a lasting resolution. Pending the outcome of the investigation, the government ordered an immediate suspension of all activities within the disputed area.
However, critics now allege that instead of resolving the dispute transparently, the panel’s report was never made public, while the government subsequently acquired the land under the doctrine of overriding public interest before it allegedly found its way into the hands of a private company linked to senior government officials.
Adding to the controversy is a government notice issued on July 7, 2026, redesignating Phase Three of the New Enugu Smart City into a satellite town. The announcement, signed by Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Onyia, warned that no land transaction within the acquisition area would be recognised without government approval and directed all persons claiming interests in the land to submit their documents before July 31.
Documents reviewed by SaharaReporters also include payment advisories issued by Coal City Eastern Extension Estate Alliance Ltd, raising concerns over reports that some investors paid for plots through private company accounts, while other allocations were processed by the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation (ESHDC).
A senior surveyor familiar with the transactions questioned the arrangement, saying many investors believed they were dealing directly with a government-backed estate development.
Several affected landowners accused the government of taking over ancestral lands without adequate compensation or lawful acquisition procedures. They further alleged that individuals and companies with legitimate interests in the land have been displaced following the government’s acquisition exercise.
Investors have demanded answers over whether senior public officials should simultaneously exercise control over a private real estate company involved in transactions relating to government-acquired land, whether the recommendations of the 2020 Ugwuaji Administrative Panel were ever implemented, and whether all allocations complied with the provisions of the Land Use Act and other applicable laws.
One affected investor questioned why payments for some plots were made into private company accounts while others were processed through the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation, insisting that the conflicting arrangements require independent scrutiny.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, regarding the allegations and his reported ownership interest in the company were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
While the Enugu State Government has consistently maintained that the New Enugu Smart City project is designed to accelerate urban development and modern infrastructure, the emergence of corporate records allegedly linking senior government officials to a private company operating within the project area is expected to intensify demands for a comprehensive, independent investigation into the acquisition, ownership and sale of lands under the ambitious development scheme.