Dr. Ifedi Okwenna, former Commissioner for Environment and National Resources, Anambra State, cuts the picture of a man desperate to better his environment. Being the Director General, Centre for Environmental Disaster Management (CEDM), he examines the Nnewi industrial town in this interview with Correspondent, Okey Maduforo, which began yesterday. Excerpts.
What are impacts of urbanization of Nnewi? The urbanization of Nnewi has great socio-political impacts. Today, Nnewi alone has more than 10 political wards and one single local government in itself. It is the seat of the Anambra South Senatorial Zone and the melting pot of the Anambra South politics. It influences to a large extent, the politics of Anambra South. It is also seat of both the Catholic and Anglican Dioceses with many parishes and parsonages as well as seat of other churches and groups. Cultural activities have increased as many cultural associations have emerged. In addition to the advancement of Nnewi Culture, town union branches of several towns and villages whose indigenes are resident in Nnewi exist here and advance their rich culture within the confines of this town. In the area of employment, urbanization of Nnewi has brought in its trail, massive employment for people. The town is home to a number of industries, commercial centre and trade posts and these have provided job opportunities to both skilled and unskilled workers. But be that as it may, the current urbanization trend of Nnewi has a number of negative consequences. Some of these consequences range from poor and unplanned land use pattern, poor environmental sanitation. The massive urbanization has led to the generation of considerable amount of solid waste in Nnewi. These solid wastes are generated from numerous households, markets, industries and factories, informal sector craft and retail touts and passengers. These solid wastes are unsightly destroys the aesthetic and amenity values of urban roads, walkways, parks and other public places. Notable example is the Ugwuakpatiozu site on the Okigwe-Oba highway. These refuse heaps constitute health hazards and are breeding grounds for disease organisms. In some cases, it causes numerous air pollution related hazards as a result of occasional burning of the wastes. Nnewi is growing spatially, both laterally and vertically without any urban regulations or control. This had led to under- intergraded urban spatial / physical structures, incongruent skylines, unplanned wards or building / development sites, non-existence of serviced estates
and plots and non-harmonious landscape. The road network in Nnewi is also very awful and uncoordinated, perhaps, the history of most of the roads showed that they were the ancestral footpaths, which were used to navigate to other villages and or to the farms. These are the roads now adapted as city roads and which is now been tarred to service the city. Thus traffic circulation is poor leading to bottlenecks as peak periods especially at Nkwo triangle roundabout, Igwe Orizu Road Junction, Ibeto. There's also problem of existence of uncontrolled and unauthorized traffic terminals, halts or parking, resulting in frequent traffic accidents within the streets. There is the tendency to feel very insecure in Nnewi and many other Nigerian cities. This may be real or imaginary for both human life and for property. This is compounded by numerous cases of armed robbery and other crimes reported in parts of the town. Uncontrolled emission of pollutants is another big problem of Nnewi urbanization. Major urban pollutants such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, surphur dioxide and nitrous oxides, suspended particulate matter and organic wastes. Reaction of these pollutants with water leads to acid rain, increase in green house gas emission and its attendant global warming. Organic pollutants in water bodies when discharges untreated cause microbial contamination, eutrophication and reduction in dissolved oxygen. The urbanization problem in Nnewi also led to the development of devastating erosion sites, which have threatened businesses and residents of the area. Because the area was not properly planned, channeling of flood did not receive its fair plan. For in instance, in areas such Nnewi Ichi, Otolo Nnewi, Umudim Nnewi, Obiofia, Okofia, Ukpor and
so many others, people and businesses in are heavily threatened by the menace. When I was there as the commissioner for environment in Anambra lots of jobs were done to restore the situation but don't forget its long age devastation, beside such capital intensive project surely is too bogus for the state government alone or even the individuals to handle. From your experience, how do you think that the urbanisation of
Nnewi and the entire Anambra State should be managed? At 5.3 per cent average urbanisation rate and 20 per cent urban youth unemployment, Nigerian urbanization is one of the fastest in the world. It is a time bomb waiting to explode. With the industrial town of Nnewi, this threat is even more real. There is therefore a very urgent need to develop a dynamic system of urban settlement, which will promote sustainable socio-economic and environmental growth, promote effective urban development system, efficient service delivery and ensure improved standard of
living and well-being of all residents and visitors to the city. First, the issue of modern master plan should be developed. Despite the current urbanisation trend, Nnewi is still growing in the pre-colonial traditionalism and is partitioned in its original four quarters of Otolo, Uruagu, Umudim and Nnewichi. There is no strategic plan for sustainable growth and expansion. The master plan for Nnewi is therefore very necessary. I am aware that the state government has commissioned a group to study and produce the master plan for Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi. This is highly commendable but the group should complete the assignment as it has tarried. Apart from the master plan, cadastral maps, base maps needed for urban planning and management should be commissioned for Nnewi and other adjoining towns and villages. Following from the production of the master plan, cadastral maps, a re-planning scheme should be implemented. The scheme is to ensure that a strategic action is in place for the full implementation of the Nnewi Urban Master Plan. Urban Planning is a subset of urban development, which is the totality of the urban landscape, and environment and it is to precede action, more so in the area of urban growth and development. As development continues unplanned, there is need to re- plan and ensure renewal of strategic locations especially ancestral areas and other areas occupied by the natives, which inadvertently had turned or are turning to urban slums.
The re-planning shall include the need for urban planning education for political leader, city managers and all other stakeholders who are concerned with orderly development and good governance of the city. Efficient management of land uses in the city is also very essential. The need for prior planning before the use of any land is imperative use of any land including marginal lands and its suitability ought to be predetermined through a conscious plan preparation. Failure to do this always leads to loss of optimal return on land. The re-certification of land should
be taken seriously here and efficient data need to be documented for easy retrieval. That will not only lead to orderly development but will ensure that land titles and purpose clauses are easily known and enforced. Civil societies, town unions, neighborhood and community organization, professional associates, women groups, chambers of commerce, should all be strengthened to participate in decision-making process for the city. For effective and sustainable administrative system in Nnewi, decision-making process must be fully participatory and all urban governance decision-making and implementation strategies and activities must be transparent
and accountable to the generality of the citizens of Nnewi. Only when the urban governance
is democratic enough will the inhabitants duly take ownership in ensuring the sustainable growth of the city. They should also be consideration for urban infrastructure upgrading such as road, water supply, electricity, street lightings, public buildings, and telecommunication. These are called physical infrastructure, while school, colleges, health centres hospitals, public conveniences, burial grounds, town halls, recreation centers, parks and gardens, markets, motor parks, abattoirs are called socio-economic infrastructure.

Nnewi needs overhauling...all the roads in Nnewi are narrow...i hate what i saw in Nnewi when i visted there last december.

Government should dualize and expand most of the roads.
Federal Government just abandoned Nnewi despite all the goodwills that are from the city.

Its unfortunate that a city that was singlehandedly developed by the private sector will about to be passing thorugh things like this without a federal government complementart development agenda to reward those guys.

Failed and woeful Niajiria