Solution is very simple. Get RCC to put up 3 feet tall concrete crash barriers at the median for up to 50m on each side of the junction then people will be forced to use the footbridge.

ACTDA should first relocate all those bus parks away from unizik junction. They create traffic and touts.

ebufa:




That last sentence in your post "finish work" for me, I could not put it better myself! I was born into a trading family based in Lagos.........I knew when Igbo traders moved to Alaba international and when they moved to Aspamda...........Those 2 markets somewhat sanitized Isale Eko or Lagos island markets......the salutary effects also impacted Iddo bus terminus and Otto markets...............Onitsha needs a dedicated Town Development Authority....the way Otti established one for Aba. Way too many passenger and goods laden heavy commercial vehicles come into the center of onitsha! It just gives the town a near siege mentality........with all the bedlam that follows such traffic.

The second Niger bridge has opened up a complete new axis that soludo can exploit......why not locate a modern bus terminal in that axis like Enugu has designed for the chaotic holy ghost area?
I hear the same planet design coy that did Oshodi terminal is also doing the Enugu one!

We can mandate all luxury buses ,commuter buses ,trailers and semis to offload in the new terminals, we can co locate goods warehouses and storage units in that axis too! Way too many containers are offloaded inside onitsha markets............I dunno, town planning experts in the house can contribute.......I tire sef!

Exactly. You wonder what kind of people inhabit the Transport and Works ministries and really both functions should be combined. You dont build a road wide enough only for passenger vehicles and then allow Trailers on them. Proper urban planning should not allow large Markets inside inner cities. They should be pushed to wide boulevards and regulated heavily. Cities should have a retail and service inner core, a residential ring and an outer core of industries and warehousing. Dense cities over 50,0000 should have proper public transport with 15-20 seater buses running scheduled routes not tricycles and 5 seater shuttle buses. Anambra cities require city-wide underground drainage systems and sewage lines. These things cost money but they are an investment for the future.

ebufa:





It is left for the government to do the needful by building world class cities and "forming" the huge corporation you are talking about? I am not sure which Igbo economist that worked as a world bank consultant in southeast Asia ( idika kalu or Soludo?) Anyway I am sure Soludo knows about Chaebol corporation like Daewoo and LG and Samsung ,companies that were essentially conceived and birthed by government..........What I am saying is that we business men are like sheep left to graze blindly in the bush...it is left for Soludo to point the way forward! He has the yam and he also has the knife!

The work that man has on his hands is daunting........he is still building gutters and roads , nobody remembers his automobile and pharmaceutical production hubs.................Soludo needs a lot of help to hurry things along but I am not sure he has done enuff to galvanise that much needed help in terms of investment and human capital! Why will Soludo allow Stella okoli to carry the new Emzor factory to otta Ogun state? Give it to Peter Obi sha for getting SAB miller to invest.........though he had some leg with the company prior to him becoming Governor!
Its not all bad but a lot of work needs to be done!

Obi got the message as they say in America and what he did is standard investment promotion. New York campaigned for Amazon to locate there for instance.

But if you are campaigning is it when your city transport is marked by tricycles and mini shuttle buses? There is a reason India gets tiny investment compared to China that went modern completely not accommodating primitivity.

I like what is happening in Enugu because the governor there gets it. He got Germans to design waterworks for him and pipe water from ninth mile to the city. He is building a massive bus terminus. That's city level thinking.

Onitsha meanwhile the trailers and buses coming into the city has been left to the one man touts to organize.

Onitsha goods everywhere but where are the factories? Where is the power for industry?

Designing cities requires vision and thoughtfulness. European cities the iconic symbols of cities are public infrastructure otherwise known as the people's money. New York City. George Washington Bridge, Hoover Tunnel, Subway, Central Park, Grand Central Station, Statue of Liberty, grid pattern of Avenues and roads.

Please name iconic or grand public infrastructure in Igbo cities. Even sculptures are hastily assembled without much thoughtbor quality. In the land of Enwonwu.

Soludo should stop begging Anambrarians to invest and give them many reasons to invest.

The solution to Igbo resurgence is to build world class cities that have strong service and industrial bases. There are three core cities in igboland. Enugu, Onitsha and Aba. None is inspiring. Go past the space shipped Secretariat building Sullivan built and it's already wearing a forlorn look. Onitsha with it's majestic Niger Bridges and wide expressway then you enter the city and primitive trading everywhere.

The greatness of cities is accumulation of capital both physical and human. Not one Igbo city can boast up to 10 corporations with over 50m in revenue. Not one Igbo city can boast three 10 storey buildings or iconic architecture. This is what happens when you don't have scale and rely on emigration as a strategy.

Soludo understands the importance of cities as an organizational force. Primitivity has to be weeded out. Organized public transport not Keke, organized business districts not out of control street trading. Big businesses form in organized settings not chaos.

HeavenlyBang:


Growatt 6KVA/SRNE 8KVA 48v inverter
SRNE 10kwh/15kwh LifePO4 battery (10 years warranty)
12x 625W Jinko panels

Buy what you need from Fouani Store and HMSolar.

Inverter - 1m
Battery - 3m
Panels - 2m

Not a 5m solution.

luvlyoracle:
Any reliable used 24v at least 1.5kva hybrid inverter someone can buy for 180k
MPPT charge controller

Would really appreciate any help

Have luminous 24v hybrid inverter but 40a pwm charge controller. Dm

rdokoye:


I'm pretty sure such laws already exist in Anambra. I know a law exists that regulates how far or close to the roads one can build.

The issue in this instances is simply enforcement. Which is pretty difficult to do, when you don't have a police force.

Ndigbo have a survival mindset. Which is understandable, when you consider the number of administrations Nigeria has had, over the past 6 decades. Coups, counter coups, democracy then coups again. Nigeria has existed in a state of lawlessness for a long time.

Reorientation is what is required right now, and from the looks of things, that's what Soludo is doing. It won't happen overnight, it'll take time, but eventually, the people and their mindset will start to change.

In America, waste, water, streets, schools, tax, police are under the purview of local government. Who makes up local government? People living in the community. In Nigeria we funnel external resources to someone answering governor to be in charge of allocating it to local government in places he hardly knows and we wonder why there is so much theft and irresponsibility in government.

Soludo did one good thing in Awka and that was put an honest hard working Awka man in charge of ACTDA. The roads got patched quickly, the squatter shacks along roads removed.

But for sustainability this model should be a city or town development agency run by qualified honest indigenes with clear cut responsibilities and oversight from both state and eminent leaders to prevent abuse.

All this senseless back and forth comparison. How come oyo is not comparing itself to ekiti or Ondo to Osun or Kano to Kaduna?

Only comparison should be to advanced things. Water systems, transport systems, etc.

iamphilips:
Good morning guys, please I'm seeking an "affordable" lithium battery & inverter kit for a 2 bedroom apartment

2 freezer 180w
1 Tv (120-160w)
2 laptops
Multiple phones
3 cloud energy fan (10w each)
Multiple light points

If I'll be adding solar later, what capacity should I be looking at.

Send me dm.

isangjohnson:

48v 230ah for 2.3m
24v 100ah for 495k
12v 280ah for 745k
12v 160ah for 430k

Do you have 24v 150ah battery?

afube:


I like the way every inch of setback is paved between the buildings and the road......soil and sand accumulation will be reduced on this stretch of road! Government should make it mandatory for residents to either pave or grass all open soil on road set backs.........and of course demolish all illegal shade projections and attachments to houses and walls............thankfully Awka capital authority is beginning to enforce these laws!

Awka Capital Territory Development Authority is doing a good job but it needs to be coded into law. The government needs to revisit business licensing and require compliance not just for projections but also things like:

- Approved Signage
- Waste Collection and Disposal
- Water and toilet facilities for plazas, food, pharmacies, etc.
- Clean gutters
- Non blockage of pavements or electrical poles

They should also look into the Keke business and set a timeframe for phasing it completely out in the capital and big cities like Onitsha. We are not India.

AllyPolly:

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Anambra1stSonTV:
Construction of Arroma-Ifite overpass bridge has commenced by GLED construction company

Good project. Hope they can do same thing at Regina Caeli connecting to right before Everyday Supermarket.

Ezewuzie01:
.
Soludo is not serious. I don't know what he thinks he gains by playing to the gallery. Governments around the world are rated by their efficiency and quality of service delivery. These roads were among the very first roads he awarded immediately he was sworn in. That's almost two years of struggling with mere 14km roads. Shameful. Where is his commissioner for works? Why should the governor be the one moving around ascertaining the quality of roads when he has a commissioner for works who is a so-called engineer and is paid for doing nothing? It is either the commissioner for works is a thief or is grossly incompetent. Either way he should be fired or we will believe that he is sharing kickbacks with the governor. How will the state government recover its money already paid to the contractor for lousy job done and for time lost? I expected Soludo who is a first class economist to be so much smarter than this display of inefficiency and tardiness that his government has come to be known for. Didn't he know that something like this was going to happen when he awarded road contracts to these quack contractors he is using all over the place? How about using just two or three well-known reputable contractors and award them bulk road projects for which they will surely offer your government a discount and you can also rest assured that they will give you a quality finishing? This one year, one road government that Soludo is leading calls to question his competence to lead a government. I am beginning to think being highly educated does not always translate to being a competent administrator. Soludo has been disappointing so far. What he has offered so far doesn't show he has capacity to do exceptionally well. He can start redeeming himself by using only good contractors like RCC, Nigercat, CCECC and let them turn Onitsha, Obosi, Nkpor, Ogidi, Awka, Nnewi, Ekwulobia and our urban areas into a massive construction site, not this story of dubai-taiwan he is always telling and yet people are seeing squalor and incompetence everywhere. Let him borrow if necessary. Ndi Anambra won't mind as long as they see the borrowed funds in action.

I agree.

Smart governors award contracts to PROVEN contractors. Let the big contractors then sub contract to smaller ones but be held accountable for delivery.

Ngige was using RCC all through not Tamad, Paul B, IDC and more. The quality of roads under him is undeniable.

But then Ngige is detail oriented while Soludo likes to bask in grand visions. He clearly does not have a good commissioner of works because when you make grand statements the job of a commissioner is to bring you down to reality by showing what it means step by step.

ChimaAdeoye:
Please Repaint abd Equip the Anambra State Library, Onitsha Division!

I am moved to make this public appeal to Anambra State government under the able leadership of Prof. Charles Soludo (Charlie Nwa Mgbafor) on the sorry condition of the state library, Onitsha division.

As someone who studied for his SSCE, Jamb, Second MBBS medical examination, and finally my United States Medical Licensing Examination in this building, I cannot overstate its importance to the promotion of educational excellence in Anambra state. I am sure that thousands of professionals INCLUDING Prof. Charles Soludo himself must have studied at one point or another in this library building.

Biko nu, let this building be repainted and upgraded with computers, internet, and new desks so that the upcoming generation will have at least a serene place to study for their exams the way we did in our time.

Anyone with Soludo's contact should send him this appeal so that this iconic library will be re-painted and upgraded to continue supporting educational excellence as it previously did.

The state government needs to involve eminent indigenes in managing and oversight of civic institutions like libraries, museums, parks, sports complexes with state counterpart funding and philanthropic fund raising.

In the case of Onitsha Library it should be managed with a board constituted of eminent people like Igwe Achebe, Obi Asika, and state government representation. I am sure they can do a far better job of raising money from Onitsha indigenes and friends of Onitsha to upgrade it and run it. Same goes for the dilapidated Onitsha Sports field.

For Awka same goes for the Awka Sports Stadium and Kenneth Dike Library. There are eminent Awka people and friends of Awka that can manage them jointly with the state while raising funds from foundations worldwide and from the diaspora.

Many foundations worldwide donate billions to education, culture and sports. The Igbo diaspora is over 2 million strong and will also contribute if they are convinced it is going for development and not embezzlement.

cjrane:


My brother, thank you! Actually, you cannot be sure about the agenda of these faceless people. I suspect they are APC agents targeting the heart of Igboland.

Imo state is by far the richest state in the southeast by FAAC allocations. Yet, Imo state has ONLY Owerri and to a lesser extent Orlu and Okigwe as urban centers to develop. Yet nobody hounds Hope Uzodinma to ensure he builds underground drainages even in villages or along Federal expressways. Even though most of these Onitsha-based vloggers doing videos of Anambra every day are actually from Imo state! They never clamor about even basic roads to be provided by Uzodinma, but they are demanding infrastructure in America or Lagos and Abuja to be built by Anambra government which is barely in the top 20 states by FAAC monthly allocation despite its over population problems due to being a center of commerce attracting immigrants from all over Nigeria! I don't know if you can see the double standards here. Meanwhile, other states that receive way more than what Anambra receives are not even harrassed to merely patch up potholes in the few streets in their tiny state capitals that aren't even as populated as Nnewi!

Now, unlike Imo state, Anambra is grappling to simultaneously develop about 6 major cities (Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi, Ihiala, Aguleri, and Ekwulobia). Not to mention other big towns such as Umunze, Ukpor, Atani, Nsugbe, Nteje etc! It has issues of unplanned and irregular development taking place in random locations and it simply lacks the funds to put proper roads and infrastructure in all these locations to prevent them from becoming slums. Everyone can see that Soludo's infrastructural agenda is statewide and not solely about making the state capital a befitting model city. Therefore, it requires a very astute deployment of resources to impact the entire state with the few resources compared to the problems.

I can only tell you to always remember that some of these people are merely looking for a way to create a narrative that either nothing is happening in Anambra, or to claim that whatever was achieved was substandard. i am glad that some people like SpaceTour give them a good run for their pittance paid by APC.

Most of New York City infrastructure was built when their GDP per Capita was around the same as Nigeria's. Same thing you saw with China in the 80s and 90s.

Why is that? Because most of the expertise and labor is local. Meanwhile Nigeria everything costs more because of forex and the reputation of Nigerian government.

Anambra State government needs to think better when it comes to infrastructure. One is that a lot of costs can be localized by partnering with capable local engineering companies. Not the likes of Paul B whose roads in Awka all have collapsed due to poor soil stabilization.

The second is involving foreign engineering companies working already on federal projects in the state. RCC that's doing Enugu-Onitsha should have been involved in state roads because they already have machinery and people committed on ground.

Third is that the state needs to prioritize it's infrastructural investments. American cities spend a lot of money developing commercial areas. Manhattan has storm drains, underground electricity cables, underground rail, planned urban transport, lots of bridges, wide avenues but you will not see that in Brooklyn or Queens. Meanwhile, go to Onitsha.

The downtown of Onitsha has been left to rot and remain primitive. You have people selling timber and glass on the streets of Onitsha Downtown, open air markets, absolutely zero sophistication. Onitsha a big trading town has chased out sophistication in catering for primitive traders. So the banks are tiny branches to collect cash and go, the big transport companies are no better than keke outfits, DHL, UPS all operate tiny branches. Insurance companies are few and far between. For a city full of goods, marketing outfits, advertising companies are tiny or nonexistent. Primitive organization begets poverty.

Manhattan boasts big retailers and businesses on fifth avenue, finance companies and a big stock market called Wall Street, an advertising area called Madison Ave, a tourist haven in Times Square, a huge railway terminal called Grand Central Station, a huge bus terminal at Ports Authority. All from just organizing Manhattan with interconnecting roads, traffic lights, drainage, sewage system, train system, bus system and proper policing.

Anambra we lack proper organized business downtowns in cities. From Onitsha to Awka you see chaos in city centers due to lack of regulation and planning. Avenues are avenues in name alone. They are not wide nor beautiful. Transport is delivered by primitive untrained shuttle and Keke drivers instead of by a city bus service. How many streets have basic things like traffic lights or signage? Markets overflow into the street and remain haphazard constructions with little effort at beautification.

The government has a lot of work to do.

Enugu govt bans scavengers, cart pushers, commences enforcement
Published on January 27, 2024
By Emmanuel Ugwueze


Concerned about the growing security threats posed by the activities of scavengers and cart pushers, the Enugu State government has restated its ban on their operations, warning that scavengers and cart pushers caught would be prosecuted.


The reaffirmation of the proscription of the scavengers and their activities popularly called, “Iron Condemn” in local parlance, was disclosed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, on Friday, after an elaborate meeting with the leadership and representatives of the Hausa/Fulani Community and their Igbo and Yoruba counterparts at the Government House, Enugu.

Lamenting that hundreds of petitions had been received from members of the public protesting against the activities of the illegal waste pickers, the SSG said enforcement of the ban, arrest and prosecution of violators would commence on Monday, 29 January, 2024.


He observed that scavengers with evil motives were infiltrating the state, breaking into people’s homes and stealing their valuables, adding that the state is determined to protect life of the citizens and safeguard their properties against intruders.

Citing section 20 of Enugu State Environmental Law, Prof. Onyia said anyone caught scavenging within the state risks 2 years imprisonment, calling on residents to be on the lookout for would-be-violators and report the to the nearest police station or the taskforce set up for that purpose.

“Enugu State Government is determined to protect every life and property of our citizens. That is our primary responsibility. We will ensure that every threat to the security and peace of the state is eliminated.


“The government will no longer condone the activities of scavengers in the state. We have to rid of the state of every vestige of crimes by restoring sanity. We want to assure all residents in the state who are into genuine business that we will continue to work towards making the environment safer for them.

“You will recall that sometime in November 2023, after reports from residents complaining about harassment and theft from scavengers and illegal waste pickers, the government set up a committee to assess the extent of the threats scavengers posed to the wellbeing of our law-abiding citizens.

“It was established that criminals are now roaming the streets posing as scavengers. Following this establishment, the government activated the law that provides against scavenging activities by outlawing these illegal operators.


“However, as government with empathy and humane face, we allowed for time to communicate the order. During the period, it was observed that more of the scavengers had infiltrated the state.

“So, we are now determined to enforce the law. This should serve as a warning to scavengers in the state. By Monday, the state taskforce will be out to give full effect to the proscription,” he added.

The state government further called on the law enforcement agencies to arrest and prosecute unrepentant scavengers and make examples of them.


Recall that residents in the state have been appealing to the government to tackle the menace of the scavengers and rid them out of the streets.

A few weeks ago, security operatives recovered a set of dangerous arms, including guns and machetes from scavengers arrested at Agbani Road, Gariki and Ogbete Market areas of the state.

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abuzz33:
Anambra residents lament open defecation, refuse, fear disease outbreak
1st February 2024

Anambra
By
Ikenna Obianeri



Residents and pedestrians along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway and its environs have lamented the continued open defecation and indiscriminate refuse disposal near medians of the roads, particularly the Upper Iweka axis.

Findings by South-East PUNCH showed that the trend had become rampant as miscreants, traders, and hawkers defaced the road median and other places undergoing construction, with faeces and heaps of refuse, thereby causing pedestrians who cross the expressway to cover their noses.

Our correspondent, who monitored the sanitary situation on the expressways on Monday and Tuesday, observed that the median from Obodoukwu, Upper Iweka, Down-fly and parts of Ochanja in Onitsha South Local Government Area of the state had become regular spots for defecation and refuse dumps.

Similarly, along the Awka-Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, it was also observed that indiscriminate open defecation has become a norm, especially in gutters around the UNIZIK Junction, despite the presence of toilet facilities in the area.


Although, the area has a cluster of motor parks, shops and other beehive of commercial activities with insufficient sanitary system, the gutters and open spaces around the area have been defaced with faeces.

Residents and passers-by were seen managing to walk across the road medians and other lanes and going to their various destinations while avoiding the faeces and refuse dumps.

However, pedestrians and residents in the area who raised the alarm that the strong smells that ooze from them are dangerous for personal hygiene, especially as food vendors surround the area and openly display their food items.


South-East PUNCH correspondent gathered that, although, employees of the Anambra State Waste Management Authority come regularly to clear the refuse dumps, but the residents said before the refuse collectors come, the refuse dumps would have increased and thereby causing an eyesore and also hindering free flow of both vehicular and non-vehicular traffics.

While there were concerns about the insufficient number of public toilets along these expressways, South-East PUNCH correspondent on Tuesday sighted some public toilets near the corridors, but they were not being utilised due to the money charged by the operators.

One of the attendants of one of the public toilets along the Onitsha-Owerri road, near Ochanja, who identified herself simply as Ijeoma, said, “The toilet has always been in operation and we charge just N100 for bathing and N200 for the use of the toilet. But while some of them make use of this facility, others choose to go in-between the median to defecate because they don’t want to pay.

“We always tried to prevent that because we understand that a toilet has been provided, but they won’t listen. Sometimes, we go as far as trying to arrest them through the security agencies, but they still continue. You know Onitsha is surrounded by markets and mostly traders, who are by the roadside are the worst offenders of this.”

However, speaking to South-East PUNCH on Tuesday, a resident of Onitsha, Chibuike Ifeanyi, said, “Aside from the embarrassing outlook of the median, the faeces pose a serious health risk to us the residents and the government needs to act now, especially as food vendors openly display their wares right in front of the faeces and the refuse, this is creating room for epidemic.

“This has been going on for a long time and we have made series of complaints, but nothing has been done while these people keep on messing up the place. We are risking diseases such as cholera and dysentery. We cannot pretend as if we do not know the dangers of allowing these unwholesome practices to continue unchallenged.”

Another resident of Awka, identified as Chike, said, “It has always been an eyesore while passing through the UNIZIK junction going to work in the morning. The gutters are always filled with faeces and it constitutes a health hazard. Some of these food hawkers go there to defecate and come back to start selling without washing their hands, it is not a good development.


“The refuse is also another challenge, although, the refuse collectors are trying, but most of the time, they allow the refuse to become an eyesore, causing traffic snarl before they come to evacuate them. I think the best way to manage this refuse is to create a centre for it and not for the people to be dumping it on the road. The relevant authorities should look into the situation.”

A public health expert, who gave her name as Ifeoma Chikere, said, “Until the government starts to arrest those engaging in open defecation, it may continue to occur. We have preached against it several times, but they are not taking us serious because they don’t know that their action is negatively impacting on other people’s lives and well-being.

“I understand there are laws against open defecation, but implementation is the challenge here. Once these offenders are arrested and made to pay a fine, they will begin to have a change of attitude.”

The state Commissioner for Environment, Felix Odimegwu, did not respond to enquiries, when contacted on the development.

However, a top staff in the ministry said the state government would step up enforcement to ensure the perpetrators were apprehended and refuse collectors promptly attend to refuse.

He said, “We are not happy with what we always saw there. We are going to step up enforcement in the next few days. We need to station people there permanently and we are going to pay them. People need to see effective enforcement before they desist from there.”

Expressing dismay over the development, the Managing Director of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority, Osy Onuko, said strict enforcement will apply to offenders of open defection, especially around the UNIZIK Junction, which is regarded as a gateway to Awka, the state capital.


Onuko recounted ACTDA’s persistent efforts in cleaning the areas, and revealed the agency’s latest decision to station some officers of the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra Brigade in the area for strict enforcement against such acts henceforth.

It was gathered that the decision was sequel to a petition by a senior citizen in the state, who condemned the act.

Onuko said, “Beyond the sanitisation efforts, ACTDA is set to open up new roads and advise the governor on strategic road development within the capital city. Building upon the success of last year’s palliative initiatives, the commitment to addressing dilapidated roads, eliminating potholes, and sustaining a green and clean campaign underscore the comprehensive approach taken by ACTDA to transform Awka into a model city.”

This is the outcome of roadside trading, street hawking and bus parks and markets without sufficient toilets. The Anambra State government is doing well to clear out roadside trading. It has to also force markets and bus parks to install sufficient toilet facilities.

Anambra residents lament open defecation, refuse, fear disease outbreak
1st February 2024

Anambra
By
Ikenna Obianeri



Residents and pedestrians along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway and its environs have lamented the continued open defecation and indiscriminate refuse disposal near medians of the roads, particularly the Upper Iweka axis.

Findings by South-East PUNCH showed that the trend had become rampant as miscreants, traders, and hawkers defaced the road median and other places undergoing construction, with faeces and heaps of refuse, thereby causing pedestrians who cross the expressway to cover their noses.

Our correspondent, who monitored the sanitary situation on the expressways on Monday and Tuesday, observed that the median from Obodoukwu, Upper Iweka, Down-fly and parts of Ochanja in Onitsha South Local Government Area of the state had become regular spots for defecation and refuse dumps.

Similarly, along the Awka-Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, it was also observed that indiscriminate open defecation has become a norm, especially in gutters around the UNIZIK Junction, despite the presence of toilet facilities in the area.


Although, the area has a cluster of motor parks, shops and other beehive of commercial activities with insufficient sanitary system, the gutters and open spaces around the area have been defaced with faeces.

Residents and passers-by were seen managing to walk across the road medians and other lanes and going to their various destinations while avoiding the faeces and refuse dumps.

However, pedestrians and residents in the area who raised the alarm that the strong smells that ooze from them are dangerous for personal hygiene, especially as food vendors surround the area and openly display their food items.


South-East PUNCH correspondent gathered that, although, employees of the Anambra State Waste Management Authority come regularly to clear the refuse dumps, but the residents said before the refuse collectors come, the refuse dumps would have increased and thereby causing an eyesore and also hindering free flow of both vehicular and non-vehicular traffics.

While there were concerns about the insufficient number of public toilets along these expressways, South-East PUNCH correspondent on Tuesday sighted some public toilets near the corridors, but they were not being utilised due to the money charged by the operators.

One of the attendants of one of the public toilets along the Onitsha-Owerri road, near Ochanja, who identified herself simply as Ijeoma, said, “The toilet has always been in operation and we charge just N100 for bathing and N200 for the use of the toilet. But while some of them make use of this facility, others choose to go in-between the median to defecate because they don’t want to pay.

“We always tried to prevent that because we understand that a toilet has been provided, but they won’t listen. Sometimes, we go as far as trying to arrest them through the security agencies, but they still continue. You know Onitsha is surrounded by markets and mostly traders, who are by the roadside are the worst offenders of this.”

However, speaking to South-East PUNCH on Tuesday, a resident of Onitsha, Chibuike Ifeanyi, said, “Aside from the embarrassing outlook of the median, the faeces pose a serious health risk to us the residents and the government needs to act now, especially as food vendors openly display their wares right in front of the faeces and the refuse, this is creating room for epidemic.

“This has been going on for a long time and we have made series of complaints, but nothing has been done while these people keep on messing up the place. We are risking diseases such as cholera and dysentery. We cannot pretend as if we do not know the dangers of allowing these unwholesome practices to continue unchallenged.”

Another resident of Awka, identified as Chike, said, “It has always been an eyesore while passing through the UNIZIK junction going to work in the morning. The gutters are always filled with faeces and it constitutes a health hazard. Some of these food hawkers go there to defecate and come back to start selling without washing their hands, it is not a good development.


“The refuse is also another challenge, although, the refuse collectors are trying, but most of the time, they allow the refuse to become an eyesore, causing traffic snarl before they come to evacuate them. I think the best way to manage this refuse is to create a centre for it and not for the people to be dumping it on the road. The relevant authorities should look into the situation.”

A public health expert, who gave her name as Ifeoma Chikere, said, “Until the government starts to arrest those engaging in open defecation, it may continue to occur. We have preached against it several times, but they are not taking us serious because they don’t know that their action is negatively impacting on other people’s lives and well-being.

“I understand there are laws against open defecation, but implementation is the challenge here. Once these offenders are arrested and made to pay a fine, they will begin to have a change of attitude.”

The state Commissioner for Environment, Felix Odimegwu, did not respond to enquiries, when contacted on the development.

However, a top staff in the ministry said the state government would step up enforcement to ensure the perpetrators were apprehended and refuse collectors promptly attend to refuse.

He said, “We are not happy with what we always saw there. We are going to step up enforcement in the next few days. We need to station people there permanently and we are going to pay them. People need to see effective enforcement before they desist from there.”

Expressing dismay over the development, the Managing Director of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority, Osy Onuko, said strict enforcement will apply to offenders of open defection, especially around the UNIZIK Junction, which is regarded as a gateway to Awka, the state capital.


Onuko recounted ACTDA’s persistent efforts in cleaning the areas, and revealed the agency’s latest decision to station some officers of the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra Brigade in the area for strict enforcement against such acts henceforth.

It was gathered that the decision was sequel to a petition by a senior citizen in the state, who condemned the act.

Onuko said, “Beyond the sanitisation efforts, ACTDA is set to open up new roads and advise the governor on strategic road development within the capital city. Building upon the success of last year’s palliative initiatives, the commitment to addressing dilapidated roads, eliminating potholes, and sustaining a green and clean campaign underscore the comprehensive approach taken by ACTDA to transform Awka into a model city.”

ChimaAdeoye:


Believe me, Anambra is a leader. Even if those that run Nigeria pretend otherwise. We should learn to stop measuring ourselves with the rot the country has become.

If we begin to do things the right way in Anambra, the entire country will copy it . Which will eventually lead to Nigeria becoming a livable place. Remember that Nigeria’s independence was facilitated by an Anambra man. Perhaps if he didn’t make that move for independence, those people grabbing power today in Nigeria would just docilely remain under colonial rule. That is why you must not compare yourself to people who couldn’t care less if cow dung is used as mattress for the entire country.

You’ve got to do what is right and do it to international standard. Even if some parts of the country prefer medieval Stone Age sanitary practices and a generally lawless environment with primitive societies.

That is it. If you leave a human being to behave anyhow he can be no better than an animal. African societies like to remain primitive and fight against structure and organisation. Contrast how commercial streets are in China and Onitsha. The Chinese make their shopfronts attractive, put nice signs, Onitsha traders are happy with a primitive shop with primitive canopy in front displaying their wares on top of gutter.

Governments in other climes take serious effort to maintain cleanliness, law and order and organization. Nigeria government barely sweeps the road, the gutter is filthy, non-existent traffic lights.

ChimaAdeoye:


I see your point. But let’s stop comparing with other states. Nigeria is a messed up country where nothing works. Therefore we should learn to do the right things and not copy the rot elsewhere in Nigeria. That is why Anambra is the light of this nation that is pitch darkness .

I will post a few street from Jamaica or Barbados that have less resources than most Nigerian states. But because they insist on proper waste disposal and fight against street trading and general lawlessness , those small countries now look like heaven compared to Nigeria.

Meanwhile Jamaica and Barbados which had the worst types of street trading and littering of the streets just like Nigeria, started cleaning up their country, planting trees and flowers along their roads and removing illegal makeshift structures and shanties used for street trading. Today, these countries look decent while Nigeria that used to look decent in the past, has continued to get worse over the years with the multiplication of street trading shanties all over our cities, mountains of trash called refuse dump sites on our streets and debris littered streets and drainage gutters as standard practice.

Street trading is lawlessness. Under Obi you did not see hordes of street traders because the government did not allow it. It was under Obiano that massive lawlessness in the cities took root where people started selling inside gutter and government left them. Then everyone with a wheelbarrow became a vendor and government left them. Now the flood of people from all manner of places are descending on Anambra where you can sell anyhow and anywhere.

I like what ACTDA is doing. All those vendors should go look for a shop. High traffic roads are not the only commercial places. They should go open in other areas.

Anambra1stSonTV:
Okija, Ihiala LGA.

Let me drop this amateur picture sent in by an excited and grateful indigene of Okija showing the Construction of 10.89km Savinono-Umuhu Ubahuezike road Lot I & II

We will drop the professional shots soon.

Contractor: Hammakopps Const. Company

Solution is Here!!!

Hammakopp is Obi Jackson.

NEWSCENTER:
Anambra state the land of great infrastructures

Where is this?

abuzz33:
Shanties Destroyed As ACTDA Continues Enforcement Exercise, Demolished More Illegal Structures In Awka.

By Ndife David, Awka.

Earlier today, the management of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authoriy ACTDA has yet again demonstrated it firm commitment to sanitize the street of the Awka state capital as it extends the on-going major enforcement and demolition exercise to other parts of Awka, the state capital.

The exercise which was lead by the head of the Development Control Unit unit and the Commander, Rapid Response Unit of the agency was carried out in Regina Ceali Junction down to Y-junction of Okpuno, Awka South Local Government Area.

It was gathered that the management before now, had engaged in intensive sensitization to the roadside marketers and hawkers on the need to relocate to government-designated location or desist entirely from loitering, hawking and littering the street of Awka, thereby obstructing human and vehicular movement in the state capital and exposing themselves and the neighborhood to the danger of high tension electric poles and cables.

Security personnel were also present to ensure law and order and safety of all concerned.

Speaking during the exercise, the head of the ACTDA Development Control Unit stated that the onslaught became necessary as shanties and other illegal structures and business activities has greatly contributed to the negative state of our environment.

According to him, one of the cardinal objectives of the Soludo administration is to build a peaceful, livable and prosperous homeland to aid rapid growth and development of the State, hence the defacement of the capital city by these hawkers and road traders must be condemned by all men of goodwill if we must achieve development.

He reiterated the agency's intention of creating a rather more conducive and safe environment for both residents and vehicular movement and not to witch-hunt the traders, but to facelift the capital city, reduce traffic and avoid emergency accidents being caused by the activities of these traders.

"This is part of the management efforts under the watch of Comr. Ossy Onuko to restore orderliness in Awka Capital City and return it to its Capital Territory Status, he said!"

He further warned that ACTDA is all out to wipe out impunity in the system and instill discipline and rule of law, and advised petty traders to comply with the demand and expectations of the authority to avoid regrets.

Good job ACTDA. Ask these illegal traders if they trade on the sides of major roads in Abakaliki or Enugu or Owerri where most of them are from. Or must Anambra suffer every dick and harry turning the cities into slums in the name of poverty alleviation.

Next is Zik Avenue in front of the market where ndi abakaleke have converted to phone and shoe retail, ndi hausa sell carrot and onions, Enugu sell orange, okrika, groundnut and vegetables. Spoiling business for law abiding citizens who rent stalls and shops inside the market selling the exact same thing.

Anambra cannot provide employment or poverty alleviation for the whole of South East and North by allowing urchins to deface it's cities.

Then look into the Keke menace. I would ban Keke from all the major roads in Awka and Onitsha. Let people enter regular 14 seater buses

Shanties Destroyed As ACTDA Continues Enforcement Exercise, Demolished More Illegal Structures In Awka.

By Ndife David, Awka.

Earlier today, the management of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authoriy ACTDA has yet again demonstrated it firm commitment to sanitize the street of the Awka state capital as it extends the on-going major enforcement and demolition exercise to other parts of Awka, the state capital.

The exercise which was lead by the head of the Development Control Unit unit and the Commander, Rapid Response Unit of the agency was carried out in Regina Ceali Junction down to Y-junction of Okpuno, Awka South Local Government Area.

It was gathered that the management before now, had engaged in intensive sensitization to the roadside marketers and hawkers on the need to relocate to government-designated location or desist entirely from loitering, hawking and littering the street of Awka, thereby obstructing human and vehicular movement in the state capital and exposing themselves and the neighborhood to the danger of high tension electric poles and cables.

Security personnel were also present to ensure law and order and safety of all concerned.

Speaking during the exercise, the head of the ACTDA Development Control Unit stated that the onslaught became necessary as shanties and other illegal structures and business activities has greatly contributed to the negative state of our environment.

According to him, one of the cardinal objectives of the Soludo administration is to build a peaceful, livable and prosperous homeland to aid rapid growth and development of the State, hence the defacement of the capital city by these hawkers and road traders must be condemned by all men of goodwill if we must achieve development.

He reiterated the agency's intention of creating a rather more conducive and safe environment for both residents and vehicular movement and not to witch-hunt the traders, but to facelift the capital city, reduce traffic and avoid emergency accidents being caused by the activities of these traders.

"This is part of the management efforts under the watch of Comr. Ossy Onuko to restore orderliness in Awka Capital City and return it to its Capital Territory Status, he said!"

He further warned that ACTDA is all out to wipe out impunity in the system and instill discipline and rule of law, and advised petty traders to comply with the demand and expectations of the authority to avoid regrets.

ChimaAdeoye:
Update on the dualization of Iweka road
~ By Anambra1stSonTV

Anambra1stSonTV,

I am glad that from 2:30 you addressed the issue of folks calling for Julius Berger to do our internal city roads and the over-flogged clamor on open drainages. I always see comments about open drainage in Anambra videos and I often ask myself if these people had not noticed that there is trash and sand everywhere. How can closed drainage systems work in such an environment? How long would a drainage gutter sealed with concrete serve in such an environment? Not to mention the mindset of our people at this stage of development where they drink sachet water and litter the street with plastic bags and drop all sorts of trash on the street. Some of the newly constructed roads such as Niger Street, Club Road, or UNIZIK Temp site road are already covered in sand and litter! Not to mention the gutters that have already been filled up with trash washed into the gutters from the littered streets just a few months after Soludo opened up all the drainage channels in the state!

All I can say is that even a beggar would want to use a private jet to travel from Awka to Asaba. Even if a commercial bus would get him to the same destination at a much cheaper rate. Of course, we would like Julius Berger to tar all our streets and cover all gutters with concrete pavement like in London or New York. The difference nobody talks about is that nobody in London or New York would dump their trash into the drainage channels. You can NEVER find any untarred street or road in London or New York. Therefore, there isn't so much sand build-up on their roads because the entire city and country roads are tarred. Most importantly; WHERE IS THE MONEY??

I'm glad you eloquently addressed that even many oil-producing states with fewer urban centers than Anambra are not even able to afford those eldorado requests. So where do our people think Anambra will find the money to engage Julius Berger for Awka, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, and Onitsha urban renewal?? We should try to be realistic in our requests and thank any leader who judiciously utilized the little resources available to make our cities decent and habitable. It's not a mark of intelligence to always blindly criticize and request things that you know that there isn't enough money for even basic infrastructure found in decent Nigerian cities, talk more doing standards found in America or Europe. Let us have the money to tar all our city roads and provide drainage channels first. Then we can begin to improve them to American or European standards after we have achieved decent tarred roads everywhere.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sepoRmn4tAE

Accra has open drainage but they don't have an epidemic of street hawkers or chaotic Keke and Shuttle drivers. Anambra can easily maintain gutters by taking a hard hand on street trading but they don't and want to be home for all and livable for few.

No state can absorb all the poor of 35 states and neighbouring countries so I don't know why Anambra thinks it can. Cleanup the cities for Gods sake. Control the streets and public infrastructure. You don't see anything goes in wretched Cotonou or poverty stricken Lome or even the Southern capital of poverty Abakaliki.

It's about time ANSG starts behaving like a government not just a talkshop.

Chikeluba25:
Beautiful. I am glad Anambra streets are now wearing new look. Clean and free from sand stain on both sides. I think the sidewalk helped.

Yes. The Americans generally pave the sides of roads with cement for the same reason of neatness and reducing sand buildup from the sides. Something Nigeria in shortcut mode does not. Soludo is doing well with selecting areas of the town to pave such as major roads and the Executive Business District.

They should also adopt another American town planning concept called ZONING. Move things to where they are supposed to be. Remove all inter and intra state buses from Unizik junction and Zik Avenue into an Awka Central Bus Station. Create a Central Bus Station in Onitsha and Ekwulobia. Separate traditional informal markets from the center of the town to the edge like Eke Awka and Ochanja and Relief. Let the downtown evolve modern retail undisturbed by primitive trading.

Abufo:





There is room for manual labour especially in cleaning the side streets and government establishment................for Highways and major roads,we need to have machines and plants.....Hello we will be in 2024 in a few days......we need to move with the time we are in! Afterall we are burning the same diesel to light up streetlights! Our towns look way too shabby to attract local investors talk less of serious international investors!

To sweep roads with machines would cost thousands a day. A sweeper diesel truck traversing just 10km consumes 5,000 naira in diesel and you haven't talked procurement of maintenance. Better that the money goes into the bellies you of the indigent.

And by the way all streetlights are now solar.

Abufo:



The menace of accumulated sand sediments along major Anambra roads ( both highways and town roads) continue to pose a challenge to Soludos's government!.........to make matters worse wild elephant grass find the sand sediment a good ground to germinate proliferate! I present to the house 2 road sweeper plants that are the work horses of the road maintenance crew of the Indiana Department of Transport! Anambra is not so poor that we cannot afford to finance the purchase of 4 -6 units of these plants!




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEM5jtNWatI

There are lots of laborers that you do not need machines and the added cost of fuel. Its amazing that the Works ministry doesnt see the sand sediment as a money making enterprise. A bag of sand is N500 naira. What they sweep and collect from the major roads should be worth tens of thousands a day.

The same goes for waste management. You see the ASWAMA people going round with heavy duty trucks collecting garbage with huge cost of diesel instead of exploiting the abundance of labor on ground. People with handcarts can collect far more waste and enter inner areas than those trucks. All the government has to do is create places to bring waste and pay handcarts per volume collected. They can even pay more for sorted waste to help with selling it to recycling companies or for generating fertilizer. This will empower the poor instead of petrol importers and help the government actually achieve clean and green targets with clean streets and gutters.

OreMI22:


The one-size-fits-all copy-and-paste approach to everything is what makes some analyses faulty. You or someone with a similar name argued something similar that Anambra airport would not be viable since it was so close to Asaba. In fact suggested that since Abakaliki airport was more than 100KM from Enugu airport, it was a more viable airport. The problem with such an analysis is that you based them on just one line of thinking "distance between them" and not the even more important factor which is the population and economic activities in the area to support even 3 airports. There is a very popular saying that has held for ages "If you build it, they will come!"

Agulu Lake Hotel was not a waste. If you like to provide free Keke to every location for the guests, it does not take away that it is located a little far away from any major city center. It is a resort and serves a certain niche for people to just go there and relax. That is why the effort should be around creating unique fun activities around the hotel such as boating, water parks, etc, to create its eco-system and drive tourism to the hotel and location. Not thinking about unsustainable ways to waste money hiring free buses or the guests to attend nightclubs in Awka and back to compensate for not being located in Awka.

Now all the hotels you see springing up in Asaba are largely due to Onitsha having so many economic activities but very very few hotels. Therefore, hotel investors rightly reasoned that building in Asaba would still put whoever needs to have a transaction in Onitsha within a reasonable distance. The hotels in Awka will not just grow the Awka economy, but will also tap into this good hotels deficit in Onitsha that is currently solely enjoyed by Asaba at the moment. Someone mentioned that Awka needs 3 five-star hotels and he is right! The truth is that there are many hotels in Awka but not so standard. They are mainly nosy nightclubs at night and are mainly used as brothels for hookup girls. I know this first-hand because is visit Awka regularly and stay in many hotels in the city. Apart from the BON hotel and about 2 or 3 more, we don't have any decent places to stay with a family in Awka. Many Awka hotels with big buildings are filthy, with roaches in the rooms, dirty-over used towels, and not even basic wifi! I am glad that Parktonian and Geo Gold are gradually improving their standards and even now offer basic services such as wifi for their guests. If you have never been to other cities even within Nigeria such as even Owerri hotels, you will not understand this deficiency because most people in our locale view a hotel as some type of eatery or nightclub. Not a place for high-quality lodging to attract decent tourists to the city.

I am glad that Soludo has a mindset that is different from the typical local governors. Who only think about how to compete with the next local enterprise. Soludo seems fixated on the future and how to establish what will make Awka attractive to global tourists and not something that is just a little better than existing local hotels based on "Awka" standards. That is truly something I have not seen in many Nigerian governors who compete among themselves in mediocrity. I see Soludo's vision as the equivalence of the vision of Obasanjo in 1976 when he declared that Nigeria would build a brand new Federal Capital Territory in Abuja that would be a modern city comparable to similar capital cities in Europe and America. The good thing was that he meant it. Otherwise, all Abuja roads would have been designed like Lagos roads of single carriage roads at the time, and houses would be allowed so close to the roads just like in Lagos. Of course, Soludo does not have the funds to achieve all he says. But Like Rwandan President Paul Kagame who knew in 1995 that Rwanda didn't have the money to build a modern capital city in Kigali. But it could achieve greatness eventually if it begins ensuring that every new road has walkways and trees planted in the road median etc. Every major hotel built by the government was designed to attain the best global standards. Even when people criticized him at that time for aiming "too high". Today we have seen the new Kigali city emerge even though Rwanda had no oil or any tangible resources to fund its emergence quickly. But just ensuring that every new project was done in the best global standard would eventually get you there. I have written a long response. But it takes such long responses to make the very fine point that it takes a visionary leader with a modern mindset and not just the available resources as the most critical ingredient in developing a society into a world-class society. From America to Japan to China to Singapore to Malaysia to Rwanda to Dubai etc, it took just one visionary at a point in their history to decide that they had to leapfrog into a modern society regardless of their income at the time. They had the idea and gradually followed their plan until it happened. That is what I am hoping that Soludo will be for Anambra and Southeast Nigeria.

In summary, we have to think higher than our current environmental situation if we hope to become better and achieve a greater future that we will no longer be called "Third World" or something less than the best. We have to aim to be in the league of the best. We can do it. So let's support those leaders who dare to dream big even when the resources seem not to be immediately available.

The ICC should be fully utilized and busy before you build a hotel otherwise that hotel will be a waste of money and that's speaking as a businessman. The location of the ICC itself is isolated from the town. If the ICC is lonely few will want to lodge in its grounds.

ANSG should focus on utilizing the ICC fully by partnering with a proper events management company not one connected to government officials. Ensure one event per week.

Comparing Awka to Nairobi or Kigali is exaggeration. Nairobi hosts UNEP and has for over 40 years been a regional center for aid agencies. There are over 50,000 whites living in NBI more than in Lagos and Abuja combined. Kigali in the aftermath of genocide had over 100 foreign NGOs working there and the country receives billions in aid support.

Awka has to design it's own narrative within the regional and national context. If I were ANSG, the play should be the premier business services city in the East.

What do I mean by business services? Awka should be hosting regional banking and finance, insurance, telecommunications, research institutes, advertising, ICT firms. Basically catering to the knowledge economy.

None of the Eastern states are doing this particularly well. Awka would need to show a high level of sophistication to attract this type of activity and the government has its work cut out to stamp out cultism, the chaotic transport system, the unruly market in the center of the town.

Soludo at least is building roads that showcase sophistication but he has to tackle the transport sector and deal with unruly hawkers.

OreMI22:
I heard that Soludo also wants to build a 10-storey 5-star hotel in the capital city.

I wish he would use the structure to complement the Awka International Conference Center (ICC) by building the hotel within the area reserved for a 5-star hotel inside the ICC. Although Agulu Lake Resort is a very standard hotel, because it's far from most things, it attracts only those who specifically want to go and sleep in Agulu. A 5-star hotel in the middle of town means that people could easily lodge there and still enjoy the benefits of going to Solution Fun City or Ibiza nightclub at night and still get back to their hotel room without risking their lives by driving far from the city at night. This is the huge disadvantage of why people only go to Agulu Lake to stay there and not really to commute to Awka at night from there.

Such a big 5-star hotel inside the ICC center will give life to the ICC and the venue will quickly become the best events center in the southeast. Globally, major hotels are situated very close to International Conference Centers to make them attractive to host international conferences where people don't have to worry about transportation to get to the conference venue. There is accommodation of more than 200+ rooms and a world-class international convention center really within walking distance from where people could lodge.

In an era of declining revenue it would be foolhardy to build another hotel and one that will render the huge investment in Agulu Lake wasted.

Agulu Lake should be maintained however the government should provide free buses to bus guests between that place and ICC and other parts of Awka. It is less than 15 minutes from the core of Awka. After all the distance of hotels in Lekki to VI is almost the same.

My concern is why the police continue to block one lane of Zik Avenue near Amawbia roundabout rendering that axis a traffic mess while Soludo does nothing? They should build a new Police HQ in the Executive Business District to complement the governors lodge, state and federal secretariat and free up Zik Ave.

The other hard decision he should take is to relocate Eke Awka. The size of trailers that enter that market on narrow roads says that it is incapable of handling the type of activity happening there. The market has become a wholesale warehouse rather than just a retail place. There are too many shops squeezed into a tiny space.