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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
Unbiased1: All these things you mentioned are good for the growth of Igboland but I'm still not comfortable with Igboland not having, at least, the 3 major assets that sustain every economy which are electricity, fuel and telecommunications. I hope our industrialists look into it because even if we have 1 million industries that employ millions of our people all the Nigerian government needs to do to kill our growth is to shutdown the grid delivering electricity to us and order NNPC to end delivery of fuel to the SE and watch how our millions of industries will shutdown within a week.
The federal government can't do same to the south west because the SW will immediately take control of the Powerplants in their region, they have the worlds largest oil refinery, infact, the South West is currently the most structurally independent region in this country and I respect them for that. They have mastered the Art of using every opportunity they have to attract the most critical infrastructure and industries to their land. Obasanjo built a gas pipeline to Ogun state to power the industries there, Osinbanjo used his influence to ensure the railway in the south west is working fully, they quickly provided land for Dangote to build the world's largest refinery in Lagos which is the smallest state in the country.
I commend those Igbo sons who are building their industries at home and I know that one day we will have those critical assets I mentioned earlier and I hope they come fast. There is small hope now that Imo and Abia state governments have said that they are working on seaports in their various states. I just hope they were serious about it because eastern governors are more of talking with less action. Thank God we have Airports . With 3 standard international airports even though they barely get international flights, there is stil hope.
On electricity, SE is not badly off. Abia has Alaoji power plant and Geometric IPP both roughly 800 MW combined. Enugu has the old Oji power plant which can be rescuscitated.
For refineries, the SE doesn't have much crude feedstock. Imo has a small 5000 BPD modular refinery in Egbema as does Anambra in Aguleri. People hail Dangote but he built a refinery that will be doing a lot of importing of crude. NNpc cannot supply half of it's capacity.
As for telecommunications capacity, the SE is one of the best connected parts of Nigeria. The fibre backbone from MTN, GLO touches all major cities.
Again the sooner we have an industrial plan the faster we prioritize supporting infrastructure. Anambra, Imo, Abia have a lot of gas. But operating in silos does not help. The Shell gas pipeline in Imo can easily be extended to feed Asaba, Onitsha, Nnewi, Awka which are less than 60 miles. Obasanjo connected Ota to the WAGPCO for the same distance.
Unbiased1: How do you explain that the governor of Enugu built an oil farm in Ogun state when the only oil farm in Enugu (and the east in general) is not functioning? The issue with Geometric Power had to do with both electricity generation and transmission. The federal government has provided the license for states and other independent contractors to build power plants. What is stopping those in Igboland from building their own? Egbin Powerplant in Lagos is indigenous, there is another indigenous power plant in Ogun. These are just private Powerplants excluding those built by the governments of Ogun and Lagos. In the East, we don't have state owned neither do we have private owned and you are blaming the Federal Government? I beg to defer from what you said about the Federal Government being the main thing hindering our progress, we Ndigbo are our own problems. If the Federal Government could not stop Anambra from building an International Airport, why do you think they will stop Anambra from building a power plant? If Anambra can budget billions to build an Airport, why can't Anambra budget billions to build, at least, a 100mw power plant? What is stopping that daft Imo state from doing same? With all the natural gas we have? Disgrace.
Egbin was built by the FGN, Omotosho and Papalanto power plants in Ogun was built by the FGN with Chinese loan.
Geometric was the first attempt at a private power station and was blocked by Emeka Offor who claimed that when he bought 40% of EEDC, Aba was included despite an earlier agreement between FGN and Geometric.
I think what ails the SE is industrial development. Industry traps capital and creates massive job opportunities. Innoson motors alone generates 10-30 billion in Nnewi. If Nnewi had just 50 companies of that size it would be a massive economy. All the cash generated would fuel retail, housing, schools, etc. There is a reason China looks like USA.
Industry should be Anambras priority and they should learn from the Ethiopians of how to go about it through industrial layout designed and funded by the Chinese. https://www.oceansking.com/product/88.html
Anambra should have industrial parks for textiles and garments, electrical components, auto parts and integrated circuits.
The vision should be 200 companies providing 100,000 jobs. It would massively boost the state.
IGBOSON1: Impressive....will compliment the state airport nicely!
Hope it gets built though!
Obi Jackson and other Anambra billionaires should be less parochial. Why not build that hotel and golf course near Awka where it would draw more visitors than okija?
In fact it could be part of a broader Anambra plan to make the Awka metro area a conferencing, hospitality and services destination.
Less prominent towns like Okija makes sense for schools, hospitals, light industry or agroprocessing.
Abufo: That is like 5 - 10 million dollars raised for roads ........its not a small sum but it will not scratch the surface of our road deficit! Sales tax is the only way to raise sustainable funding for capital projects..........the whole sales tax thing must be designed by IT experts! Who says we cannot deploy AIrtificial Intelligence to make the work easier!
5-10 million dollars will build you 15-30 urban roads not the measly one or two built now.
osita76: See Why Gov Soludo Is The Most Prudent Governor Now In Nigeria.
In the first nine months of 2023, Abia spent N17.61bn on housing/rent allowance, meal subsidy, entertainment allowance, wardrobe allowance, social benefits, pension, gratuity, internet access charge, telephone charges, local and international travels, office stationeries, maintenance services, consulting and professional services, fuel, financial charges, miscellaneous expenses, and others.
In the first two quarters, Akwa Ibom spent N92.54bn on allowances and social contributions, social benefits, travel and transport, utilities such as electricity chargers, Internet access charges, and more, materials and supplies such as office stationery, drugs, laboratory and medical supplies, maintenance, training, and more. So far, the state has spent N10 million on hosting/mobilisation of political associations and interest groups, N841.83m on entertainment at meetings, and more.
Adamawa has so far spent N40.90bn on non-salary expenditure as of the end of Q3, 2023. Part of its recurrent expenditure which includes allowances and social contribution includes N1.29bn on furniture allowance, N1.19bn on travel and training including domestic and foreign, N214.37m on office stationery and consumables, and N413.32m on refreshments and meals.
Anambra’s non-salary spend was N15.17bn as of the end of Q2, 2023;
Bauchi was N70.25bn. By the end of Q2, 2023, Bayelsa had spent N58.26 on non-salary recurrent expenditure. These expenses include N2.18bn on training and travel, N1.81bn on welfare packages, N78.60m on burial logistics, N1.48bn on town hall meetings expenses, N48.20m on praise night/thanksgiving expenses, N17.70m on marriage ceremony support, and more.
Benue’s non-salary spend was N34.44bn. It spent N387.55m on special day celebrations, N434.17m on welfare packages, N7.06bn on security votes, N1.23bn on materials and supplies such as office stationery, books, and more.
Borno’s non-salary spend as of the end of Q3, 2023 was N32.63bn, Cross Rivers was N43.71bn, Delta was N152.15bn, Ebonyi was N30.91bn, and Ebo was N41.11bn. As of the end of Q2, 2023, Ekiti’s non-salary spend was N31.33bn. Part of this expense includes N2.74bn on local and international travel and transport, and N1.97bn on miscellaneous such welfare packages, refreshments, honorarium and sitting allowances, and more.
Enugu’s non-salary spend as of the end of Q3, 2023 amounted to N33.36bn, Gombe was N24.73bn (for Q1 and Q2). Imo was N58.21bn, where N1.21bn was spent on refreshments and meals, N866.81m on welfare packages, N3.26bn on allowances and more. Jigawa’s non-salary spend was N49.64bn which included allowances of N22.07bn, N1.18bn on transport and travelling, N1.83bn on materials and supplies including drugs, vaccines, medical supplies, stationaries, and more.
Total non-salary spend in Kaduna was N27.87bn as of the end of Q3, Kano was N17.79bn (Q1 and Q2), Katsina was N40.49bn, Kebbi was N24.51bn, Kwara was N41.19bn, Kogi was N58.02bn. Lagos’s non-salary spend was N289.49bn. These expenses include N741.34m as severance pay for political office appointees, N340.95m on aircraft maintenance, N8.07bn on plant and generator costs, N1.13bn on special days/celebrations, N107.79bn on special duties, servicing of meetings N11.45bn, N2.53 on welfare packages for the public, N3.69 on enforcement expenses, and more.
Nasarawa’s non salary spend as of Q3, 2023 was N28.13bn, Niger was N23.43bn (as of Q2), Ogun was N49.27bn (as of Q2), Ondo was N59.70bn, Osun was N42.59bn, Oyo was N24.52bn, Plateau was N17.99bn as of Q2, Rivers was N51.96bn (as of Q2), Sokoto was N20.89bn, Taraba was N24.73bn, Yobe was N25.07bn (as of Q2, 2023), and Zamfara was N29.14bn.
Anambra’s non-salary spend was N15.17bn as of the end of Q2, 2023 least among the states, he is yet to borrow 1 Kobo still performing more than them.
I hope the state government will get a seasoned advisor to expand the fiscal space through targeted philanthropy and fundraising for hospitals, public schools, waterworks and roadworks.
For city roads they need to create a roadworks fund raised from both residential and commercial property tax and vehicle tax. Awka and Onitsha have at least 50-100,000 rental units each and more than 20,000 shops. They should be able to raise 5-10b for a road fund per year.
For those willing to tar their roads they should give them the privilege of renaming it after themselves.
IDENNAA: Soludo started very slow but he is picking up the pace and I know by the end of his administration Anambra state will witness a massive change in the areas of road infrastructure. I am more concerned with Onicha and Awka. If he can transform these two cities I will be please because that would have solved about 35% of our road infrastructure headache
They need to do something about Keke, shuttle and buses. Roads are being messed up by these animals. Keke and shuttle operators need to be licensed and subjected to written tests.
Awka and Onitsha should restrict Keke and shuttle to the outskirts.
earthrealm: There are too many unknowns in the case to have a definite cause of fire..
Eg, i received a batch of lfp cells from china, that were improperly packed..and this resulted in one of the cell terminals getting slightly depressed and puncturing the cell...with resultant leakage of few drops of whatever liquid the cell is made up.
However the cell didnt have an obvious damage. A greedy person or seller could have simply wiped off the leakage and used or sold that cell....
That cell when then used to build a pack could be quite unpredictable. So i simply laid it aside...and its gathering dust in my store.
Nb: nobody shud ask me to gift them the cell...cos i won't
One factor they don't talk about with lfp is heat. According to literature it shouldn't be in a place with over 40 degree Celsius. The guy stored it in a metal cabinet in a basement that didn't have ventilation near a boiler.
ChimaAdeoye: Yes, we are saying the same thing. If the traders in these commercial cities are convinced that their taxes are used to fix their roads, hospitals or schools, and they are not stolen or diverted to other towns as it was done in the previous regimes. The traders should reciprocate the good gesture by supporting government through paying taxes.
If these hitherto forgotten and abandoned commercial cities are now being massively rehabilitated and rebuilt, government deserves to be supported in continuing this new developmental strategy that now includes our commercial cities. Not just developing only the state capital while the commercial cities contribute the IGR for it.
Awka has not seen the type of infrastructural development that befits a state capital outside cosmetics. Onitsha till date still has far better and a wider road network than Awka.
So the question is what has ANSG done with it's capex year in and year out.
It is why I think a very different approach is needed. I advocated before for agencies like ACTDA to run the cities totally funded by locally generated tax and state counterpart funding.
If 30 billion is raised from Onitsha by Onitsha Capital Development Agency then let it be spent there. Roads are ancient technology. What you need are competent city managers who live and breath in those cities because they know what and where the problems are.
If we follow this vested approach you would see better and more creative tax collection and utilisation LOCALLY.
ChimaAdeoye: You made a good point about having a tax ID system that also qualifies residents for some social benefits such as free or subsidized ante-natal or other medical services. This is an excellent proposition in a country where proper identification of individuals exists and the people honestly want to pay their taxes to support the overall good of the society. That atmosphere is still very much lacking in our society. The issue of properly identifying people and preventing people from using other people's tax ID numbers to obtain services remains a huge challenge. Perhaps with the NIN or BVN numbers, individuals can be properly identified. However, I still see a lot of room to use other people's NIN or BVN to access services by those who are not paying taxes.
There is still a huge mistrust of government and its institutions, especially in the hitherto neglected commercial cities that were never state capitals. Thus, people in commercial cities resist paying taxes no matter how little. Can you believe that Enugu City (not Enugu STATE) generates more IGR than Aba or Onitsha commercial cities? Meanwhile, Enugu city has just about 20 to 30 percent of the volume of commercial activities in Onitsha or Aba.
The biggest challenge in Anambra and Abia states is that an average trader absolutely hates to pay even one kobo in taxes to the government. This attitude perhaps started in the past when successive governments neglected the commercial urban centers of Aba and Onitsha. Thus, the traders also resolved never to pay any taxes to the government. However in the current dispensation, we have seen these two states begin to pay massive attention to their commercial cities, thus it is time for traders to reciprocate the gesture and begin to pay their fair share of taxes.
Soludo will be one of the greatest Anambra governors if he succeeds in the current effort to rebuild the hitherto forgotten major roads, especially in the commercial cities of Onitsha and Nnewi. This will revitalize the commercial cities and make Anambra an indeed liveable homeland.
The focus on tax without benefits is why people don't pay tax. Tell the Onitsha trader that all tax goes to a pot called Onitsha Roads, another pot called Schools in Onitsha and another called health care centers and public hospitals in Onitsha and watch people pay. That's called bringing govt closer to the people.
Same goes for Awka, you have estates like Udoka, Ngozika with multi million naira homes and rubbish roads. But if you charged every property in those estates a one time road development fee of 2m and an annual road maintenance fee of 100,000 a year then those estates would have befitting roads.
You cannot tax cities to build rural roads or bridges in the middle of nowhere. Tax should stay local. Markets should be taxed to evacuated their rubbish, police the perimeter not taking it from FAAC. Same goes for commercial roads. All shops along those roads should be taxed to clear the gutters then they would not be so filthy
ChimaAdeoye: Hopefully, the anti-touting efforts and other strategies to streamline IGR collection will yield fruit and block the massive leakages in the system. Anambra with the volume of commercial activities in just its key urban centers of Onitsha, Nnewi, Awka, and Ekwulobia should be performing somewhere ranked between Delta and Oyo.
I am glad that efforts made to block obvious leakages of IGR through the removal of touts in IGR collection and increased use of POS payment systems have shown progress. But a lot still needs to be done in this area to capture at least 75% of government revenue.
In this digital era, states are in a haste to setup tax identification systems to tax payers without looking at the other role of government which is SERVICE DELIVERY!
An ID should not just be for tax payments but for social benefits. An Id for a child for example can be used to gift and track subsidized school fees, track immunizations, etc. An ID for a mother can deliver public antenatal care, drugs, etc. For residents it can provide access to subsidized state transport.
An ID system should provide govt not just with a view on IGR but a fine grained view on how public services are delivered.
I want to see charts not on IGR but how much each state spends per resident on education, health, waste collection, on roads, water, etc.
abuzz33: Anambra clamps down on sanitation offenders, seals shops 20th October 2023 OFFICIALS SEALING SHOPS By Ikenna Obianeri Kindly share this story:
He Anambra State Government through Operation Keep Clean and Healthy (Ocha Brigade) has arrested no fewer than 30 street hawkers and shut over 100 shops in the state for environmental offences.
The Managing Director of Ocha Brigade, Mr Celestine Anere, on Thursday, disclosed that the offenders violated hawking and trading laws of the state at the popular Eke Awka market in Awka.
Anere, who led the operation, said the state government would no longer tolerate street traders who blocked roads and shop owners who keep their environment dirty.
He said, “We are here to decongest streets and stop hawkers and traders from blocking access roads. We are tired of begging them not to trade on the main roads.
The state government should be requiring all businesses located along major roads to pay the monthly sanitation fee and then desilt the drains on a monthly basis. There are literally hundreds of shops on Zik Avenue, Oby okoli, club road etc.
They should seize the wheelbarrows of street hawkers since that is what they now use as their shop.
Anambra clamps down on sanitation offenders, seals shops 20th October 2023 OFFICIALS SEALING SHOPS By Ikenna Obianeri Kindly share this story:
He Anambra State Government through Operation Keep Clean and Healthy (Ocha Brigade) has arrested no fewer than 30 street hawkers and shut over 100 shops in the state for environmental offences.
The Managing Director of Ocha Brigade, Mr Celestine Anere, on Thursday, disclosed that the offenders violated hawking and trading laws of the state at the popular Eke Awka market in Awka.
Anere, who led the operation, said the state government would no longer tolerate street traders who blocked roads and shop owners who keep their environment dirty.
He said, “We are here to decongest streets and stop hawkers and traders from blocking access roads. We are tired of begging them not to trade on the main roads.
Jcoleworld911: Awesome!!!! But It would have been more beautiful if the road is dualize and there’s enough space at both sides
Anambra state needs dualize roads, I love the fact that Soludo is dualizing upper iweka flyover down to main market in onitsha Soludo is really trying, I just finished watching the ongoing Ekwulobia flyover/road dualize
I pray he completes all his projects, Anambra will wear a new look then
You cannot dualize Club Road because it is next to the high tension cables.
Soludo is doing remedial work nothing substantive thus far.
Wake me up when he does transformative work such as a ring road connecting Ifite to Mgbakwu or a bridge connecting Amudo Rd to Ifite Rd.
Politics › Re: Update on developments in Anambra state-photos by abuzz33: 1:47am On Mar 04, 2024
. With 3 standard international airports even though they barely get international flights, there is stil hope.