By Ndife David, Onitsha.
The Anambra State Government has intensified its urban renewal campaign with a decisive enforcement exercise that dismantled illegal structures at Onitsha Main Market and other strategic locations across the state, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to restoring order, protecting public infrastructure, enhancing the ease of doing business and creating an environment that inspires investor confidence.
The enforcement operation followed the expiration of repeated statutory notices served on traders, roadside operators and occupants of unauthorized developments that obstructed market entrances, encroached on road setbacks and violated the state’s physical planning regulations. Officials of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, supported by security personnel, carried out the exercise peacefully to ensure compliance while maintaining public order.
Leading the operation at Onitsha Main Market, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Chijioke Ojukwu, explained that the government had exhausted every lawful and humane approach before resorting to demolition.
He noted that affected occupants were repeatedly notified through official letters, public announcements and town criers, giving them ample opportunity to voluntarily remove their goods and structures in line with existing planning regulations.
Ojukwu stressed that the exercise was not intended to punish traders or disrupt legitimate commercial activities but to reclaim public spaces that had been illegally occupied over time.
According to him, illegal structures had significantly narrowed access roads, obstructed free movement within the market and created avoidable safety risks for traders, customers and emergency responders, making government intervention both necessary and unavoidable.
The Commissioner further reaffirmed that Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s administration remains committed to building livable, orderly and economically competitive cities where businesses can thrive without the burden of congestion, environmental degradation and unlawful developments.
He urged residents, developers and traders to respect approved planning standards, obtain all necessary statutory approvals and partner with government in sustaining a clean, organized and investment-friendly Anambra.
At the commercial hub, illegal lock-up shops and roadside structures along New Market Road were dismantled to decongest major traffic corridors, improve accessibility into the market and provide a safer, cleaner and more organized trading environment.
Similar enforcement actions were also carried out at Nkwelle Ezunaka in Oyi Local Government Area and the government-owned Trans Nkisi Phase Two Layout in Onitsha North, where illegal buildings, fences and other unauthorized developments erected without valid allocation documents were removed in accordance with the state’s development control laws.
Speaking on the exercise, the Head of Development Control, Mrs. Ngozi Okwudili, disclosed that investigations revealed that land grabbers had unlawfully taken possession of portions of the government-owned Trans Nkisi Phase Two Layout, displaced genuine allottees and commenced construction without approval.
She said the enforcement became necessary to recover government property, protect legitimate landowners and preserve the integrity of the state’s physical development framework.
President-General of the Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association (AMATA), Chief Humphrey Anuna, commended the state government for taking what he described as a courageous and timely decision to restore sanity to the state’s largest commercial market.
He observed that the proliferation of illegal roadside structures had for years hindered free movement, reduced accessibility and negatively affected the overall trading experience for both traders and customers.
Anuna further expressed confidence that the exercise would significantly improve commercial activities by opening up access roads, reducing congestion and creating a more conducive business environment capable of attracting more customers and investors.
He assured the government of the continued cooperation of the trading community in supporting initiatives aimed at promoting orderliness, safety and sustainable market development.
The Anambra State Government reiterated that its enforcement campaign against illegal developments, encroachment on public spaces and land grabbing would continue across the state without compromise.
It advised prospective landowners and developers to verify land titles, secure statutory approvals and strictly comply with physical planning regulations, assuring residents, traders and investors that the ongoing urban renewal programme is designed to build a safer, more orderly and economically vibrant Anambra where legitimate businesses and investments can flourish sustainably.
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