By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has extended his administration’s commitment to urban renewal to Nnewi, a key commercial and industrial city in Anambra State. During a visit by the governor with his team members to Nnewi on Wednesday, which lasted for nearly two hours, he assured that his administration has turned its gaze on Nnewi to ensure that the town gets the needed facelift befitting of its status as a city in Anambra State. The governor was received by the Nnewi North local government chairman, Hon. Echezona Anazodo, who was joined by the local government chairmen of Nnewi South and Ekwusigo, Hon. Van George Ezeogidi and Hon. Chimezie Obi, respectively.
Governor Soludo, who visited four different locations for an on-the-spot assessment of the sites before concluding suitable projects for each of the locations, assured that Nnewi will be prepared for the future under his watch. The first point of call for the governor was the Nnewi roundabout, where the former governor, Mr. Peter Obi, had commenced a building structure for a mall, but was later abandoned and left for nearly a decade and half. Governor Soludo, while on this location, took his time to tour the entire space and assured that his government will give Nnewi a deserved facelift and convert the abandoned project into something viable and of public interest within the lifeline of his administration. From there, the governor proceeded to the Nnewi post office, where he also inspected the surroundings. Thereafter, he walked to the roundabout to take a full view of the surroundings. Standing on the Nnewi roundabout, the governor observed that Nnewi needs to expand and prepare for the future if it is to maintain its status as a city. “Nnewi has grown, and we are going to bring life into it,” he pledged.
The Government of Anambra State, under Governor Soludo, intends to build a central intra and inter motor park, as well as an open arena with greenery and an ambiance for relaxation in Nnewi. Commenting on this vision, the Governor said that “Nnewi must have an area, an open arena that is conceived for leisure and relaxation. If you don’t have it in any place, it is not a city,” Governor Soludo said.
Governor Soludo also visited a government property along Eme Court road in Nnewi, one of the places being considered for an urban renewal project that will uplift the city status of Nnewi. Speaking briefly at the location, Governor Soludo said that “Nnewi needs something like Ekwueme Square in Awka.” This, the governor emphasized, is because “There are basic things you see before you call a place an urban centre”. The governor also noted that urban renewal is tough work to do because it involves demolition. “We are intentional about our cities. Urban regeneration is a tough thing to do. That’s why I started in Ekwulobia, where more than 500 houses and 14 petrol stations, including a shrine, were demolished. In Isuofia, they said the shrine said Isuofia would rather go instead of going. But we did it. We did that for the Anambra of the next generation,” Professor Soludo said.
Finally, the governor equally visited an expanse of land between Umudim Nnewi and Ukpor, formerly earmarked for an estate project, where he concluded his over an hour tour of Nnewi. In his further remarks, Soludo noted that the government ought to have planned for the future of Nnewi long ago. “What we are doing now ought to have happened 60 years ago. We are regenerating. We are rescuing our cities. In the next 10 years, we are expecting about 35 million people in this place,” Soludo said, reiterating the need to plan for the future.
Governor Soludo’s visit underscores a significant and deliberate effort to match his urban renewal vision in Nnewi with what is on the ground in the commercial city. With the assessment concluded, various extensive urban renewal projects are expected to commence soon.
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