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From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Mr Osita Onuko is Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA). The man who took office last October said his team was on a mission to rebuild Awka, the capital of Anambra State and give it a new look.
Onuko said that gone were the days when people built indiscriminately, even on waterways and got away with it. He said that through the various programmes he had launched, he hoped to make the state capital green, clean and secure and a first choice investment destination in the South East geopolitical zone.
You’ve been in office since October. What exactly did you meet when you assumed office?
Well, I met ACTDA on ground; an ACTDA with staff functioning. Before me, ACTDA has had two other MDs/CEOs – Mike Okonkwo, who spent four years here and Ven. Amaechi Okwuosa who spent another four years. Well, I met ACTDA and it is moving. But then, beyond that, we are taking ACTDA from where we met it to where we envision it to be. And that is why immediately I came in, we launched the various programmes that we think will drive the solution agenda we have in ACTDA. We have a vision to make Awka Capital Territory the first choice investment destination in the South East for investors all over the world. So, whenever anybody wants to talk about the investment destination in the South East, we have a vision to make Awka Capital Territory first choice on their table of preference. So, I think we are doing well in that.
How has it been so far?
We have had an eventful two months. Eventful in the sense that we hit the ground running from day one. First of all, we needed to re-energise the team. So, when I came, I held a one-day capacity building workshop for the staff, so I could prepare them. You know the foundation of all we do in this administration is the solution agenda. We have the agenda to make Anambra a megacity; a liveable and prosperous homeland. And when you’re talking about a liveable and prosperous homeland, the four designated urban areas which are Awka, Nnewi, Onitsha and Ekwulobia must lead the pack. Awka as the state capital must be tops on it. So, we needed to get the team attuned to the vision and mission of the solution agenda. We needed to let the people I met on ground and the new persons I came with align themselves with what we have come here to do. And we did that. We got experts to train them. Then afterwards, we launched the operation zero potholes because the issue we have in the capital territory is the issue of dilapidated roads. Our roads are so bad. We met a road network that was nothing to write home about and we are reviving that. And we did something remarkable; remarkable in the sense that we didn’t wait for the governor to sign off cheques for us to do these things. What we did immediately we came in was to partner with the private sector. We got a substantial amount of money from the private sector; we started fixing the dilapidated roads. We started with Aroma. We did some portions of Aroma; we did that of the secretariat road; did that of Zik’s Avenue. We did lots of work at no expense or cost to the government except the support we received from Prof. Chukwuma Soludo. And again, we launched Operation Green and Clean because ours is to provide an organised, clean, green and secured Awka Capital Territory. These are the four enablers of the five-year vision we have to make Awka Capital Territory the investment destination of the South East. So, we need to organise it. How do we organise it? We have to make sure that structural developments align with the structural laws and policies. People should not build on waterways and roads. Setbacks should be observed while building; the drainages must be covered where they’re open so that they won’t be littered. So, we try to instil a form of consciousness in our people so that whenever there is a need for anyone to go into building new structures or rehabilitating old ones, we make sure that they conform to the extant laws of the land because that is the only way we can shape the society we want. And we have tried our best to do some of these things because one of the ways to make sure that people do these is to enforce these laws. We have identified places where before now there have not been political will to demolish structures that have been wrongly sited. For example, at the new Governor’s Lodge that is ongoing, we demolished about three duplexes, demolished fences, bungalows, gatemen house and so on and so forth. We had to because for years people just go into government lands and start erecting structures; impunity, a reign of impunity. And that’s what we did. We said ‘okay, can we keep here clean?’ That’s when we launched the Operation Clean and Green which is, we get the people to understand that your environment must be clean. You must de-silt your drainage. You must sweep your environment. You must keep your vicinity sparkling clean; and as clean as possible. We started clearing the bushes all over the place. When we came in, the whole of the express road was full of grasses and so on and so forth. But we came in and started clearing them. We said ‘okay, let’s take this one out, that one out; let’s see how we can get this place working again’. That’s why if you go out there you’ll see something different. And again, we have started giving a facelift to our flyovers, the three of them. We are painting them and doing some iconic designs on them; doing some portraits of very distinguished Ndi Anambra that have made the state proud in the various fields of human endeavour. It is ongoing. And some very key roads like the Regina Caeli Road leading to St. Patricks which is a link road to the expressway. We’ve just rehabilitated the road. Currently, we are on the Amaku Road; that is the road leading to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH). Right now, as I am talking to you, we did NITEL Junction Road; we did Ichida Street Road rehabilitation. We did Ifite Awka First Market Road rehabilitation; we did the Central Police Station (CPS) Junction road, police post, we did the rehabilitation. The failed drainage system opposite the Appeal Court, the same High Court Road, we rehabilitated and restored it to normal. We are currently doing the back of Ukwu Oji to Umuogbu. We are doing all these things so that we can give our people a sense of the dividends of democracy. We need people to understand that Solution is here, really. It is not just what we say because we have to say it but what we are doing. We are working the talk. And that is the most important thing. So, we have key projects littered all over the capital territory and we have more in the coming years to come.
In the past, people have levelled allegations of corruption against some staff of the agency, that people settled ACTDA officials and were allowed to erect buildings anyhow. People ignore ACTDA warning signs on buildings and still complete such buildings with no consequences.
Well, I wouldn’t absolve our people from some sharp practices but it’s quite minimal. Under my watch, I think we have totally expunged that. But then, people should understand that the ACTDA marked a building does not mean that it must be demolished. Sometimes, it could be that there was no plan submitted to the ACTDA. So, eventually when they bring their plan we see also that their building is okay; that it conforms to what we would have approved. And then we go ahead and give them approval. So, we do not mark only because it has to be demolished. We mark because they did not submit their plans to the capital territory authority. So we analyse every situation and come to a conclusion on what to do. What is the peculiarity of the matter there? Is it that the plans were not submitted? Or is it that the setbacks were not done? Or is it that they submitted a plan and started building something different from the plan? So, it depends on the peculiarity of the situation at hand. So, it is not a must that a building must be demolished once it is marked by the ACTDA. It does not work that way.
Does Awka Capital Territory have a master plan?
Well, we have a structure plan; the UN Habitat Structure Plan. Our master plan is underway. We are working hard to get that done. I know that before the expiration of the tenure of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, we would have fixed that.
We have a structure plan done by the United Nations Habitat. They came here while Mr Peter Obi was governor and did a marvellous work with the state government. But then, we are looking at having an independent… And of course we had a master plan even before the coming of democracy but as you know, systems and times are changing. So, we are modifying what we have. In fact, the master plan we had before the coming of democracy has failed because you find out that if it was implemented well, what you are seeing today as the capital won’t be this way. So, we are now doing something new. In fact, it started with my predecessors. For us, we are trying to conclude it.
What are you doing to check indiscriminate constructions, like building mortuaries in residential areas?
If you go to some parts of the GRA Agu Awka, you are not supposed to build more than a story building. There are areas that are exclusively residential; you can’t put in any commercial property there. So, but like I told you, we are just trying to evolve from the system of impunity where people disregard the laws and feel that they can get away with anything they do. It is a system that has existed. It won’t go away in a twinkle of an eye but we are working hard. Last two weeks, we demolished a church blocking the road. That is to show you the impunity. Because you feel that you’re a church, you built on the road. We demolished it. Today we cleared the road for public use. Today also we demolished some illegal structures that were sited, defacing the whole environment at Mgbakwu in Awka North. So, we are doing a lot. But then, it’s been years and years of recklessness, impunity. That’s what we have in our hands to amend. We are doing our best. We must commend Governor Chukwuma Soludo who has given us unalloyed support. Like I told someone, I have never had a cause to stop or boycott my job or to shy away from doing my duty because the governor has interest here or there. No, it has never been the case anyway.
Awka North and South are the heart of the Awka Capital Territory. What effort is the government making to correct the mistakes and anomalies it allegedly allowed in Awka South, using Awka North that is largely a virgin land at the moment?
Well, as you can see, the roads the governor just awarded in Awka North are a clear demonstration of that effort because we need to open up the place. You know it is mostly arable areas, agrarian communities. So, we are opening up the local government to give it the attraction it needs for investors to come in. Government does not develop anywhere; it just gives the roadmap of what should be. And one of the ways to get investors is to have access roads and Mr Governor has started well in Awka North by awarding some key roads traversing communities within the local government. Of course, you know that there are more. But then, the things he has done so far are a demonstration of his commitment. Then again, in Awka, the heart of the capital, we are also trying to…in fact, over N6 billion has been released by the governor for some roads within the capital territory. So, we are also trying to reshape the system and give it the perfect touch that it deserves. So, government is making serious efforts to restore the old Awka and also looking at exploring avenues to give Awka Capital Territory a new dimension within the areas that are still available for development, especially, like you said, in Awka North.
What is your plan for this place, the Awka Capital Territory, in the next one year?
In the next one year, I am looking at building a bridge at that Water Board at Aroma. It is going to be a flyover connecting Amaenyi and Ifite so that we can decongest Aroma Junction entirely; so you can traverse the two sides of Awka without coming to the expressway. We are also looking at giving the Regina Caeli Junction a pedestrian bridge so that it can help the people cross the expressway. We have so many people crossing that expressway everyday and it is very risky. It is a disaster waiting to happen. So, we have designed that. In fact, I think in the 2023 budget, Mr Governor has also adopted that. It was integrated in the budget. And we are also looking at the adjoining towns within the capital territory to see some major roads we can just touch; those we can rehabilitate and those we can recommend to the governor to completely construct. So, these are some of the very important things we have in mind to do. And of course to continue with the policies we have already like zero potholes, clean and green, organised Awka Capital Territory; strengthen them and take them to the next level.
