Soludo promises compensation for residents affected by Nnobi demolition

The Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has promised to compensate all persons whose residential buildings were demolished during the ongoing widening of Afor Nnobi roundabout in Idemili South LGA of the state.

The governor also directed the Commissioner for Works, Arc. Okey Ezeobi, to facilitate the construction of beneficial accommodation and subsequent relocation of three persons whose residential homes were demolished.

This was disclosed during a meeting between the governor, Nnobi traditional ruler, Igwe Nick Obi, and stakeholders of the town at the Light House, Awka, on Wednesday, September 16.

The meeting may be connected to the public outcry and condemnation by traders, local indigenes, and activists over the destruction of properties and sources of livelihood during the demolition.

What he is saying

Soludo said the demolition and subsequent construction work were meant to widen the Afor Nnobi roundabout into a five-lane junction, so that the gridlocks previously associated with the junction, especially during festive seasons, would become a thing of the past.

While enumerating the benefits of the ongoing reconstruction, the governor said he had the interests of Anambra and Nnobi people at heart, adding that those badly affected by the exercise would not be abandoned.

• Soludo directed the Commissioner for Works to facilitate the construction of beneficial accommodation and relocation of three persons whose residential homes were demolished.
• He also told his visitors to ensure that the new site for the construction of an ultramodern Afor Nnobi market was ready within a couple of days, so that construction and subsequent relocation of traders could begin as soon as possible.
• The governor said the government would not sit back and watch people affected by the demolition exercise roam about without any means of livelihood.
• “Nnobi is personal to me. I want your community to become one of the best in Anambra State,” Soludo said.

Soludo suggested that delaying the demolition exercise for another 10 to 20 years could affect more properties, as further development may have taken place by then.

More insight

Earlier, the President General of Nnobi Town Union, Chief Sir Alloy Olubialu, said the purpose of the meeting was to allow Nnobi stakeholders and the Anambra State Government to discuss the relocation of Afor Nnobi market to a new site, as well as possible compensation for people whose houses and means of livelihood were affected by the demolition.

He said the community came to present the people’s predicament to the governor and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to do so.

• High Chief Hamilton Ezeonu, a major stakeholder in Nnobi community, said he was particularly moved to seek an audience with the governor because many traders and residents had been displaced by the ongoing road reconstruction.
• “My people have been feeling horrible since most of them were displaced as a result of the ongoing road construction work at Afor Nnobi roundabout. When I heard about the development, I could not sleep, because everything about Nnobi is very personal to me. This is why, Your Excellency, I took it upon myself to contact you, so that our people can lay our anxieties before him.”
• Ezeonu pleaded with the governor to ensure that the project moves as fast as possible to facilitate the timely relocation and compensation of affected persons.
• He also assured the governor of continued support from the Nnobi people, saying that the governor has laudable intentions for the community.

Ezeonu thanked the traditional ruler and the President General for their harmonious cooperation, which he said had helped the town move forward and enabled the people to live in peace.

What you should know

Nairametrics had earlier published an article in which a prominent son of Nnobi, Obinna Ufudo, condemned the destruction of the Afor Nnobi market, saying that silence on the development could become complicity.

He said he watched with disbelief as the economic nerve centre of his hometown was demolished in the name of development, first with the destruction of a significant portion of the market and adjoining properties for road dualisation, and now with the destruction of the market for a proposed flyover at Nnobi Junction.

• Ufudo stated that Afor Nnobi was not simply a collection of stalls standing inconveniently in the path of a government project, but an ancient institution that is well over a century old and has for generations been the commercial heart of the town.
• He noted that farmers, traders, artisans, transporters, and surrounding property owners all depend on the economic ecosystem it sustains.
• He added that generations of families had built their livelihoods around the market.

The latest meeting brings compensation and the relocation of affected residents and traders into discussions surrounding the ongoing reconstruction of Afor Nnobi roundabout and market.