I visited Calabar, Cross River State last week, but was angry with myself. I was pained with the present state of Owerri, the capital city of Imo state after seeing Calabar.
In Calabar, I saw an organized city, populated by neat and disciplined inhabitants. It looked as if I was in another country, not a state capital just some kilometers away from Imo state.
Everything is working in Calabar. The roads are all tarred, Traffic lights functioning and obeyed to the letter, no illegal motor parks, streets well-swept, pedestrians using the path-ways, which are covered with big trees, grasses well mowed, people sitting inside gardens reading Books; Everybody seem to know his or her role, and are playing it perfectly well in Calabar.
For the three days I spent there, I did not see one Police man on the streets, except those manning the Federal high ways. No Traffic Wardens. Rather than enjoy the beautiful environment, my thoughts were back home in Owerri, to the extent that my wife wondered if it had not been better I stayed back in Owerri, than coming to Calabar at all. I was really worried.
In Calabar, oh! Calabar, I remembered Owerri of three years ago, before it became the present ugly sight. Today, Owerri is a pig sty, dirty and lost. If you traveled to palaces like Calabar and return to Owerri, you will recognize that Owerri, our dear Owerri, is gradually disappearing. Why did Owerri come to this disappointing scenario?
If you speak to Taxi Drivers, Newspaper vendors, Hotel receptionists etc they will tell you without mincing words that it was Chief Donald Duke, the Governor of Cross River state between 1999 to 2007 that started the “revolution” in Calabar Town.
They will also tell you that his successor, Liyel Imoke cannot hold a candle on Duke, although they said Imoke is doing his bit, according to his own capacity as Governor.
How is Calabar this beautiful and organized? The answer I got is that there was a well-planned methodology, designed by egg heads, which was handed over to Duke to execute, and should be followed by his successors, until seen to its conclusion, and then Calabar would have become our own Las Vegas in Nigeria.
That is what consistency of policy and continuity in administration can do a state and its people.
Today, neighbouring LGAs close to the Calabar like Odukpani have automatically joined Calabar town in its urban expansion. Villages like Ugep are today big towns. For this, Calabar City is now large for the numerous tourists that pour into the city everyday.
Cross River has found what it has comparative advantage in, which is Tourism, and is focusing on it, and the state is not regretting it at all.
You turn to their close neighbor state, Akwa Ibom, the same “revolution” is going on there. I “accidentally” visited Uyo the other day when Aero contractors and Arik Air were on strike over FAAN taxes, and I had to travel all the way to Uyo to Board Dana Airways flight to Abuja.
When I arrived Uyo, I was confused as I could not recognize all the old places I used to know in the town where I did my first-degree.
My Uyo, where I spent nearly six years to graduate following the Bababangida and Abacha strikes. I could not recognize one street in Uyo. Not even Ikpa Street near the University where we eat Beans and Plantain, not Barracks road we saw then as the best street in Uyo. Not even Oron road.
Flyovers everywhere. So, what is happening to Imo state; Owerri in particular? This change I saw in Uyo did not take more than 15 years!
The reasons Owerri is lagging behind in development is many. Procrastination, vengeance, none challant attitude, and lack of foresight by Imo state Governors since1999.
None of the Governors has the boldness to embark on wholesome revolution to change Owerri for the better.
We dwell in our delusion that Owerri is growing, but a visit to neighouring state capitals, including Asaba in Delta, will convince you with the stark reality that what we call development in Owerri is a piece-meal attempt by the past Governors to hook wink those living in the City to believe that some thing is happening.
Okuku Seku of Ghana sang in one of his ever green songs that “Land Lord travel and see”. Owerri indigenes and inhabitants need to travel and see that our Owerri has remained a glorified village, since the present democratic dimension, while all other neighbouring state capitals continue to develop and expand.
Today, all that is Owerri is Okigwe and Wethral Roads. Douglas road is gone, hijacked by chaos and mayhem as exhibited by traders and illegal motor parks which have taken over one of the major and oldest roads in Imo state.
Owerri has a Master-Plan designed by one of the best surveyors and estate valuers in the world. But the Governors are scared of taking the bull by the horn and implement the Master-Plan gradually through a succession of administrations. But what do we get?
Each Governor comes in, replaces the street lights at Wethral and Okigwe roads, re-tar the roads and paint the medians. Demolish the Government House and erect another. And that is it for four or eight year tenure. Is that the implementation of the Master-Plan left by inimitable Ndubuisi Kanu?
Another Governor comes and does the same thing, and the beat goes on. Owerri is large and can be turned into a mega city if the will is there. Agbala, Naze, Uratta, Orji, Avu, Nekede, Irette, Mbieri, Emekuku and other surrounding communities are all part of Owerri Capital City.
Why then are we running-around Bank road, Okigwe and Wethral roads as if the work has even been started, talkless of done with.
The Onisha Industrial Layout is part of Owerri.
It can serve a lot of purposes if fully developed. Nothing has been done on that area. It is surprising that since 1999, all the roads in Owerri Municipality have not been tarred yet. From Aladinma to World Bank, Egbeada to Ikenegbu, Trans Egbu to Relief Market extension, bad roads stare you in the face.
Apart from Dr Sam Mbakwe, no other Governor has made real impact in the development of Owerri. It was Mbakwe who realized Ikenegbu Layout. And since then no other Estate has been established by any other administration except Udenwa, who located a housing estate at the middle of a forest along Port Harcourt road, out skirts of the town.
Mbakwe cleaned the tears in the eyes of Owerri people with Ikenegbu Estate, which expanded the city. Also the Aladinma Estate and what we call Prefab.
Before, Commissioners lived at Shell Camp Quarters, which was the “highest” estate when we were all growing up in Owerri.
I can’t remember how many roads Udenwa tarred in Owerri City for the eight years he was in office. But he constructed more rural roads. He also established the elite Estate in New Owerri. But unfortunately, Udenwa did not believe that a good environment was an integral part of urban development.
Therefore, for the eight years he spent in office, not a single tone of dirt was evacuated from the Capital City. Imo people literally slept on top of refuse for eight years.
This abnormally was the focus of his predecessor, Dr Ikedi Ohakim whose major policy was environmental beautification, even though he did not tar much roads which could expand Owerri City. Although he completed Yaradua Boulevard, one of the best roads in New Owerri. Ohakim also dwelt mush on rural roads, which he called interconnectivity high way, which has remained abandoned since his administration was removed from office.
However, Ohakim’s urban renewal suited what one saw in Calabar, because Owerri during that era regained it’s status as the cleanest city in Nigeria, just as it was during the Mbakwe regime through the magic of SULO.
Fact be stated, Governor Rochas Okorocha has tarred a lot of roads in Owerri, but he still has the phobia of expanding the city, by still concentrating structures at the usual Bank road and Government House axis, instead of braving it and move to New Owerri for redirection of development and population from the old Owerri to New Owerri.
But unfortunately, Okorocha is embarking on this urban renewal without any iota of environmental sanitation backing his developmental policies.
Owerri is today one of the dirtiest cities in Nigeria.
It gained this notorious reputation just after three years the city regained its glory as one of the cleanest in Nigeria.
Imo people have pleaded with Governor Okorocha to resume the monthly clean up exercise initiated by the previous administration to no avail. Many said he is against the programme simply because it was initiated by another Government, despite its success in Imo.
Today, illegal parks are every where in Owerri, and the citizens have all lost the environmental discipline instilled in them by the past administration. In Owerri of today, vulcanizers, Wielders, Carpenters, Vehicle sellers, etc have all deserted their original former designated areas and are now back into the city, with its crime implications.
Beggars and mad people are every where. There is a particular beggar who lives right at the round about opposite Government House with her children. They wash and spread their cloths on the road in broad day light. Nobody bothers about the bad image such public menace attract to Imo state and Owerri City.
All the Hawkers chased away from Asaba. Uyo, Calabar, Port Harcourt and Umuahia have relocated to Owerri, where they have a free reign, and litter the town with left-overs from their wares.
And again, the various uncompleted roads and roundabouts by the Okorocha administration have worsened the environmental situation of Owerri city.
Much as I commend Okorocha for the various roads under construction, but policies are implemented to produce results and create benefits for the poor masses, not for grandstanding.
Therefore, what would it benefit Imo state if the Government embarks on construction of all roads at the same time yet none can be said to have been completed and commissioned after three years?.
For instance, all the major roads in Owerri; Orlu road round-about, Akwakuma fly-over round-about, IMSU round-about, Emmanuel College round-about have all remained uncompleted for years now, yet other new projects are just being started. Like the bridge being constructed by direct labour at Nwaorie River now.
What I am saying is that it would have been better for Owelle Okorocha and Imo people to finish the strategic roads and their roundabouts, get them done with so that Imo people can record those ones as completed. The major roads under construction for nearly three years now, with its attendant sufferings on motorists is not good for Owerri and its visitors.
A friend of mine, Chief Aductus Onuoha, a die-hard follower of Okorocha told me that all the projects would be completed, as what Okorocha is doing now is construction; construction; construction;. According to Onuoha, the time will come for “commission, commission, commission”.
But I known that all over the world, even in families, responsibilities are taken one after the other, so that you tick each one done. Was it not Economists that developed the theory of scale of Preference and Opportunity Cost, where you chose items one after the other, than take all and achieve nothing?.
Having said that, Imo people should tell their next Governor, be it Okorocha or any other person, that Owerri has gone beyond Okigwe and Wethral roads. Heavens will not fall if Imo Government House is relocated to its permanent site at New Owerri, which will decongest the old Owerri, as the crowd that troop to Douglas House everyday can now move to new Owerri, which will also lead to rapid expansion and development of entire Owerri.
Also, every Governor should go through the policy of his predecessor and continue with those accepted by the masses, fine-tune them and continue the work.
If you go to Fire Service Police Station gate, all the trees that took the state years to plant and nurture have been cut down. Why?
Trees are important to Ecosystem. Have you visited Kano, Kaduna or Zaria before? When I was in Zaria, I trek from Tuduwada to Wusasa (General Gowon’s home) by foot. A distance of about four kilometers. You don’t feel it because you walk under big trees planted by Ahmadu Bello. This was what I saw in Calabar.
If we throw away politics of vengeance, pride and ego in Imo we can still reclaim Owerri. If we follow good plans initiated by our predecessors despite who he or she is, we will reclaim Owerri. If Okorocha’s free education is working, it will be stupid for his successor to drop it. It does not matter if he does not like Okorocha’s face, what matters is Imo people.
In Akwa Ibom, nearly all Governor Godson Akpabio is doing was initiated by his predecessor Obong Victor Atta, a renowned Architect. And Akpabio is today taking the glory for bringing them to fruition.
Governor Raji Fashola of Lagos is following the good foot steps of his predecessor, Bola Tinubu, and Lagos is the better for it.
Liyel Imoke is pursuing the “road-map” left behind by Donald Duke and Calabar is glimming.
In Imo state, we throw the Baby away with the bath water because of politics of personal ego, than for the good of the masses.
These are the things militating against the expansion of Owerri. Ndubuis Kanu left us with Owerri Master-Plan, yet we are chasing shadow. For how long will this politics of destroy your predecessor, and non continuity in Imo last? Anyway, Calabar cheerio! For now.
