The old city of Owerri, the Imo State Capital has two attractive streets that also serves as major road roads that are conspicuous. The roads, Douglas and Whetheral are exclusive points where commercial activities hold as a result of concentration of business outfits mini shops, banks, offices and markets.
While Whetheral road starts from Govt House/Okigwe road roundabout to the Emmanuel College/Aba Road Roundabout, Douglas road cuts off from Bank Road and meets Whetheral Road at the Emmanuel College/Aba Road Roundabout. One remarkable feature about the two roads is their dual carriage formation. In the capital city of the state fondly called Eastern Heartland, Douglas and Whetheral roads from the creation of Imo in 1976 are privileged to be dualised before other outlets took same shapes.
To avoid distortion of facts and falling guilty to miscarriage of history, I will relax on how the two roads came to bear a rather unfamiliar name to the cultural heritage of Ndigbo. Available information which may not be a subject of contest is that the names were in recognition of the colonial masters who served as District Officers or Administrators during the British rule in Nigeria. Efforts by previous administrations since Nigeria’s independence to rename Douglas and Whetheral roads with indigenous names met stiff resistance from residents of the state especially people of Owerri Nchi Ise, the land owners of the state capital, who propably have history with the colonial masters names.
Beyond the façade of the rather Eurocentric Douglas and Wetheral Roads names lies the economic lifeline of the state. In Douglas Road where my piece centres on in this edition the famous Eke Ukwu Owerri, the main market of the state capital, otherwise called Ekeonunwa Market is located on the road as well as the New Market at the Emmanuel College end where motor parts and ancillary goods are sold. Also on Douglas Road is Ama Hausa quarters, another hotbed for all kinds of business dealings. More so, the epicenter of commerce in Owerri town is blossomed by high number of offices including commercial banks battling for space on.
Very noticeable on Douglas Road are commercial outlets and window shops complex for various kinds of services to public.
The boisterous nature of Douglas Road coupled with the sea of heads that make the place the heartbeat of Owerri distinguishes the street from other access routes in the state capital.
Before the creation of access roads by successive governments that took charge of Imo, Douglas road remained the only motorable way for people coming from Onitsha, Port Harcourt and Orlu roads moving to either Mbaise/Umuahia or Aba road.
However, the Douglas road, so popular as it has become the most dreaded road/street in the state capital. Arising from several factors, Douglas road has undoubtably become a no-go-area for many private car users because of the incessant traffics gridlock on the road. Except for commercial vehicles and keke operators who have their loading spaces on the ever busy road. Getting across Douglas road with a private vehicle during the day could be suicidal for anybody working on time for a schedule as the fellow may spend a reasonable per cent of his time on the traffic infested road.
Another prominent character of the Douglas road is the presence of uncountable number of roadside shops and cracky stores. From Ama JK Junction, another vital stop over on Douglas Road, an avalanche of street traders appear till Eke Ukwu Market and extend to New Market end including Ama Hausa quarters.
Apart from making pedestrian movements difficult, car park spaces become a major obstacle for a car owner visiting the road for any business and official adventure. The cumbrous nature of Douglas Road creates a feeling of amnesia for willing visitors to visit the street.
Not also left out on Douglas road inglorious sign post is refuse dumps and crime. To justify the number of dirts in Owerri, a visit to Douglas road will showcase the ratio. The median instead of serving the purpose of demarcating the dual carriage functions as centre for waste disposal. You hardly take a walk that is permissible on Douglas road without spotting heaps of waste with its attendant offensive odour.
For some years, I have not stepped my toes on Douglas Road since I am scared stiff to access the street because of trouble-shooting encounters until recent necessity forced me to make a trial. My stress started from the adjoining streets leading to Douglas where I found space to dump my “jalopy” before the “revealing Douglas Great Trek”. Unfortunately, the street I found myself can be said to be worse than Douglas Road because of the frightening human traffic and “push me, I push you” touching body Movement.
My baptism of fire of what to expect started on Ihugba street by Domino Hotels where extension of road side market spreads from Eke Ukwu Market too. While street traders used their wares to block the road, the available space was occupied by commercial motorists as loading bay for passengers going to Emekuku, Naze and Obibiezena in Owerri North LGA. For over 30 minutes, it was standstill for all in one particular spot as truck pushers who ferried goods for people periodically bashed bodies of passers-by on the street. Attempts to move from the Domino Hotels end of the road to adjoining School Road that borders the Eke Ukwu Owerri market before connecting Douglas road was more like crossing the Rubicon. A typical Johny Just Come (JJC) may be stranded without reaching his/her destination as a result of obstacles posed by street traders and overflow of human traffic. I discovered that even pregnant women and heavily built people meandered their ways to escape the near anarchy scenario when I sought for a way out.
What was experienced on Ihugba street was an under statement compared to the shocking details that regularly play out on school road, an opening to Douglas Road. Same applies to Ekeonuwa street where street traders littered the area and made life unbearable for anybody who has business or official engagements on Douglas Road and surrounding streets.
Suffice it to note that Douglas Road and the nearby streets have been witnessing this nightmarish set-up in the past. It is not peculiar to the present administration. It was the administration of Achike Udenwa that commenced the war against street traders and hawkers on streets around Eke Ukwu Owerri Market. The colonization of the roads by street traders was challenged by Udenwa’s Imo State Orientation Agency, ISOA combatant cadets who joined forces with security agencies to wage war against offensive traders. What gave the Udenwa government more worries was the heap of refuse on the median of Douglas Road especially at School road and St. Paul’s Catholic Church spots. The heaps reached an embarrassing crescendo suggesting that those in power had lost the war. However, the coming of Ikedi Ohakim with his Clean and Green revolution ended up achieving one enviable feat in finding solution to the disgusting dirts on Douglas Road. I remember in August 2007, present commissioner for CGC in Ohakim government, Val Mbamala failed Imo State House of Assembly screening for his alleged inability to properly explain reasons why Douglas Road was a mountain of heaps when he acted as Special Adviser Bureau for Environment and sanitation during Udenwa era. Though the Willy Amadi led ENTRACO that was the enforcement unit of the New Face of Imo programme worked tirelessly to uproot street trading in Owerri town especially Douglas Road when Ohakim came in. The effort of the agency could not completely delete the presence of the ubitious traders on the road as well as handle the perennial traffic gridlock. But sanity was restored. To add colour to their presence, ENTRACO came up with the Clean and Green umbrella to not only put rationality but also control their operation.
However, one aspect was obvious; nobody crossed the culvert to the part of the road to display their wares for the purposes of trading with the Clean and Green umbrella. It was part of the restriction that created sanity during that era. Though that action to give Douglas Road a new face and streamline activities of street traders attracted negative reactions to the government of Ohakim. But one fact remains that the popular street rather became attractive to enter and even drive through. Most make shift and unauthorized motor parks that contributed to obstacles were erased thereby creating a free flow of traffic.
Since I have not entered Douglas road in the past four years until recently, I witnessed another shocking chaotic environment. I discovered that the Mbaise Road end is being encroached by petty roadside traders who it can be deduced are not from this part of the state and region as their language indicates they are Hausa speaking.
Even on Douglas Road near First Bank by Edede St, scores of roadside traders have captured part of the road making movement and car parking space cumbersome. From all indications, there is no form of control which forces one to ask what the carton-coloured shirt and black trouser wearing Imo Civil guards are doing on the streets? To a keen observer, Douglas Road may have continued to retain its status of “no man’s land” and a rather “jungle street” with painful lawless trappings.
I must not fail to extend kudos to the Rescue Mission government led by Rochas Okorocha who has also tried to redefine Douglas Road but for unrepentant street traders. In his magnanimous approach, the Okorocha government built new lock-up shops near Relief Market which the previous regimes had also done and asked the hawkers and street traders to move into. After resisting the request, Okorocha who launched a pseudo New Face of Imo programme his government dubbed “Imo my Pride” personally went on hot pursuit of street traders on Douglas roads and environ. But the governor’s action which appeared more comical than the desired effects ended up becoming a flash in the pan exercise as the restless traders did not waste time to resume their normal positions on the road.
Like the previous governments, Rescue Mission seems to have ran short of ideas on how to curb the menace of street traders and ease traffic mayhem on Douglas Road.
After a thorough walk down the road, I became terrified about the dreaded Ebola virus despite the fact that there is no outbreak in Imo which nobody is also praying for. But if the process of infection of the killer disease is to be considered, something should be done about the “touching body” movements on the ever busy major road. Besides, the man-hour spent on the road by vehicle users is in contrast to economic growth considering the strategic position of Douglas Road to Imo people.
The relevant bodies should devise some formula to make Douglas Road more habitable with human face to avoid unwarranted consequences.
