Awka
Anambra State is to complete the abandoned state’s Government House within 18 months.
It was the first Military Administrator of the State, Navy Captain Joseph Abulu, that acquired structures and premises housing the then Anambra State College of Education, Awka, as a temporary government administrative office.
The premises were before the advent of the College of Education used as a worksyard (camp) of Lodijiana Road Construction Company, the company that constructed Enugu-Awka-Onitsha Express Way.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo in the company of the State Commissioner for Housing Mr Pauly Onyeka, had recently visited the site of the Government House which will also house apartments for the governor, the deputy governor and the Secretary to the State Government.
But in a post-exco briefing on Thursday, the Commissioner for Information, Paul Nwosu, said the Anambra State Executive Council ( ANSEC) had resolved to complete the abandoned state’s Government House in 18 months at the cost of N6.088bn.
Nwosu said,” The memo on the abandoned government house and 25 other peripheral structures were presented by the Commissioner for Housing and considered by ANSEC. The project which will cost N6.088 billion and completed within 18 months was approved by ANSEC.
“Also endorsed for construction are gate houses, police posts, perimeter fence measuring 2.22 linear kilometers and other internal works such as drive ways, parking areas, walk ways, drainages, water supplies, green area, etc. All of these will be complete at the cost of N1.317 billion and delivered in 9 months.”
The Commissioner further said, ANSEC frowned at the frequent cases of youths’ incursions into the lands of people who had appropriate government titles, adding, “This is illegal and can no longer be tolerated.
“ANSEC has therefore directed relevant law enforcement agencies to immediately arrest such errant youths and prosecute them according to the law.
“Section 6, sub section (1) of the Prohibition of Fraudulent Practices on Land and Property law of 2012 prohibits illegal collection of fees on lands as follows: ‘Any person who demands or collects any fee not approved by law from any person who is developing or improving on an already existed property in the State shall be guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for five years or to a fine of five hundred thousand naira or both.”
Nwosu said efforts to rid roads and streets’ corners in the state of refuse had started yielding some results, stating that Government had therefore urged households and the general public to desist from indiscriminate refuse disposal.
He said Anambra State Waste Management Agency (ASWAMA) is gradually transiting to door-to-door refuse collection and anybody found disposing refuse at unauthorized locations will be promptly sanctioned.
The Commissioner also said in fulfilment of Governor Soludo’s campaign promise to immediately commence the urban regeneration of Okpoko slum in Ogbaru Local Government Area, ANSEC approved the rehabilitation of 9 roads in Okpoko measuring 14.053 kilometers with dual carriage, reinforced concrete media and sidewalks on both sides.
The roads, he noted, will cost N4 billion and will be completed in 12 months.
He continued; “ANSEC also approved the full scale desilting and dredging of 62,034 cubic metres of Nwangene drainage which has been a source of nightmare to road users. The project which will cost N241,439,316.29, is going to completed in 3 months .
“The rehabilitation of the failed carriage way and embankment at Mmili John section of Oba-Ojoto road and the dredging of Mmili John was equally approved by ANSEC. The work will cost N61,494,541.88 and is expected to be completed in 6 weeks.
“It came to the attention of ANSEC that some unscrupulous elements are selling parts of Mamu Forest Reserve. Government is poised to arrest and prosecute all those that are culpable in these unlawful land transactions.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Mamu Forest Reserve is not for sale and any property developer or member of the public who allows him/herself to be lured into purchasing parcel(s) of land there will have him/herself to blame.
“To further improve the quality of health care delivery in the State, government through the Ministry of Health placed a vacancy advert two months ago for medical consultants and officers, pharmacists, nurses, radiographers, medical laboratory scientists and technicians. ANSEC directed the Commissioner for Health to interview the 4,400 applicants who applied for the jobs so that they would be immediately employed and deployed to our health care facilities.”
