Soludo intensifies demolition of marked buildings in  Anambra

The government taskforce equipped with bulldozers, descended on the properties along Pineapple market (Ogbo Pineapple) Woliwo and Silas Works waterways, Fegge Onitsha.

Although, the demolition exercise started on a controversial note with assault on Onitsha based cleric, Prophet Chukwemeka Ohanemere, (a.k.a.Odumeje) by some overzealous task force officials,  good number of residents have backed the initiative by the governor.

Nwamaka Okafor, an Onitsha based estate agent while reacting said that it would be better for the landlords of the affected houses to feel the pains of losing part or all their entire building than to allow the whole city collapse someday due to blocked channels.

“This is a welcomed development as far as we are concerned. We have waited for so long for a government to take decisive action to clear Fegge and other areas of Onitsha of illegal structures that have put the entire city on danger. Even the landlords and tenants knew that these structures were causing harm to the environment but they kept quiet.”

“I request that they should not spare anybody until the entire city is restored. Similar measures should be taken at Awka and other cities across the state. Estate developers must realize that building houses in the wrong place is a big danger to society. Kudos to the government”, she stated.

Another resident, Mr Marcel Ofor, a trader, lamented that blockage of drainage channels during the rainy season caused flood water to pass through wrong channels thereby destroying people’s life and property.

“One of the reasons many people are having sleepless nights during rainy season is because of constant flooding caused by blockage of drainage channels in Onitsha. It’s a dream come through for us that Governor Soludo has decided to clear the channels. Governor Willie Obiano tried it but he didn’t succeed. Our prayer is that Soludo will complete what he has started”he said.

Mrs Catherine Aniedo, a teacher, on her part, commended the state government and tasked them on being relentless in the fight to reclaim the Anambra space.

“Soludo should harden his heart if he truly wants to deliver Onitsha from this illegal structures. Successive administrators tried and did not succeed because of lack of political will. History will be kind to him if he gets things right,” She stressed.

Mr Peter Orji, however urged the citizens to back the initiative adding, “I have listened to a lot of people talking about the issue of Odumeje and the demolition of structures along the canal route in Fegge, Onitsha. What everyone is condemning is the manhandling of Odumeje”.

”I think I stand with that. Pushing and beating him is completely wrong. No matter whatever he did at the site. If it will take the work to pause a bit it had to. He can’t stop the work”.

He urged the task force to be more professional in their work stating that, “those going to the site for demolition ought to have been given brief instruction on how to handle such situations incase it rises. Everyone on site can’t be talking and acting at the same time,” he posited. END.