ColumnsHousing & DevelopmentOpinionOPINION: Can Awka Afford Chaotic Urbanization?

Avatar PilotnewsAugust 26, 2021
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The incoming government has a lot of work to do in making Awka a sustainable city, fit for human residence and with every semblance of a modern city.

Only a few years ago, the bulk of the Ifite community which hosts Nnamdi Azikiwe University and the greater part of Agu-Awka, part of where the Government House is situated was largely uninhabited. In fact, different parts of Agu-Awka had only just one house to an entire street and this was just seven to five years ago. Today, the reality has drastically changed. In Ifite for instance, the development is at a pace that is mindboggling. Every facet, even the depths of interiors within that axis have been decorated with beautiful buildings mostly built by private individuals for inhabitation by students. Every other area in Awka is experiencing intense urbanization with building springing up like grass. The once empty stretch of land opposite Ngozika Estate phase 2 is now beaming with light. As of two or three years ago, the plot was still empty.

Today, Dozzy Group and many other developers have turned the place into a new city. Around Ngozika Estate road, once empty plots now host over fifty private and tenant houses. On the club road, there is one neighborhood that once had just a building located right inside –like five years ago. That area now has over twenty buildings fully occupied. When we move to Okpuno area, the story is no different. In fact, that axis hosts a considerable part of the population in Awka, with hundreds of new buildings that are fully occupied. Then Udoka Estate area is nothing different from the rest of the city. Previously empty plots have now been fully developed. In one particular close where there used to be about three buildings like four years ago, today, there are more than fifteen buildings of at least two storey building each on that same close and all the buildings are fully occupied. When you move to Obinagu area, there is a cluster of new buildings numbering may be over one hundred, all built within the last five years. Almost all are tenant buildings of three storeys or more, fully occupied. Amawbia is not particularly different as new houses have remarkably doted nooks and crannies of the area.

The city is too small to contain any form of urban pressure similar or in any way comparable to what is obtained in Lagos.

It is important to make the above observations because, while it is obviously clear that Awka, the Anambra state capital has undergone a major shift, it is not clear what the government is doing or if the government is aware of what this intense expansion means for the state capital in no distant time. The reality is that Awka is getting filled up. Even with a lot of new opportunities, yet, the city is unable to carry the current pressure and demand on it by thousands of new residents. Awka residents must have observed that in the last few months, there has been increased traffic. Once there is any form of disruption on the major road, the entire city is at a standstill. Motorists use both sides of the lane on dual carriageway (both going and coming) in their bid to maneuver the situation, but that only leads to more chaos. Commuters connecting Onitsha or its environs, and those connecting Enugu or environs are usually trapped as they are unable to access Amawbia bridge, for those heading to Onitsha, and Aroma bridge for those heading to Enugu, from where they can safely continue with their journey. The condition is so bad that if there is an accident or any form of disruption that prevents free flow of traffic on the main express for five minutes, the entire city is thrown into chaos. Worst is, apart from being a centre point that is mostly unavoidable by commuters going to either Enugu or environs and Onitsha and environs, Awka is virtually divided into two major parts by the expressway and what it means is that residents are as well trapped in the chaos.

The reality is that Awka is getting filled up. Even with a lot of new opportunities, yet, the city is unable to carry the current pressure and demand on it by thousands of new residents.

Those living around Udoka cannot access their homes without Kwata Junction, a major traffic jam hotspot. The alternative which does not look good will be taking the bridge to get to Amawbia Junction before turning to join the other lane. But that is even worse most times because Awamabia is also a traffic jam hotspot, except to head towards Onitsha and then make a turn to the other lane and return to Awka on the other lane, then taking the Amawbia bridge to escape traffic and safely return home. In other words, residents of Awka will have to travel all the way to Njikoka or Dunukofia local government to be able to make a turn and join the other lane so that they can get to their homes in Awka. I have in the past week taken that option as the only viable alternative. What this simply means is that the entire city needs to be redesigned. The road networks and linkages deserve to be revisited. In fact the situation is made worse by bad roads. It is possible to connect to Amansea in Awka north local government and Ugwuoba in Enugu state, from Ifite. But the road has completely failed. Also because heavy vehicles cannot make use of the bridge and simply continue their journey without interfacing with residents’ movements within the city, it has worsened the situation. What this means again is that thousands of residents have to struggle on the same road with commuters who have no business whatsoever with the city and otherwise would take the bridge and keep moving.

But even beyond those, what measures are in place to contain possible increase in crime and vices as a natural consequence of urbanization? A casual observation of Awka demographic shows that most of these new residents are largely young people, some of whom were employed in the Anambra state civil service in 2014. Some are young school-leavers who have settled in the city. By far, many residents of Awka are young people. Some are people who relocated from northern parts of the country owing to the increased insecurity in that region. Among the residents are also a considerable number of northerners and also south-westerners. Hundreds if not up to a thousand northerners live around Amansea in Awka north, but bother town to the capital city, and around Eke Awka, a popular market in Awka, where they sell livestock (in Amansea) and engage in other businesses (at Eke Awka). Has this demographic been properly considered for adequate planning and for the safety of all residents? Observers will tell that there has also been increased waste at dumpsites around the city. Dumpsites are filled to the brim and usually occupy in some cases, a considerable portion of the intra-city roads. Flooding has equally increased; apparently, many buildings are standing on water channels. The greatest worry now is, what model of a city will Awka be in the next five or seven years?

Obviously, the government may not even have been paying attention to these developments. But one thing is certain, Awka cannot afford, contain or even manage the pressures of urban expansion it is undergoing at present. The city is too small to contain any form of urban pressure similar or in any way comparable to what is obtained in Lagos. This should not take the government by surprise in the coming years when, if the current structure is left to continue to manage the new reality, the city will collapse.

The incoming government has a lot of work to do in making Awka a sustainable city, fit for human residence and with every semblance of a modern city. Every correction that needs to be made can still be made and everything that needs to be undone can still be undone now to reverse impending chaos in the near future, even though now with us.

♦ Ebuka Onyekwelu, strategic governance exponent,  is a columnist with the WAP

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