TheCable

Since the creation of Anambra State from the old Anambra which had Enugu as its capital, Awka has struggled to attain the status of a befitting capital city. At creation, in August 1991, Awka was virtually left with nothing as most of the public institutions – i.e. university, airport, prisons, etc. – had to remain in Enugu, the capital of the old Anambra State and now the capital of Enugu State.

The journey to build Awka has not been easy. Past leaders in the state right from the first military administrator, Commodore Joseph Abulu, and the first civilian governor, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, all did their best. But it is not easy to build a capital city from the scratch.

As at 2014, Awka had only 2 major roads: the dual carriage Zik Avenue (which is the old Enugu-Onitsha Road) and the Enugu – Onitsha Expressway (note: this is a federal road). Besides these roads, other roads were mere link roads and streets. The capital city was primarily limited to the Enugu – Onitsha Expressway.

Apart from the current Government Lodge, Police Command, DSS Office, Prisons Headquarters and a few other offices located in Amawbia, all other Government offices are on the Enugu – Onitsha Expressway. Here are the government institutions located on the Enugu – Onitsha Expressway: the current Government House, Women Development Center, Central Bank, Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), Anambra Housing Corporation, ANSIPPA, ACTDA, Water Corporation, State Library, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC).

Sadly, this Enugu – Onitsha Expressway has been under construction for ages. Perhaps this had led many commentators to refer to Awka as a ‘glorified village’ in the past. But this will no longer be the case in the coming years. It is a new dawn for Awka – it will likely be the fastest growing Nigerian city in the coming years.

With the massive ongoing infrastructural development in Awka, the Governor Chukwuma Soludo-led administration is determined to transform Awka.

Governor Soludo is building on the solid foundation laid by former Governor Willie Obiano who built three flyovers on the Enugu – Onitsha Expressway in 2016. Despite been criticized at that time by some uninformed commentators for spending money on a federal road, it is hard to imagine what Awka would have been without these three flyovers located at Aroma, Kwata Junction and Amawbia Junction. Chief Willie Obiano also set up the Awka Capital Development Authority (ACTDA) with the mandate to prepare a masterplan, coordinate building developments, provide infrastructural services and accelerate development in the Awka Capital Territory (which includes communities such as Agulu, Nise, Nibo, Enugwu Agidi, Magbakwu, Amansee and others).

The airport and the International Conference Center built by the Willie Obiano-led administration are enablers for the current ongoing transformation in Awka.

In 2022, when governor Soludo assumed office, there was a road crisis in Awka. For example, the popular Abakaliki Street, known as the Club Road, which is the hub of night life and social activities in the city was in despair. There were no roads leading to some of the biggest shopping malls in the city (Roban Stores and Everyday Supermarket). Now, think of the state of other roads in Awka when Governor Soludo assumed office if major roads leading to commercial districts were in despair.

Today, residents of Awka are glad that there is a seismic shift in the road infrastructure in the city. Visitors to Awka would not recognize the following roads which had been in a state of despair before the coming of the Soludo-led administration: Club Road; Roban Stores Road; Regina Caeli to Y-Junction; Millenium Industry – INEC – Ekwueme Square and Unizik Temp Site – Okpuno – Isuaniocha Junction, Chukwudifu Street and PPSSC – NECO office Road. There are numerous road projects at advanced stages within the Awka metropolis, especially in areas that were hitherto inundated by floods and massive gullies.

Take the new Government House and Lodge Complex for example, which is currently being built by Governor Soludo in the Ekwueme Square axis of Awka. The site of this New Government House and Lodge Complex was almost washed away by gully erosion and had been almost taken over by hoodlums and land grabbers. Today, Governor Soludo is building a befitting Government House and Lodge for Anambra. This new complex would be the greenest and most environmentally friendly government house in Nigeria. (Currently, the existing Government House is on a makeshift site that was used during the construction of the Enugu -Onitsha Expressway in the 70s and the current Government Lodge is in another town –miles away – from the current Government House).

In the bid to make Awka a destination for tourists, a state-of -the-art Water Park and Amusement Park would be coming up within the year. The construction of this facility is at an advanced stage. This facility will not only make Awka a place to have fun, it will grow the GDP of Awka.

The piling works for Awka’s 10 -story 5-star hotel is about to commence as the state’s executive council has approved the contract. The plan is to make Awka a preferred destination for world leaders and high-net worth individuals. Imagine the role the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, the iconic flagship hotel of Transcorp Hotels Plc, plays in Abuja. (The Transcorp Hilton Abuja regularly hosts world leaders and is the only hotel in Africa that has hosted 50 presidents in one day). The Awka of Soludo’s dream is a city that can host world leaders, just as the Transcorp Hilton Abuja does.

One of the surest ways to grow an economy is to make it an interesting destination for people to visit. Dubai in the United Arabs Emirates (UAE) is a perfect example of this model. The dream is to make Awka a preferred destination for tourists in Nigeria. In the coming years, it is envisaged that Awka would have the infrastructure to host world leaders.

In addition to the hundreds of kilometers of roads already constructed in the Awka metropolis, major road dualization projects are underway in Awka in order to open up access to the proposed Awka 5 -star hotel and other facilities.

There are tens of private sector-led initiatives that the Governor Soludo- led administration has provided the enabling environment for them to flourish in Awka. These industries range from manufacturing, real estate to service industries. It is important to note that the proposed Amusement Park and 5-star hotel – which the government is currently investing in in order to catalyze the economy of Awka – will be operated by the private sector in order to achieve the desired multiplier effect.

Apart from all these, there is another grand plan for Awka. The design of a new city at the suburb of Awka is almost complete. The new Awka city will not only be smart, it will also be green and well-planned. The city will sit on 3,000 hectares of land. In the coming months, the Governor Soludo-led administration intends to construct common facilities in this new city in order to spur investments from private sector developers.

Obviously, we will not have an Awka of our dream without a private sector-led electricity market. In the coming weeks and months, the Anambra Electricity Law and Policy would be unveiled. This will catalyze power infrastructure in Awka.

Security, law and order are being restored in the state’s capital. Today, major commercial centres and markets, such as Eke Awka, are well organized.

Here is one word for those who cannot envisage the big dream and vision for Awka: Peoples mindset and attitude could enable or limit them from achieving their God given potentials. Why can the Southeast not be the fastest growing region in Nigeria? The future of the Southeast is in our hands.

Awka has a glorious future! It is the duty of well-meaning Ndi Anambra to support Governor Soludo in making Awka a befitting capital.

Nwankwo is the special adviser on special projects to Soludo