Johnkennedy Uzoma
14 October 2008
opinion
Owerri — The clean and green initiative, flagship of Imo State government programme has throttled on giving the state capital, Owerri, a face lift but at a great human cost.
Critics said that the programme is opaque in terms of its cost and others say that government has urban bias, pretending that the state capital is the whole state. Yet otherS insist that after years of a pyramid of stench, the government is right to tackle it as priority.
Chief Ikedi Ohakim , the Governor of Imo state on assump-tion of office last year, launched a programme called Clean and Green Initiative. His intention for setting up the program, the people of the state was told is to transform the state into a modern model one and to make Heartland state remain a cleanest in the country.Since inception of the programme , it has enjoyed the support by both Government officials and those at the corridors of power. Some People see it as right steps in the right direction aimed at moving the state forward, while others describes it as one of the things needed to clean up the state and make it conducive for a healthy living.yet many others adopt wait and see attitude given the background of many state government initiative that have started well but ended up marred by corruption or simply abandonded . The Initiative however came up with the idea of bringing back the lost glory of the state as the cleanest state in the entire country during the tenure Late Governor Sam Onunaka Mbakwe.To achieve this taskof theprogramme, the State Governor has set up an action committee known as Environmental Transformation Committee ENTRACO headed by the state commissioner for Petroleum and Environment, Chief Aloysus Aguwa. Part of their assignments within the period is to enforce the idea and change the attitude of the inhabitants of the state and to inculcate into them the culture of being conscious of cleaning their environment all the time.Under this initiative and in order to succeed in the assignment ,such new ideas by the committee such as planting of grasses and flowers at some designated and strategic places carved out for beautification has gone into full swing. Again, all government owned buildings were immediately repainted with Green and White Colour as an indication that government is serious about the programme. All the already existing bus stop in the city were relocated while new ones introduced.
A good number of women were recruited to sweep the street on daily bases, while sale of sachet pure waters were prohibited to avoid further littering of the street with nylon papers. Also Okada operators were equally banned from operating in certain major roads in the state.Daily Trust gathered that all the already existing open places that were converted into illegal parks and other illegal business were closed down and fenced round with blocks. Also illegal structures scattered in all part of the state and buildings illegally situated in all the streets were completely razed down.Motor dealers and Timber traders were not left alone. Government insisted that they must relocate from Mbaise road to Nnaze to carry out their legitimate business.It is widely considered that the introduction of Clean and Green Initiative no doubt have brought changes in the city of Owerri.It has also turned around all the roads and streets into a new face. Some of the major roads like Okigwe, Orlu, Owerri Port-Harcourt road and Egbu roads have been given face lift since the start of the progamme. The whole thing tends to convey a scenario that the governor is in a hurry to develop the state.
Daily Trust gathered that all these things have been done within one year of the present administration even though expectation is still very high . Imo people believes that the actual implementation of what Clean and Green Initiative is about in the State has not yet been fully unfolded . A close look at some roads and streets will quickly suggest that Imo State cannot completely said to be clean. There is no doubt saying that the Governor have started well to beautify the state to some extent within his one year in office. It is interesting to point out that the World Bank Federal Housing road which is a major one has is in a very bad shape. An area like Concord road linking House of Assembly Complex, Links and Legend Hotels deserves government attention.The popular Assumpta round about situated at the heart of the city is in a very bad shape and need urgent attention from Government of the day. Again all the road that are designated for okada operators in the city are as matter of fact mere serious death trap. No body that passes the roads will agree that all is well in the state. The drainages and gutters in the city are nothing to write home about, because of the fact that they are filled with stagnant water and refuse that affect the passage of water to its original base. Again whenever gutters are distilled, the same rubbish scoped out of the place often time stay longer than necessary time to constitute nuisance and health hazard to the public. Whenever it rains in the city Owerri, both the gutters and drainages are completely filled up and most importantly the water remain stagnant. The roads itself become problematic because the same water that cover the entire road also make movement in the state impossible.
The presence of refuse dump in the streets of Owerri has remained a major source of worry to both government and the inhabitants of the state. The heap refuse stay more than expected whenever it is scoped out of the gutter before the authorities concerned will evacuate them to its dumping site. The resultant effect of this situation is a prolonged traffic jam.and movement of people and vehicles to their various destinations are usually delayed..
In the cause of implemen-ting the much mentioned Clean and Green Initiatives of the Government of the day, peoples property, buildings, churches are demolished as illegal structures. A good number of people have been subjected to unexpected difficulties and abject poverty, because their means of livelihood have been destroyed. Again many have been sent packing from the city to their various villages where they can hardly find means of sustenance. The destruction and banning of sale of some products such as sachet water saw to the immediate sky rocketing of the price of the product from N5.00. to N10.00 per sachet.
Again banning of Okade operators from operating in certain roads in the city have equally led to high increase of fare to an alarming rate in the state,For Chief Emmanuel Odunze a civil servant in the state, the Clean and Green Initiative since its implementation has done well so far. He said that Imo State now have a change in outlook. He added that a walk along some major roads and streets of Owerri especially along Wethral Okigwe,Egbu and Mbaise Road will certainly make one believe that there is differences on ground including the sudden disappearance of traffic jam that used to hold people to ransome on the roads. According to him all the illegal structures scattered in all the streets of Owerri have been removed in the cause of implementing the programme. Owerri now can be assessed as a clean state .Chief Odunze however added that there could be be some lapses along the line but he called on the people of state to exercise patience and see what Government have in stock for them.
The Chief press secretary to the state Governor Mr. Steve Osuji said that within one year in office of the state Governor had recorded success in the Clean and Green Initiative. He said that before assumption of office of the present administration, Owerri, the capital city was in a total mess, and the governor on assumptionof office came in full force to clean up the place in the interest of the people.According to him, people are gradually imbibing the culture to keep their environment clean for a healthy living. He said that over the past years people have the habit of staying wherever they like to carry out their business without minding its implications. The idea whereby people wake up and start building anywhere they like is wrong and the present government cannot continue to tolerate that any longer.
This according to him is the reason why government decided to embark on the demolition of illegal structures in the city.The CPS said that because this is modern times and people can no longer build wherever they like. There should be orderliness, adding that what is happening will actually cause some people pains but the demolition of illegal structures in been done for the good interest of Imo people not to witch hunt anybody.He said government have taken note of certain roads and streets in the state where there are stagnant water and heap of refuse because they were not cared for in the past years, but assured that with time they will be addressed and the situation will change.
He advised the public to imbibe the culture of cleaning their environment for a better living.The State Chairman of Action congress Dr. Las Anyanwu in his own assess-ment of the programme of the state said that the impact of the programme is yet to be felt and challenged government to make the cost of the open for public anlysis . He said that there is no doubt of the clean up going on ahead Douglas, Wethral, Mbaise road respec-tively, but he questioned about how much that have been spent and what could be the fate of those people displaced as a result of the demolition. The party chairman said that the demolition has been massive and if those people displaced are not relocated, it may constitute another level of confusion in the society. He regretted the human cost of the progamme and urged govern-ment to ameliorate the suffering of those that might have adversely affected by the implementation of the progra-mme.
A community leader in Mgbidi, Oru east council of the state queried how clean and green should a flagship of a serious govern-ment when there are other issues of gover-nance begging to be attended. He called the programme a diversionary ploy to hide the incompetence of the govern-ment, adding that envronmental cleaning should be a routine concern of a government depar-tment without the hype from the entire machinary of the state government. According to the community leader ,the level of unemployment among the youths in the state should worry the government and also the state of decay of the existing infrastructure, espe-cially outside the state capital should attract serious concern. He added that the over-hyped clean and green initiative exposes the urban bias of the present state government which appear oblivous of the rural communities where the majority of the state population leaves.
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