Opinion
By Paul Nwosu
YESTERDAY, we saw the video where Prof. Lilian Orogbu, representing Awka North and South Federal Constituency, reacted to the enforcement of the law against street trading at Unizik Junction/Okpuno/Club Road axis of Awka by agents of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA).
In the video, she condemned the exercise in caustic terms and subsequently issued a public announcement inviting the affected victims to a meeting where she probably plans to compensate them.
While Prof. Orogbu is at liberty to give handouts to members of her Constituency, she should not distort facts or canvass falsehood in order to score cheap political points.
The fact of the matter is that as Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s effort on roads construction in Awka began to birth brand new marked roads with side-walks, hawkers and petty traders immediately turned the side-walks into their stalls while those who already had shops along those roads made the side-walks extensions of their business premises. This is inimical to the newly constructed roads as the covered drainages instantly become waste disposal channels, while the street traders are exposed to the risk of accident and possible death.
From December 15, 2023, ACTDA embarked on aggressive public enlightenment campaigns on television and radio (in English and Igbo), social media blogs and more importantly, mobile town-criers. Videos of pre-enforcement announcements are attached to this media statement. But rather than leave, the street traders resorted to playing cat and mouse games with ACTDA – they would leave when the town-criers are there only to reappear when they are gone.
A week to the final enforcement, they were warned (on daily basis by the town-criers) that they risk losing their wares by the time the major enforcement commences. All that still fell on deaf ears.
No responsible government will fold its hands and watch people flagrantly violate laws that have been emplaced for public good. The current administration of Governor Soludo is deeply committed to the maintenance of law and order, one of the 5 major pillars of this administration, and no amount of blackmail will obscure its focus in ensuring that some level of sanity is restored in our society.
Our State cannot grow progressively to becoming that liveable and prosperous homeland we desire if our people continue to hold the rule of law in disdain.
*** PAUL NWOSU is the
Commissioner for Information.
T.
-January 20, 2024 @ 6:52 GMT|
Tags:
