By Ifeoma Okafor (Umunna TV)
Traffic hold-ups have become of major concern to commuters on several Anambra roads, especially at traffic hot spots in the state including Aroma, Kwata and Amawbia junctions, in Awka, the capital city. Nnewi, Onitsha, Nnobi, Ekwulobia, Abagana and other major cities in the state are not spared also.
Many have ascribed several reasons as being the cause of the traffic hold-ups. Emenike Okeke, a trader at Eke Awka market said; “It’s increasing urbanisation, there are simply too many cars on the roads, much more than the available road infrastructure can carry”.
For Mrs Maria Nwokolo, a teacher at an Nnewi secondary school, “The road users, particularly keke and okada riders don’t obey traffic rules. Even car owners too. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to move”.
Chief Amaechi Ndu however sees it differently, he says: “The traffic Marshalls and road traffic controllers are not enough. Most times the traffic lights don’t work, even when they are working, drivers don’t obey them”.
Perhaps in appreciation of what road users go through plying several roads in the state, Anambra state government has declared a state of emergency on traffic hold-ups in the state.
The state Commissioner for Information, Sir Paul Nwosu stated this during the post-Anambra State Executive Council briefing held at the Government House, Awka.
Sir Nwosu stressed that the new road traffic management measures introduced was to ensure that Ndi Anambra do not spend more than twenty minutes in traffic.
The Commissioner who said that Anambra Traffic Management Agency was directed to deploy their officers in twenty most difficult areas in the state, pointed out that to aid effectiveness, Governor Soludo directed that ATMA should be trained by LASTMA, FRSC and Army, as well as recruit more people into the Agency, for increased capacity and efficiency.
Commissioner Nwosu noted that the State Fire Service will be restructured to become more responsive and effective, emphasizing that it will be decentralised and brought closer to the people, revealing that the era of using phone calls have been phased out, while the Anambra State emergency fire response application has been activated.
While stating that it was also approved that all the traffic lights will be serviced, he added that the Commissioner for Local government was directed to identify areas in the communities that can be used as bus stops.
According to the Commissioner, among other issues discussed at the meeting were adoption of the name; Anambra State Executive Council as against Executive Council, adoption of a policy to introduce urban agriculture to increase food production in Anambra State where every household deploy spaces in their domain to plant agricultural produce, transition from inorganic farming to regenerative agriculture to improve quality of agricultural products.
Other items discussed include the ongoing rehabilitation work on Anambra roads, revision of laws setting up government parastatals and agencies by the State Attorney General, approval for annual procurement of one million palm seedlings, five hundred coconut seedlings as a way of trying to relive the old M.I Okpara days when palm oil was the mainstay.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Christian Aburime was also present at the briefing.
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