The Anambra State Government has commenced the issuance of demolition notices to more than 500 owners and occupiers of illegal, dilapidated, and unsafe structures across Nnewi.
This is part of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s ambitious urban renewal programme aimed at transforming the commercial city.
The governor had days back visited Nnewi on inspection, where he disclosed his plans to rebuild the city to match its status as an industrial city.
The issuance of demolition notices, led by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, marks the first of fulfilling the promise.
The regeneration initiative, which the governor described as comprehensive, is designed to restore order, improve infrastructure, and reposition Nnewi as a modern industrial and commercial hub.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Chijioke Oseloka Ojukwu, said the affected structures include shanties erected beneath high-tension power lines, buildings constructed without approved setbacks, unauthorised developments, filling stations, hotels, and other decrepit structures considered hazardous to public safety and urban development.
He said: “The targeted locations span major corridors and strategic areas of the city, including the Nnewi Triangle axis, Hundred Foot Road, Post Office area, Anaedo Road, Igwe Orizu Road, Ezemewi Road, Nkwo axis, and sections of the Nnewi–Owerri Road right-of-way and also other major Trunk A road corridors in Otolo, Umudim, and Uruagu.
“This action is in line with Governor Soludo’s vision of building a cleaner, safer, and more orderly urban environment. This will lay the foundation for the comprehensive regeneration of Nnewi and the restoration of its position as a premier industrial and commercial hub.
Ojukwu said the notices serve as a formal warning to owners of structures obstructing the right-of-way of the newly dualized Nnewi–Owerri Road and other areas earmarked for redevelopment under the state’s urban transformation agenda.
